Evenflo Gold Revolve360 Review

The Evenflo Company, Inc. began in 1920 and is now a subsidiary of Goodbaby International. The company started by specializing in feeding gear like nipples and bottles but merged with Evenflo Juvenile Products and Furniture Company in 1995. The company now sells various baby gear, from bottles to safety gates and just about everything in between.

Performance Comparison

Crash Test

We love a lot about this Evenflo, but not its below-average crash test results. With one of the lowest analysis results in the group, its performance cost it an award in our testing.

The Revolve has one of the highest recorded G forces in the chest sensor for the test group. This result negatively impacted the analysis. The HIC head sensor result is also not good, much higher than the average result. The sensor data's goal is the “lower the better” regarding recorded results, so the analysis of these higher results yielded a lower analysis score. While this seat meets the federal guidelines and should be considered safe, our tests use a sled more similar to modern-day vehicles, and it goes a bit faster. This means we expect some seats to perform better than others, and the Revolve couldn't hang with the better-performing competitors in our tests.

Ease of Install - LATCH

Installing this seat using LATCH is pretty straightforward, and we love that the main seat detaches, creating a base that offers a design almost anyone can install without a hiccup.

The Revolve has flexible strap push-style connectors with bubble indicators on each side and a lock-off.

Taking off the chair portion of the seat opens up the smaller base for easy path and installation access. The connectors are easy to access and undo the lock-off. The tensioner/lock-off is easy to press down and works well to secure the seat to the car with minimal movement. It feels secure in every direction.

The recline is adjusted after the installation is complete, moving smoothly, and is easy to operate. Don't forget the tensioner, which is required since the forward-facing installation is the same as the rear-facing.

Ease of Install - Belt

Installing this Evenflo with the belt is also a simple process with the seat detached, and we think the design is impressive.

This revolving seat is cool because once you install it, it works for rear or forward-facing use, and unless you need to switch vehicles with it, you are good to go from day one. It has a bubble level indicator on both sides, the pathway is color-coded for help threading the belt, and the belt lock-off is a bonus we didn't see on all seats. Installation requires detaching the chair component from the base, which is unique for a convertible seat and is more similar to infant car seat designs. A color-change indicator lets you know when you have it off and reattached correctly.

The belt is easy to thread through the base without the chair in place, and the lock-off lever pulls up and stays out of the way until you need it. Pushing down the lock-off lever felt awkward, but pushing it over the belt and locking things in place was easy. There is a green-to-red indicator to let you know it is locked. The tether is part of the rear and forward-facing installation, which is relatively unique and should not be skipped or forgotten. This seat feels very stable once installed and easily passed the wiggle test. Unlike some of the competition, this seat had a similar installation in both test cars, which we hope indicates it will be similar in most cars.

Removing the seat from the car requires detaching the chair component, releasing the lock-off, and unthreading the belt. The lever on the lock-off is hard to use if you don't unbuckle the belt first to relieve the tension.

This seat is a one-and-done installation because you are essentially just installing the base, and the top chair can rotate forward when your child reaches the manual guidelines for forward-facing.

Ease of Use

The Revolve isn't the easiest seat to use and has some gadgety features that make things more complicated than necessary.

Harness

The harness is below average compared to much of the convertible competition. The buckle sits pretty low and is far back on the seat, making it hard to operate between chunky thighs. Our testing and several reviews online all mention the unfortunate position of the buckle strap. However, the big button works well and releases smoothly with pop-out prongs. The chest clip has resistance with putting on and taking off, which is something we didn't experience with much of the competition.

Tightening and loosening the Revolve360 is average, with attached shoulder pads that create friction when tightening the harness. Loosening doesn't seem to pull enough of the webbing out, and we would have liked a little longer straps for getting arms in the harness.

Shoulder strap height adjustment on the Revolve360 is above average with a non-rethread style adjustment, fourteen height positions, and a crotch strap with three possible places. All three of the crotch strap positions are pretty far back into the seat, and we wonder how useful these will be with older or bigger children. The pinch adjustment is easy to use and moves easily along the position range without a hiccup.

LATCH Storage

The LATCH storage on this Evenflo is very good. The storage is on the side of the seat, and the connectors have pull loops that are easy to grab. It has no trouble with extra webbing with nowhere to go like some competition.

Cover

The removal of the cover on this seat is below average compared to the group. It took us a long time to complete the removal and put it back on. It requires putting some material through slots and some flexible loops.

Comfort/Quality

This innovative option offers impressive comfort and quality in a group of stiff competition. The seat looks lunch on first blush. The company brags about its fabric, but it is polyester and not anything we think is brag-worthy. The seat material isn't rougher but not cooling or smooth either, and there are warning labels sewn to the fabric on the back that could be irritating if shirtless or wearing thinner fabric.

The infant insert has a strong chemical smell we didn't experience in the mains eat. The material is only okay, not irritating, but also not smooth. It looks puffier than it really is when you apply pressure.

The main seat has some components of padding that look fluffy, but pressing down causes immediate compression and no real cushioning. Once you're past the fluffy exterior, a more dense and supportive memory foam is underneath. It is slightly thicker on the seat bottom and thinner on the sides and back. The knee area does not have any curved plastic to support the knees or legs but instead has a padded fabric flap. We suspect this is related to the rotational design, but we wonder if it would be comfy over longer drives in the forward-facing position. There are some reports of an uncomfortable buckle or crotch position.

Due to the rotating design, the shell has more going on than a typical shell. We suspect any dried liquids or messes will cause problems and longer cleaning times. It has dual cup holders that essentially create the leg sides of the seat and are integrated into the shell.

Weight/Size

This rotating seat is a big one with a heavier weight, wider width, and a longer length. Whew! It's a lot to even think about. It weighs 29.4 lbs, compared to a group where the high is close to 33, and the average is 24.3.

It measures 19.6 in width and 29 in length. These measurements make it one of this review's widest and longer-than-average seats. It isn't likely you'd travel with this seat, and most of the revolving seats in this review were big and heavy, so it might be something you have to accept if rotating is your goal.

Should You Buy the Evenflo Gold Revolve360?

While nothing could be easier than installing this Evenflo rotating seat, it is huge and did not perform well in our crash test analysis. We think it is easy to use and offers much comfort, but the lower crash test results were disappointing and make it a seat we don't love. We think there are better rotating seats in the lineup and better seats that are more traditional in design. So, while intriguing and, dare we say, almost fun to install, it fell short of being a seat we recommend.

What Other Convertible Car Seat Should You Consider?

If you want a rotating seat, we like both the Baby Jogger City Turn and the Cybex Sirona S. The Baby Jogger would have won an award with better crash test analysis and ease of installation, but it only rotates when rear-facing, so if that is acceptable, we think it is a good fit. The Cybex is a good choice if you want full rotation and don't mind a more average crash test rating. Both seats are on the pricey side but offer enough to justify the cost somewhat, and your goals will determine which one feels better for you.

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