iCandy Raspberry Full Review

Quick Summary: iCandy have obviously put their heads together when designing this pushchair, and created something that not only looks great, but has some great features and is very practical to urban parents. They really have thought of everything, and packed all of the extras in to the compact, lightweight and elegant Raspberry.

iCandy are a British brand known for their quality and stylish pushchairs that offer innovative features for parents. The Raspberry is iCandy's lightweight, freestanding compact-fold stroller, designed to fill the gap in the market when parents don't want a full sized pushchair, but still need all of the features that it offers.

Colour options

Flavour packs: Wisteria, Beetle, Atlantic, Fuchsia, Sunflower, Lush, Arctic Night

Chassis: A sleek matt black or natural brushed aluminium with the iCandy logo lasered into the frame.

iCandy Raspberry Review: Chassis

The iCandy Raspberry chassis and seat come already fully assembled in the box, with the flavour pack separate. As everything is all ready for you, all you need to do is take the frame out of the box and unfold.

We have had the Black chassis in for review, but it also comes in Chrome. Both options now come with the iconic iCandy logo etched on to the frame, so no need to worry that it will wear off with day to day use! With its curved frame, the Raspberry looks sleek and elegant with black details to match the rest of the chassis.

The handlebar has a smooth operation, with 4 positions to choose from ranging from 91-105cm. The lowest height is ideal for shorter parents, and we tested the highest height with someone 6"1' who found this perfect for them. It really does make all the difference to the pushing experience to have the correct handlebar height, so this makes it great for short or tall parents.

The wheels are also black, following the styling through, and come with suspension on each wheel for an extra smooth ride. Made from TPU, they are hardwearing with some give, which again helps with smoothness. As an urban pushchair, the Raspberry almost floats over hard floors – so will deal with shops and airports with ease. Because it isn't designed for tougher terrain, the front wheels don't have a swivel lock on them.

The brake is easily applied as the pedal is large and well placed in the middle of the back of the frame. With the chassis and seat only weighing 8.4kg, it is very light and manoeuvrable.

The basket is a very generous size and would easily cope with your change bag, as well as a couple of shopping bags – being an urban pushchair, this is a must! I love the additional storage pod which is found at the front of the pushchair. It is easy to access, even when folded, and gives you the ideal place to keep your more valuable items, or just somewhere to store your Raincover.

The Raspberry also converts to a travel system by purchasing the car seat adaptors which are compatible with either the Maxi-Cosi Cabrio, Pebble, Pebble plus, BeSafe iZi Go infant carriers, Cybex Aton Q, Kiddy Evo Lunafix and Kiddy Evolution Pro 2. These slot in to the chassis, with the car seat then sitting on to the adaptors.

iCandy Raspberry Review: Seat

The Raspberry is suitable from birth and has 3 recline positions and can be either parent or world facing. As a lightweight pushchair, it is great to have a feature like this included, when even some of the full-size pushchairs don't. The furthest recline is flat, so offers a perfect base for your newborn. The seat has plenty of padding, so even without a liner or footmuff, your little one will be comfortable. The recline is done by lifting the handle at the top of the seat. This is  easy to reach from all angles and is smooth and silent, so won't wake a sleeping baby.

To remove the seat from the chassis is simple and can be removed no matter the position of the seat. The seat closes like a clam, closing the seat like this really protects the seat covers, and prevents it from getting dirty when transported. Another thing to love about this pushchair! You can then place your hands on the underside of the rounded parts on the frame to release the catches by pushing them in, one on each side. Though this can take some getting used to, it gets easier each time you do it, as you get to know exactly where to put your fingers. Once the seat unit is released, you are free to lift it to place the other way round. Once turned, you can slide the receptors back in to the chassis until you hear a click.

As the harness is 5 point, it offers the ultimate safety and has 3 positions to allow for your growing child. The square retaining buckles at the end of the shoulder straps can be threaded through the backrest boards and seat unit to move higher or lower. This can be understandably stiff at first, but it isn't a job you will need to very often. With it having clips to attach the shoulder straps to the waist strap, it is simple to unclip, allowing you to thread through a footmuff, liner or newborn pod to secure in place. The two buckles clip in to the crotch with a firm click, which isn't easy to undo, so no need to worry about little ones letting themselves loose!

Available to purchase separately are the iCandy footmuff and newborn pod, to use with your Raspberry. Both the newborn pod and footmuff are similar, with the newborn pod having a front zip for easy access to your baby. It offers plenty of comfort and protection for a newborn, is double layered for warmth and made from super soft knitted fabric on the outside and a luxurious fleece on the inside. As the seat unit is quite open in its design, this is really a must-have item if you are using the pushchair from birth. As mentioned above, it is easy to fit the harness through the one of the three slots in the liner of the newborn pod to keep your baby secure. It also features a rubber back, which gives it some grip against the seat material. The head hugger and drawstrings around the head help to create a cocoon like area with a pocket for their feet to slide in to. The front of the pod can also be zipped off if you want to use it in warmer weather. The foot of the pod reaches the end of the seat, so I think that it should last until at least 6 months.

