Peg Perego Pliko Mini Review

The Perego Pliko Mini is one of the lightest strollers Peg Perego makes. It folds up in a traditional umbrella method, and comes with a carry handle for easy transport. The stroller has a storage bin under the seat, a large canopy with a peek-a-boo window, and adjustable leg rest with reclining back. It has a one hand fold, is suitable for babies of a few months and up, and comes in various fabric patterns.

Performance Comparison

Ease of Use

This product scored below average for ease of use. It wasn't the lowest scorer we reviewed, but it did tie with several other rides and only 3 came in lower.

Storage

The Pilko has a medium sized storage bin under the seat, but the cross bar over the top of it prevents it from really beinig useable. It will not hold an average sized diaper bag, and accessing it from any angle is difficult. It has a maximum capacity of 11 pounds which is nice, but given that we couldn't really get anything into the bin it hardly mattered that it had one of the highest maximum allowed weight out of any product we tested. Given the difficulty of using the space, and the limited sections caused by the cross bar, it did not do well in the storage department.

Sun Shade
The photos above show the canopy transition.

The sun shade on the Pilko is a large canopy with an unrated SPF. It has a peek-a-boo window made out of vinyl and mesh on the back of the canopy, but any child in the seat will be hard to see from the window unless the seat back is reclined. The back of the canopy snaps to the top of the seat and can be opened for increased ventilation on hot days. The frame of the shade has 3 positions; closed, half open, and fully extended. There are no lock out arms on this canopy.

Convenience

There is no additional storage on this stroller for parent or child. There are accessories that can be purchased including a cup holder and accessory pocket, but nothing comes standard on this rig except the under seat storage.

This product has a reclining back and adjustable leg rest. The leg rest has two positions straight down and out. The latches are slightly difficult to find under the fabric, and the edge of the seat is stiffer than many of the others which seemed like it would be uncomfortable for longer trips if the leg rest is not bent. The seat back operates by lifting an arm on each side of the seat just above the basket which can adjust to three different positions, this excludes a one handed recline, but it is fairly easy to manage anyway. The seat back can be lifted to a higher position with one hand. The recline maximum angle is 30 degrees, which makes the seat cozier, but not perfectly nap worthy.

Maneuverability

This product only scored a 4 of 10 for maneuverability. However, this is on par with the other strollers we reviewed with an average for this metric of 4. For ease of pushing and turning on pavement and other hard surfaces this rig is about average compared to the others in this review. This stroller rolls and turns pretty easily, but it had a hard time completing the course without hitting anything. It has trouble staying on course and a looser frame means it isn't very nimble.

Off pavement this product became more than difficult, almost impossible. It is tough going in the grass, but practically stopped dead in the gravel. This stroller is tippy on side hills, wouldn't roll over a 1 inch curb, and the frame flex when we tried to go over the lip caused the bottom of the handle bar to come apart. The smaller wheels fell in the slots of a nearby storm drain. Sure an umbrella doesn't necessarily need to go off road, but it is nice if it can get from front door to destination without getting stuck.

Going up and down curbs and stairs is also difficult. The frame and handles have a lot of flex when you try to move or pick up the stroller, this makes going up and down stairs sort of uncontrollable. In addition, the brake pedals hit the nosing on the way down the stairs which caused the brakes to lock up and the stroller to become somewhat uncontrollable. It also felt like we had to bend over further when navigating the stroller down the stairs, this isn't a deal breaker, but it did make this product harder to maneuver than others.

Safety

Safety is important in any product your child is going to sit in. We tested different features for safety concerns including harnesses, brakes, and tipping. The Peg scored above average in this metric with only one stroller scoring higher than it, the Quinny Yezz.

Brakes

The brakes on this product were easy to set, release, and had almost no play when set. The brakes were a double brake control that click when engaged correctly, and they were sandal friendly. It required about 6 pounds of pressure going backwards or forwards to get some slide in the stroller. The brakes were on par with most of the other products we reviewed with a score of 10 out of 15, and they were certainly above the average score which was closer to 9.

Harness

This product has a 5-point harness with an adjustable crotch strap. It adjusts easier that many of the other products. Once adjusted it fit fairly well, though the crotch strap seemed to always be looser than we wanted it. The release button is stiff, but it snaps apart with one hand fairly easily. This harness was easy to get on and easy to get off, which is a big selling point if you have a squirming toddler.

Tipping

The side tipping point of this product is 27 degrees which is above the average and on par with many of the other products we reviewed. The back tip happened when about 28 pounds of pressure were hung on the handle bars or off the back. This weight is below the average, which was closer to 33, but it is better than several other products we reviewed. The UPPAbaby G-Lite only needed 18 pounds before it tipped, but the Chicco Capri C6 Lightweight needed an impressive 75 pounds.

