Small but Mighty: The Axkid One 3 Review

Niamh and Méabh Keane O’Regan

The Axkid One 3 is here, boasting over 150 upgrades on its already innovative predecessor. But in a world of ever-evolving car seats, does it still hold its own asks Suzanne Keane

What is it?
The original Axkid One was released 5 years ago and at the time it was an extremely innovative seat – one of the first to allow rear facing with ISOFIX to 23kg, along with the Concord Reverso, but the Axkid version had the highest height limit at 125cm, allowing for usage from birth to 6/7 years.
Axkid are now on the 3 rd iteration of the Axkid One, with this new seat, but technology has also moved on in the past 5 years so where does this leave the Axkid One 3? The new seat has more than 150 updates on the original including improved headrest function, smoother harness routing and ventilation holes in the infant insert.
In terms of brands, Axkid need no introduction. A brave Swedish company, that have refused to produce forward facing seats for babies and toddlers for many years, with all their extended rear facing seats having the coveted Swedish Plus Test approval (however, Axkid booster seats are available for older children).

What’s in the box?
The Axkid One 3 we’re testing is in Arctic Mist Grey, and is suitable for children from 61cm (approx. 6 months) to 125cm/23kg. The seat came out of the box with the infant insert fitted with just the ASIP to be installed afterwards (One 3+ is available for use from birth).

Fitting?
As you’d expect from an i-Size seat the One 3 is extremely easy to fit and with practice, it should take less than 30 seconds. The anti-rotation bar on the Axkid One 3 is adjustable and once you have the ISOFIX connectors clicked in the bar can be adjusted forward with a dial to get a tight fit. Then you just need to drop the support leg and the seat’s installed – the leg will beep if it’s not in place correctly which is another nifty feature we’ve come to expect from quality child seats.
Finally, you’ll need to attach the ASIP to the side of the seat – whichever side is closer to the door – or if the seat is being installed in the middle seat the ASIP isn’t necessary. Remove the plastic cover on the side of the seat and apply pressure while sliding the ASIP downwards to get it into place.
Once it’s in place adjusting the seat for your child is incredibly easy. You can slide it back and forwards for legroom, tilt for recline by twisting the sleepwell dial and a simple button at the back of the seat will allow you to adjust the strap and headrest height – there’s a marking on the headrest to line up with your child’s eyes so you’ll always have it in the right place.

Daily use
We’ve been using this seat with a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old, fitted beside the original Axkid One for comparison. Switching between them just involves a quick move of the headrest. Legroom can be adjusted by up to 30cm, by sliding the seat along the rails – also gives more  space for getting children in and out. The Sleepwell System allows easy and smooth seat reclining for those in-car naps, without being woken by a sudden jolt!

While my 2 year old is still under 105cm we found she wasn’t comfortable with the infant insert so we’ve been using the seat without it. This seat has been in daily use for both long and short trips. We’ve had complaints about comfort from the 5-year-old with other seats we’ve tested but she was perfectly happy in the Axkid One 3, complaining when her little sister got to use it! As well as being adjustable once fitted the seat is extremely light, and easy to move between cars.
When the Axkid One was released 5 years ago, the highest limit on a rearfacing seat was 25kg so the 2kg difference was negligible, however the newest Axkid Minikid 4 has a 36kg limit (seat belt fitting) so my big concern before testing this seat was how can it compete? What’s important to note is that the height limit on both seats is the same, 125cm for a 23kg child and 125cm for a 36kg child. My mid centile daughter is 5 years and 3 months and fits in the Axkid One 3 so for the majority of families this seat is a convenient long-lasting option. In terms of advantages over the older Axkid One model, it’s smoother to use and easier to adjust and just feels more refined.
While an ISOFIX seat isn’t as versatile as a belted seat, it’s important to remember that many parents still think of an ISOFIX seat as being a safer option, so if the Axkid One 3 will encourage more people to rearface for longer then it’s a winner.

Safety 
The Axkid One has passed the coveted Swedish Plus Test (a test that guarantees you that your child is not being exposed to life-threatening high neck forces in the event of a frontal collision) along with the ADAC safety test. A sturdy frame, built from aircraft grade aluminium ensures your child is protected in the seat (withstanding forces up to 1500kg) while allowing them to also climb in safely.

Why you’ll want one:

Suzanne Keane