Britax One4Life ClickTight Review

Britax has been creating juvenile products for over 70 years. They design gear for families keeping fun and safety in view. The company began distribution in the United States in 1996 after becoming the best-selling car seats in Europe.

Performance Comparison

The One4Life uses EPP impact foam which doesn't off-gas and is less brittle than the more common EPS foam.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Crash Test

The One4Life has one of the lowest crash test analyses results in the group with disappointing results for the chest sensor data and better than average HIC results. Each seat in this review meets or exceeds the federal safety guidelines in the FMVSS 213. This Britax has lower results than most of the other Britax options in this review. We commission our crash tests using the same guidelines and the same facility used by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The Britax HIC score is close to 400 which isn't bad considering the maximum allowed is 1000, but the best in the group is 186, so it pales in comparison.

Credit: BabyGearLab, MGA Research

The chest clip for the One4Life is only 56 where the max allowed is 60 and the best in the group is 33 earned by the Clek Foonf.

Credit: BabyGearLab, MGA Research

The graphs provided above include the actual test data with the Britax in black and the top-performing seat results in green for comparison purposes. The Clek Foonf is has with the least amount of G-forces for the chest clip with a 33 while the One4Life result is 56 (max allowable is 60). The One4Life HIC result is 399 where the max allowed is 1000 and the best the Britax Allegiance with a 186.

LATCH installation on the One4Life is straightforward using the ClickTight system.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Install - LATCH

The One4Life is easy to install using LATCH and earned one of the highest results in the group with only a couple of seat offering easier installation.

This Britax has the push-button connection (above left) we prefer and a strap that is easy to tighten without much effort. Parents can check the installation angle of the seat using the visual indicators (above right) on the side of the seat, which are straightforward and simple to read.

The One4Life reclines with the push of a button but it isn't as intuitive of a motion as the more common squeeze lever adjustment.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

The angle on this seat can be adjusted using a push-button on the base of the seat. This button works well but is sort of awkward compared to those with a pull lever.

Installing the One4Life is simple with the ClickTight system that makes tightening the belt easy.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Install - Belt

Installing the One4Life is simple with the vehicle belt and earned the same result here as it did for the LATCH connection. The seat stays out of the way leaving it open to thread the belt.

Rear-facing (above left) is super easy and totally painless proposition. Forward-facng (above right) is somewhat more difficult as you have to thread the belt through smaller holes, but still very straightforward and simple.

The One4Life has larger cup holders than competitors with cup holders, but they are still too small for many sippy cups.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use

This Britax has much in common with its brothers and being easy to use is one of those things.

The Britax buckle and chest clip can be stiff but they aren't challenging to use like some of the competition.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Harness

The buckle and chest clip are easy enough to operate though they can be somewhat stiff. The harness is easy to tighten and release with a strap that moves smoothly and a button that is easy to find and push.

The harness height adjustment on the One4Life is simple to move by squeezing the lever at the top and sliding thee assembly up or down.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

This seat's harness height adjustment is a non-rethread headrest assembly that moves up and down with the squeeze of a lever. The whole operation moves smoothly and is easy to use. The shoulder height has 15 positions and the crotch strap has 2 which helps ensure a good fit for all little ones.

LATCH and Manual Storage

The LATCH connectors stow in the seat back sort of wadded up and shoved in (above left). It does keep the straps out of the way, even if it isn't artfully executed. The manual stores behind a fabric flap under the main padding of the seatback (above right). It seems fairly contained, but should there a significant vomiting incident or spilled drink it could potentially get soiled.

Cover

The cover on this seat comes off surprisingly easily. It tucks under the edges of the seat and is four pieces which makes for easier removal and replacement and also means you can remove just the part that is dirty if your mess is isolated to a single area. Unfortunately, the fabric is hand wash and line dry only, which can be time-consuming both in the effort and dry time. Handwash always feels shortsighted in children's products, especially for a car seat that gets a lot of action.

Comfort/Quality

The One4Life is a quality seat, like most Britax offerings earning one of the top scores for the metric. This seat has thicker padding that is firm enough to offer support to little bodies. The main portion of the seat is a soft yet durable fabric while the fabric on the seat sides is a little coarser (above left). The shell is almost completely encased (above right) for easy cleanup and fewer places for gunk to hide. The overall fit and finish are great with attention to detail that has everything in its place and tightly constructed.

Britax uses EPP foam here which is less brittle than EPS foam and it doesn't off-gas. This foam choice is a good example of thoughtfully using a higher-end quality material than the average seat.

The One4Life is both wide and heavy making it less suitable for travel and if multiple seats across your back seat is in your future.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Weight

The One4Life seat is both heavy and wide with a width of 19.8 inches and a weight of just over 28 lbs. While it isn't the heaviest option in the group it is over the average of 21 and certainly not light enough to consider lugging through an airport or city sidewalk. The width will prevent you from using 3 safety seats across or 2 seats with an average size adult between them.

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