Joovy Kooper Stroller: Not Your Typical Umbrella Stroller!
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The Joovy Kooper Stroller ($199) is a lighter weight stroller that gives you a lot of bang for your buck. It’s a real looker, with sleek aluminum tubing, and sturdy high luster denier fabric. It comes in red, black or lemontree (shown above). Features include a true one-handed push, generous seat width and depth, reflective accents on the exterior and shoulder straps, plus a full sun canopy.
Putting it Together
Attach the front and back wheels by clicking each one in, then connect the sun canopy.
The Ride
The Kooper has a smooth ride and a true one-handed easy push. The stroller has plastic wheels (usually not a plus in my book), but when I pushed the Kooper, it was so smooth that I couldn’t tell. The grippy ergonomic handles were really comfortable and came up to my midsection of my 5′4″ frame and are not adjustable. It’s 17.9 lbs, which is not exactly lightweight, but it’s lighter than my everyday stroller (and has the similar features).
The Seat
I tested the stroller with my super tall, skinny 29 lb 3.5 year old and my 18 lb fourteen month old — who were able to sit in the seat comfortably.
To change the height of the shoulder straps, twist the buckle on the end of each strap and push it out of the seat. Place the buckle through another height in the seat and push it into the slot in the seat. For children over 14 months, I recommend the highest shoulder strap position.
There are multiple recline positions, adjustable with one hand. The recline is deep, but not flat. There is no extendable leg rest, but the seat is deep enough to compensate.
Storage
The storage basket is a generous size. There is also a zippered pocket under the two cup holders on the back of the canopy. The cup holders fit water bottles and sippy cups nicely, but I was a little nervous to try to hold my coffee in them. An attachable cup holder or a parent console may be a better option for hot drinks. I loved the two mesh pockets on each side of the inside of the stroller, perfect for storing cups and snacks for your little rider. I didn’t find the Kooper tippy at all, even with ten pounds of cans in a shopping bag on the handles.
Sun/Weather Exposure
The sunshade is a decent size and kept the sun at bay.
The Fold
The Kooper has a typical umbrella fold. Just pull up the lock in the rear center of the stroller, push down forcefully on the secondary lock on the right side of the stroller and push forward using the handlebars. To lock, attach the folding soft plastic locking strap on the left side of the stroller over the protruding rivet.
Accessories Available
A rain cover and a travel bag are optional accessories.
Pros: This stroller is full featured, and folds up very compactly. I also liked the sleek look and easy maneuverability. I loved the fact that it wasn’t tippy.
Cons: I would have liked an automatic lock after it folds — though the manual lock worked fine, it was just an extra step that I didn’t want to take. No height adjustable handles.
Final Verdict: It’s an attractive, smooth ride, and at $199, is reasonable for all the features you get.
– Nancy
Check out our other Joovy reviews:
- Posted on Apr 27, 09 at 10:00AM
- Permalink
- 9 Comments
April 27th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
This looks so cool. I am working on a stroller review for Babble.com and am trying to get my hands on a review model. Thanks for sharing your opinions.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:48 am
I still prefer the valco buggster… you get more accessories that come standard and there is an optional bassinet for newborns… along with bigger AND beefier wheels for handling bumps and such better.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I am not sure who Nancy the reviewer is but $199 for an light weight stroller “wont break the bank”???? For a light weight stroller????? That is ridiculous! That is more then I paid for my big stroller and infant seat!! $199 is a lot of money in my book and probably alot of other mothers as well, especially with todays economy!
April 28th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Thank you Peggy – that was my thought too. Who are these people that think $199 strollers & $80 dollar sweaters for kids are “reasonably priced” Talk about out of touch with the real world. When you want to call something reasonable priced it must compete with Target & Walmart!
April 29th, 2009 at 7:37 am
No kidding Peggy and Nicky! The product reviews on the site are completely ridiculous and out of touch with the average parents’ needs. We can’t go out and spend $200 on a “lightweight stroller.” I felt silly paying $80 for the Graco Ipo, but I did it because we were going to Disney and it was the only stroller that was rated for 50 lbs at Babies R Us and I needed it for my 4 year old because I knew that sometime during our week there she wouldn’t want to walk and she was right around 40 lbs. I couldn’t imagine my husband’s reaction if I wanted to spend $200 on a single, lightweight (aka umbrella to him) stroller.
April 29th, 2009 at 11:38 am
ITA with Peggy and Nikki. A $200 lightweight stroller is NOT reasonable!! Oh and don’t forget the $35 (FOR ONE!!!) Canvas shopping bag that you can’t afford NOT to buy. On what planet? Who writes this stuff?
I paid $60 for my lightweight stroller and I thought that was pretty pricy for a lightweight… well worth it though. I guess I was in the cheap category and didn’t know it.
I really get irate when a person buys some insane stroller (like that $1200 one…what’s it called? the Stokke?) and then puts their kid in a $40 carseat… nice priorities people. Nothing wrong with a $40 car seat but you’d think with car accidents being the #1 cause of death in kids if you’re going to blow a bunch of money on something it would be the thing that keeps the kid safe in the most dangerous place.
Maybe that’s just me…
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I think that for the features and quality of this stroller it’s a great price! I agree that prices for high end strollers and other baby gear is a bit high for most average families to afford or justify but you really do get what you pay for. The quality of the equipment is amazing. Plus they retain their value very well for resell on Craigslist or Ebay after use. I have tried many high end brands (including the Stokke) and not paid retail for any. I buy used and resell at or near the price I paid. For the price of one stroller I have tried dozens. I for one can’t wait to try the Kooper!
August 7th, 2009 at 12:28 am
I bought this stroller for my then-9 month old, and I am quite happy with it. I was actually looking to buy the peg perego uno, as it could be used for newborns and toddlers, but I could only find it online and I wanted to try it out first. Even though I hadn’t heard of the kooper at the time of purchase, I liked how it handled in the store. I prefer the kooper to my bigger stroller and I don’t feel I overpaid for it at all. It’s a great stroller- I’d hardly consider it an umbrella stroller, and a great investment if you get it while your baby is still fairly young.
August 11th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I am a middle income mother of two. I like good deals and this stroller definately seems to be it. I have tried several different strollers priced from low to high- jeep umbrella, graco travel system, maclaren, perego aria, perego pliko and even now a chicco trevi twin stroller. I have returned or sold all but two. As much as I would like to pay under $100 for a great lightweight stroller, it just is not realistic. If you want a stroller that won’t fall apart after 6 months of use, that is convenient to use and is still comfortable for your baby, it is going to cost a little more. $200 is actually not that bad for what you are getting. It is sturdy, lightweight, reclines completely, has a HUGE canopy, turns on a dime. What more do you want. The only thing that I wish every stroller had is a removeable snack tray like the pliko stroller. But for $164 less, my baby will have to do without a tray. I do agree with MJ that you get what you pay for. Maybe for alot of folks $200 is a stretch, but let us know how much you’ve spent 3 years from now when you have purchased 5 or 6 of those cheesy umbrella strollers that dont survive one vacation. This Joovy is my next stroller and hopefully my last.