The footmuff is different in that the outer material is wind and shower proof, almost sleeping bag like, with a zip running around the edge. It features a pocket on the front which is great for toddlers to put their hands in to keep warm, or maybe store their favourite toy. The internal material is the same soft fleece, and has cushioning around the head with the same drawstrings to keep the elements out and your little one warm. Again, this has the rubber backing that creates friction and prevents the footmuff from sliding out of place. It is these little thoughtful extras that prove that iCandy are constantly thinking about how to keep parents happy with their products. If you are using the footmuff in the Spring and Summer, the front zips off so that you can just use the liner. I love that they are available in the 7 Raspberry colours, so you can either mix or match to your colour pack. Larger than the newborn pod, the footmuff will suit your toddler, but isn't the longest footmuff I have seen, so taller children may grow out of it sooner.

The Raspberry hood is very different from your typical pushchair hood. Included in the colour pack, with harness and crotch pads, it is made from a stretchy, lycra like material, that is both wind and water resistant. It is easy to attach to the chassis – clipping on both sides of the frame and then zipping in to place. It offers plenty of coverage, apart from in the flattest recline, where the sun in the Summer months would still reach most of the child's body, though the head would be in shade. As the hood is zipped to the seat unit, it prevents any drafts from reaching your little one. It also makes it extremely neat, whether back or fully extended. The material doesn't crease and seems very strong, resilient to the bends that it may come across when being transported. Because of the material, a peep hole isn't possible with this hood.

Something as simple as a raincover is often overlooked by pushchair manufacturers. I have regularly seen ill-fitting covers, so much so, that you would question if they were actually made for the pushchair it comes with. iCandy haven't overlooked the Raspberry raincover. It is easy to put over the pushchair, and as the hood part of the cover is black, it is straight away obvious which way it goes. After sliding the elasticated part over the back of the hood, the rest just drops down to fully cover the seat. There are velcro straps at each side to attach to the frame, keeping it from blowing away in the wind. It fits the pushchair perfectly, without being so tight that it is a fight to fit, or too loose that a light wind will blow the front up. There also seems to be plenty of room for an older toddler's feet. If it starts to get a little tight or short, then there is a zip located around the feet – unzip to fold out an extension. Excellent idea! The material is nice and strong, so you won't need to worry about ripping when putting on your pushchair in a rush if caught in a shower. There are also several air holes on each side to help with ventilation.

iCandy Raspberry Review: Fold

Something that you need with an urban pushchair is the ability to quickly fold and unfold it. The iCandy Raspberry definitely achieves this. You can achieve the fold with the seat parent or world facing, both are compact and it can freestand when it is done.

To fold the pushchair with the seat parent facing, you first need to make sure that the break is applied, this just prevents it from rolling away while you are folding. By squeezing the button on the handle bar and pressing it down to its lowest position, you can then press the button which is on the left hand side of the handle. Keep pushing down until the chassis unlocks, and then pull up on one of the sides of chassis until it has finished sliding and auto locks. The pushchair will then freestand, while still allowing you to access the storage pod. A great idea for people who are using this pushchair on public transport or where there might be elevators, is that you can then extend the handlebar to its full height to either wheel the Raspberry behind you, like a suitcase, or put the handle bar over your shoulder for an easy carry. This is again another example of the thought that has gone behind the design.

To fold with the seat unit world facing, it is exactly as above, the only difference is that you need to pull the seat base up to meet the seat back in its most upright recline position first.

iCandy Raspberry Review: Conclusion

Being lightweight doesn't mean that this pushchair compromises on room or seat size. With the seat back measuring 57cm and the width 29cm, it is comparable, or larger than most full-sized pushchairs. This means that is will easily suit your child from birth, right up to 4 or 5 years old. No need to replace your heavy pushchair for a stroller after a year or so of use when you have a Raspberry!

iCandy have obviously put their heads together when designing this pushchair, and created something that not only looks great, but has some great features and is very practical to urban parents. They really have thought of everything, and packed all of the extras in to the compact, lightweight and elegant Raspberry.

With the chassis and seat unit weighing only 8.4kg, it makes it ideal for use on public transport. The fold is compact and you can use the handle to wheel it or throw over your shoulder. It is also has a smooth ride for your little one with the suspension on each wheel.

The only things that I would mention, is that the seat unit is quite open for those who wish to use it from birth. Though this is easily remedied by purchasing the newborn pod to make your little one comfy and protected in the flat mode. It would be nice to see this from birth pushchair included with the pod to make it great value for money. An adjustable calf rest and optional bumper bar are also missing, but these would add to the weight and fold size of the Raspberry.