Maclaren Techno XT Umbrella Stroller

I bought my Maclaren Techno XT as a companion to my Bugaboo Cameleon (see separate review) and it has been fantastic from day one.

THE GOOD....

Folding: opens and closes easily with one hand and even has a carrying handle. All great features if you're holding baby or wrestling with toddler.

Seat: reclines through 5 (I think) positions from almost flat to upright. It is suitable from birth and a tiny baby looked more comfortable than I would have imagined, especially with the footmuff (I bought this as an extra and it proved well worth it)

Handles: height can be adjusted

Hood: has zip open section to provide extra shade and useful carrying pockets on the back.

Value for money: At around £230 (including foot muff) seemed a lot for a buggy at the time but has been been worth every penny.

Has lasted really well despite covering many miles over more than three years. There is minimal wear on the wheels and only slight fading on the grey fabric.

Seat can be removed for hand washing.

AND THE NOT SO GOOD....

The handles have become sticky and the plastic covering on them is coming away.

Servicing. I tried to have the handles replaced through John Lewis but the process was complicated. Maclaren wouldn't quote until after they'd seen the buggy even though it was standard work and the turnaround was going to be about a month. They would only return it to the store too.

Overall this has been a truly excellent buggy. With hindsight I would have never bothered with the over-expensive Bugaboo as this is strong and sturdy enough to last yet light enough to travel.

It great value for money, light and easy to open and fold.

I purchsed the maclaren XT as though is wasmore expensive i thought it would last for a 2nd child, how wrong was I. It was great for the first child and we used it every day. Handy pockets in hood and flip down hood, though the breaks had to be kicked on and then never came off again so had to be kicked again so I gave up using them and held onto to it. The seat is so lightly padded that I had to glue a piece of foam onto the rear of the seat as you can feel the frame through the seat. The rear wheels rub on the brakes and make it hard to push. It is a good buggy if you only want to use it for one child, but for the price you may as weel get a cheaper one and re purchase with each child. Its a shame as the seat fabric has only shown sighs of wear on the reflective trim, I have contacted maclaren for a new set of rear wheels but told the axel has been upgraded and would be costly to replace. Yes it is a good buggy but not worth the money.

Had my Maclaren for 4 years now and still use it every day, light,comfy, easy to clean got storage pockets, strong. Quite expensive but we've had alot of use out of it. Definately buy one again if necessary.

I bought this as a light weight stroller for our daughter when she was 4 months old, we had a graco travel system which was heavy, big for navigating around shops and also filled the boot of the car!

I didn't set out to spend this much (£195) but am so pleased that I spent the extra! It's much more stylish, and far better quality than both other strollers I looked at, and ones that friends have bought.

It lies very near flat and my daughter will happily sleep for hours in it. I love the built in sun visor an the extra bit of hood that zips out meaning baby can be almost completely shaded from the sun or has a nice dark atmosphere for gtting to sleep with out and about.

I now use this as our main pushchair as its so convinient, the rain cover pops on very easily an can be kept in th epocket on th eback of the hood (I use the other pocket to hold a bottle of water or dd's juice) I also bought the matching footmuff which has been great over the winter, keeping dd very snug.

I have also taken the seat unit apart a couple of times to clean it - very easy to do, also means you're left with the just the frame and wheels which hubby was able to hose down after a trip to the farm!

cannot recommend enough!!

We've had a Britax Vigour 3 for 18 months now but wanted to get a lighter stroller now that our daughter is a bit older (and heavier!)

We looked at quite a few and opted for the Techno XT. I was concerned that it would feel a bit flimsy compared to the Britax. However, the first few times I used it I was very impressed.

It feels pretty sold, the ride is actually remarkably smooth and my daughter actually finds it much more comfortable than the Britax.

She wouldn't sleep in the Britax unless she was utterly shattered, however with the almost flat reclining of the Techno XT she gets to sleep in it much, much better.

We were thinking this would just be a second buggy for us - but its looking like its become our main buggy of choice as we never use the Britax now.

Id definitely recommend this, although its not particularly cheap.

Before buying I urge anyone to try and adjust the waist straps with a child in the chair. Its physically impossible!!

Are we expected to adjust them without the child and guess the size by trial and error?

The straps are ridiculously complicated for such a simple application. Other manufacturers manage it infinitely better.

When folding I found that the side clip which is supposed to hold it together was pushed out of the way buy the seat fabric. This has to be moved out of the way before the clip will engage. This can be awkward with one hand holding on to a child.

I bought this Maclaren Techno XT Umbrella Stroller for my second son when he was six months old.I needed something light as i rely on public transport.I have nothing but praise for this pram which is alot for me as i have done nothing but buy prams since my eldest child was born 2 years ago,trying to find something we both liked and be practical seemed to be a mission.This is my 19th pram to date and i really wont be letting go of this pram until my son no longer needs one.I love the fact you can fold it down with one hand and also the hood flips right down for sun protection if ever you forget ur sunshade.It is fantastic over any terrian and just seems to bounce back with what ever you give it.Maclaren really do make the best prams.If only i would have bought one two years ago i would have saved myself so much time and money.

I bought my Maclaren Techno XT Umbrella Stroller when my daughter was about 5 months old and wish I had bought it from birth. I had a Graco travel system that was too bulky and heavy so sold that and bought the Maclaren. My daughter is now 2 and it is as good as new. I drive and mainly use my pushchair for nipping in and out of shops, its really light and easy to store in the smallest boot. What sets it apart from other strollers is the fold down hood that covers baby in the cold or sun, I never needed a parasol and is brilliant for when baby is sleeping. We have taken the stroller abroad 3 times, to the beach, to the park , to the shops and with a wipe over it is still in pristine condition. The only drawback is the shopping basket, it is just about big enough to fit a bag in and is hard to access when the pushchair is reclined. Also when the hood is folded down you can't store anything in the pockets in the back as the weight of it hits babys head. Other than that I would highly recommend this stroller. Its really manouverable, comfy for my toddler, lightweight, takes up no room in car or house. Brilliant for travel abroad.

Maclaren Techno XT Umbrella Stroller - We have a MUTSY Urban Rider as our main buggy which we had from the birth of our baby and we love it but it's quite heavy for those short trips and holidays. We had a M&P Aria which broke within 8 months so wanted to get something decent. Spent £165 on this but not sure it is worth the money. Good for a main buggy but if you want something light and easy to use on quick trips, may not be suitable.