Everything You Need to Know About the Fllo by Clek!

When I started working for The Baby Cubby back in the beginning of 2015, I had just found out that I was pregnant! I was deep in the throws of product research to make the perfect baby registry, when I found myself torn between car seats! The constant battle in my head was between looks and safety. I questioned how different safety was since all seats legally have to pass certain criteria before even being allowed on the market. You can imagine the relief I felt as I started studying car seat safety for the job. HOLY COW. Let me just tell you, all car seats ARE NOT created equal!! When I first saw a crash test video of the Clek car seats, I audibly said "whoa..." I could not believe the impact, and more importantly the way the seat reacted. That is why I know that you will be so happy to learn more about the Clek Fllo today!

First off, you need to know one of Clek's mottos, "We make TANKS, not recliners!" I mean, if that doesn't convince you that they have your child's safety in their best interest, I just don't think anything will! Better yet, the co-founder of Clek spent his career prior to Clek in the auto manufacturing industry. So, I am telling you that this guy knows his stuff when it comes to cars, and is now spending his time designing seats to keep your children safe. I'd say he is definitely one to trust in that area, don't you think?! Let's check out this wonderful car seat then shall we?!

REASONS TO GO WITH THE FLLO

Safety, safety, safety!! The Fllo's safety features are top notch! I know that by the end of this I will not be alone in saying "WHOA". Clek rocks the car seat world! First off, we need to discuss the differences between the Fllo and Clek's other car seat: the Foonf. The Fllo is their "compact convertible car seat." The energy management system in the Fllo is designed to work with a belt installation (either vehicle belt or LATCH belt), rather than the rigid LATCH seen in the Foonf. Clek states that the Fllo was specifically designed for the parent that will predominantly install with a belt rather than latch. The second difference is that the Fllo has a built-in flip foot for the rear-facing position, instead of the separate wedge that is used on the Foonf. This leaves the Fllo sitting a few inches lower in the rear-facing position. It is also 10 pounds lighter than the Foonf. Both are wonderful features for smaller cars and different lifestyle factors!

Now for the top-of-the-line standard Clek features: The Fllo has extended rear-facing capability, so it can be used rear-facing up to 50 pounds. YES, 50! That is the international best, just in case you were wondering. Although most parents choose to turn their children around at the minimum suggested age of two, this feature is especially useful for extended rear-facing needs.

A feature that is hardly seen in other convertible car seats is the steel anti-rebound bar (ARB)! This bar provides added stability to the seat by limiting the rotation allowed in the event of a collision while rear-facing. What does that mean? Well, in the event of a crash, car seats can rotate by force as much as 20 degrees in a downward motion. As with anything else, what goes down must come back up. Once the seat hits the bottom of the rotation, it will snap back up, propelling your child towards the actual seat that they are installed in and facing. This is where so much injury can be caused to tiny necks and heads. Yikes!!! The ARB prevents that snap back! You guys, that is so amazing! And the fact that these are just standard on both of their car seats tells you a lot about Clek. They truly do have the best interest of your child in mind.

Advanced side impact protection is designed to specifically protect your child's head in a side impact crash. This feature is actually a couple features that work together!

1. Adjustable headrest with deep side wings: The energy-absorbing EPP foam-lined headrest, connected to the frame using steel rods, ensures maximum head protection in a side-impact collision. EPP foam is dense and pliable. This means that as the force of an impact hits the foam, it will be able to absorb the impact more efficiently, and it will not break if the impact is harder in one area versus another.
2. Energy-absorbing foam layers: Foam layers on both the inside and outside of the frame protect your child by absorbing energy in a side-impact collision, resulting in less force transferred to your child.
3. Metal substructure: Steel substructure prevents twisting to keep child contained and protected in the child seat. Seats made entirely of plastic are obviously more pliant than steel and can bend quite a bit in collision impact.

Another AMAZING feature is the Energy Absorbing Crumple Technology (EACT). This is a honeycomb-like piece in the bottom of the seat designed to crumple upon impact. As it crumples, it diverts force from the impact away from your  forward-facing child, and rather into the aluminum honeycomb pieces as they deform. This is seriously SO awesome! With this technology, the forces exerted on your child are much more like that of an accident for a rear-facing child. As mentioned at the beginning of this post, this technology was designed specifically for a belt-installed situation. Isn't it cool that they thought about different circumstances enough to make different energy-absorbing technologies for each seat?! THANK YOU CLEK!!  

Are you thinking this seat is starting to sound like something familiar...like a tank?! Yep, they told you so! One of the very coolest things about Clek is that they give you every bit of safety info about their products. What does that mean? They literally publish their crash test results on their website! And no, they are not hidden off in some corner. They are right there in plain site within every product listing! All of Clek's seats go through NCAP testing, which simulates the impact experienced in the most extreme of accidents. That transparency is just about enough to sell you on their seats, isn't it?! Below are the test results for the Fllo!

Do you have a little car seat nerd crush on the Fllo yet? It is truly an amazing seat that you just cannot go wrong with. If you think the Fllo isn't quite the fit for you but you are loving Clek, then you can read up on the Foonf in this post. It is definitely stressful figuring out who, and what, to trust with your children. At The Baby Cubby, we absolutely love the Fllo and definitely trust Clek with our own kids!