Quality

Only one product had a lower score for quality than this stroller, 2 others managed to tie, but that still means this stroller came in at 13 out of 16 for this metric. The fabric was fairly coarse and had a tight weave, but it did snag when brushed it with a pin. The fit and finish of the fabric to the frame was somewhat sloppy and loose everywhere.

The frame on the Peg is loose and flexes just about everywhere. It has lots of random rattles and joints that are looser than almost any other in our review. The frame did not seem as clean or sturdy as the others. The wheels connected to this flex frame also felt cheap and increased the vibration and rattle of the overall stroll. In general, the structure, design, and execution of this frame and related parts seems subpar compared to the others we tested.

The handles are hard plastic and have an adjustable height that is pretty good for even the taller testers. It has no foam or soft cover on the handles which can grow uncomfortable over time if the stroller is weighted with a child or going a long distance. This could get even worse if the surface it strolls is not hard and flat. The shape of the handles is comfortable to grip, but it would be better if there was some cushion. The flex to the handles made it feel like we were going to break them if we pushed too hard or had to maneuver over rough surfaces. We did not experience the dreaded foot/brake kick when pushing, which was definitely a plus and rare in our tests.

For overall comfort this stroller offers a sling style seat, with a stiffer back pad that reclines. The adjustable leg rest has two positions, but it is stiffer than many and some testers thought it might not be that cozy. It has almost no padding anywhere on the seat or the harness. It does have 4 shocks, but even the shocks didn't seem to be enough to make the stroller better.

Weight and Folded Size

Weight and Folded Size

This stroller weighed in at a cool 13 pounds. This is 5 pounds less than the heaviest stroller in our tests, plus it was below average. It is also shorter than many of the others at 14x38x13.5. This means it can fit easier in car trunks or be a little less wieldy than the longer options. At just over 7,000 cubic inches it took up more space than the average stroller, but it still felt compact given the overall measurements.

Ease of Folding

This is one of the few two hand fold strollers in this review. It has an auto-lock feature and self-stands, but it does not have a carry handle or shoulder strap. This means you have to pick it up by the frame, which makes it a little bit of a bother to move around, and somewhat cumbersome on public transportation. Self-standing is a great feature, that not all the rides had, but to forgo a carry handle seemed short sighted.

The folding process is 3 steps and is sandal foot friendly. It is easy to fold and unfold. It folds a little bit differently than most of the others we looked at, but it doesn't require bending over to the ground, so it just means getting used to an awkward fold.

Commuting

Packing in and unpacking this stroller from a car trunk was just average; it is shorter but it takes up more space than the average. The wheels seem to catch on things trying to load it in. Overall, it did not do well for commuting. With a lack of carry handle, longer frame, and poor maneuverability it is hard to consider this a viable option for easy transportability and city life. It also lost some favor for having a lower seat bottom, which means little one will be looking at knee caps and table undersides. If your plan is to use a stroller for about town excursions that include navigating busy walk ways, bumping over curbs, moving in tight space, or lugging it onto public transport this is probably not your go to option.

Ease of Setup

This product was more difficult to set up than many of the others. It took over 9 minutes to go from box to stroll worthy. The documentation had illustrations that were difficult to follow. It would have been better if the steps being discussed had been highlighted. The storage bin was difficult to attach with hooks that almost didn't want to hook.

Best Applications

With only two products ranking below this one it is hard to say if there is a best application for this stroller. It doesn't have enough options to use as a primary stroller, or even a cross over. It also isn't great for an umbrella or lightweight option. It isn't really that lightweight and the difficulty in maneuvering it meant it really didn't do well for city life where most lightweight strollers are used.

Value

This stroller had one of the higher price tag of any we tested. Because of this and its overall disappointing scores it really isn't the best value. Any of our award winners are a better value no matter what your need or specific intended application.

Conclusion

There isn't a lot to love about the Pliko. It scored poorly in most metrics we tested, and had an overall disappointing feel and function. It had a good size storage bin, that is inaccessible because of a cross bar. It has adjustable height handle bars that flex and give so much we thought they were going to break. It has ergonomic handles, but they have no cushion for pushing. All of the features on the Peg seemed great on paper and reading the specs makes you think you are getting a product you are going to love. Unfortunately, the execution of all the features is just not up to stroller snuff. All of our award winners would be preferable options to this stroller, and only one of them will cost you more. All of this makes a stroller we just can't recommend. If you are looking for a great city dweller stroller for getting around quickly and in tight spaces, the Quinny Yezz is a great go to. If you need more of a cross over stroller with all the trimmings and beautiful flashy design, we like the UPPAbaby G-Luxe. If you need a great lightweight stroller but don't want to spend a lot of money, than our Best Value winner would be a good option for you, the Chicco Liteway. Or the Contours Lite is even cheaper and offers lots of features, some that many other strollers did not offer.

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