The Chair-off “Kid Version”

When Charlie and I were at the Children's Museum in Naples, we had lunch in their little eatery. I asked if they had a highchair and the girl pulled out this tiny little seat that attached to the table. Charlie loved it and Stephanie and I were impressed. I took note of the brand (one I’ve admired) and when I got back home I looked into it.
The chair wasn’t cheap, but it also wasn’t outrageous. I also noted that there were a lot of other portable highchairs out there that were a big improvement from the one my little (24 year old) brother used back in the early 90s'. So I began my search and decided on ordering two to find the best one for Charlie (and us).

The Phil & Teds Lobster

The Inglesina Fast Chair

We still had some money left on our Buy Buy Baby gift card and a 20% off Bed Bath and Beyond coupon, so that’s where I ordered them from.  (Phil & Teds is not included in the 20% deal-boo)
When they came in we quickly realized that neither of them would work with our dining table, but that wasn’t a big issue since this wasn’t for home use (that would just have been a bonus). But they did both work on the small countertop at our pass through. (Adam would have to install a piece of wood for the Lobster to be properly used.) So that’s where we set them up.
Note: Both chairs will hold a child up to 37 lbs (about 3 years) and both weighed in at just over 4lbs.  Both area  screw/twist on clamp style. Both can be cleaned, but is hand wash only.

This is how they stacked up:

Ease of install:

Both chairs attach by turning the clamp until tight. The Lobster won hands down. The Fast has more of a hook so I had farther to turn and the lobsters handles were larger and easier to turn. It took about 20 seconds to install the lobster and 50 to install the Fast.

Winner: Lobster

Stability:

Both chairs seemed very stable, but Adam noted that because the Lobster has, well a lobster clamp vs. an arm and rod, it was more stable. More surface area is grabbing the underside of the counter.

Winner: Lobster

Accessories:

The lobster comes with a plastic try, It just slides under the clamps, but is not attached in anyway. so if your kid can get it loose it could be thrown. This is nice though to have at a restaurant if your kid isn’t a plate person yet.
The Fast has a pocket in the back of the seat. Great place to keep a bib (which we always forget) spoons, wipes…ect.

Winner: Draw

Storage:

The Fast has a bag that is stored under the seat and it is attached and closed with a drawstring. The Lobster has more of a tote type bag that it slides in and had two handles. The Lobster was about 1/2 the size of the Fast when in the bag and much easier to carry.

Winner: Lobster

Safety:

The Fast has a waist belt with a Velcro cover to keep your kid from messing with the buckle. The Lobster has a 5-point harness with pads over the shoulder straps. In both we didn’t use the buckle on Charlie, but I have a feeling we will. The Fast seemed to be easier to buckle her in, but when we used the Lobster at the museum I recall only doing it on her lap as well-so maybe you can do that too. Over all though we all know that a 5 point harness is safer…so

Winner: Lobster

Size/Comfort:

(Note neither of these are my kid)
The Fast had a lot more room and a higher back rest. Also the arms are padded. The Lobster seemed more like a bucket and the child sits lower. Both had a padded seat. When Charlie sat in the chairs she was above the table in the Fast and at table height in the Lobster. Deciding factor: If we have more kids and use it at an earlier age we’d be more comfortable putting a young child in…

Winner: Lobster

Charlie:

Each time we sat Charlie in a chair she smiled and kicked her legs…then immediately pointed to the other chair. She seemed happy in both.

Winner: Draw

Ease of Breakdown:

This was pretty similar to the install. You just untwist and collapse the clamps and fold up in put it in it’s corresponding bag.  The Lobster was a breeze to take down, fold up and put it in it’s bag. The Fast took a while. While having the bag stored with the chair is nice…it was cumbersome and hard to get into. And took at least twice as long if not more to get down than the Lobster.

Winner: The Lobster

Quality:

The Lobster has an aluminum frame, rubber/plastic clamps and a fabric/mesh seat. The Fast has a metal frame, canvas seat, and rubber clamps. Both chairs seemed good quality and both weighed around 4lbs.

Winner: Draw

Versatility:

For the Lobster you must have 3” deep of solid surface for the clamp to work. The Fast has  hook type clamp which could be used on a table with a lip/skirt as long as the rod could get beyond it to attach to the underside of the table. So being more versatile this one goes to…

Winner: The Fast

Cost:

(we had $25 left on a gift card, so we’ll apply this to both final costs)
The fast is $49.99 But with the 20% it comes to $39.99. Our final cost would be: $15.
The Lobster is $79.99. We could not get 20% off due to it being a Phil & Teds brand. Our final cost would be $55.

Winner: The Fast

In Conclusion:

We hummed and hawed over this decision. Both were really good chairs. They are well made and did the job. Some of the cons of each chair we could turn into pros…and vise versa. The price was a big issue we mulled over as we both wondered did we really need this chair? It’s nice to have, but we could live without it. In the end we knew what our decision had to be on how we live our life and what works best for us.
So..Any Guesses what we decided? …

The Lobster!

We tried it out Saturday when we went out to celebrate moms birthday and it worked great! We sat in a round booth and Charlie was right there with us. So far we love it!