Search best buggy:

Babystyle Oyster Zero Gravity Review by Best Buggy

First Impressions

The Babystyle Oyster Zero Gravity is a very impressive pushchair – this is obvious right from the time you take it out of the box. Having received the pushchair, carrycot and car seat we unpacked all three boxes and but we stood scratching our heads wondering where the chassis was! We could see the seat unit and the hood but no chassis. It turned out the hood and seat unit were attached to the chassis already and because of how light it was we didn’t notice. We thought that once we attached the wheels that the weight would increase, but they really don’t. This is an incredibly light pushchair. The weight however doesn’t effect how sturdy the frame is. The frame feels solid with a smooth push and easy kerb pop.

Child comfort, Harness and Accessories

The seat unit on the Zero Gravity is exceptionally spacious with a width of 39cm at the front and 34.5cm at the back of the seat unit there is plenty of room for your growing child, I tried my 6 year old son in the seat and he could fit his arms at his sides comfortably and the hood wasn’t touching his head in any position, so there is plenty of room for even a large 3 or 4 year old, and with a weight capacity of 22kg to match, the Zero Gravity won’t be outgrown quickly.
The Zero Gravity features a 5 point safety harness which also has 3 height adjustment positions and the adjustment itself is very easy to perform, there is also plenty of length in the harness strap itself. The 5 point harness does break away to allow you to adjust it but its not loose so you won’t be having to put it back together all the time. The Zero Gravity is suitable from birth and the pushchair seat will recline fully using a strap recline system, so can be adjusted into a recline position of your choice.

The Zero Gravity seat features an adjustable leg rest which is adjusted by reaching under the rest and pushing the 2 clips, the leg rest will then drop down, to raise it simply lift the leg rest back up and it will lock into place itself. There is also a small pouch under the leg rest which has a popper fastening and would be useful for extra storage.

The Zero Gravity comes with a padded bumper bar which is easily removed by pushing in the buttons on the frame above the Oyster logo, the bumper bar also has a swing away design so you don’t have to remove it completely to get your child in and out. It is finished in a smooth padded leatherette cover and gives a more luxurious finish.

Hood and Storage

The hood on the Zero Gravity can be fully extended with the zippered section to give complete coverage of the seat and shield your little one on brighter days, the pop out sun visor stays nicely in place when tucked up inside the hood and it adjusts solidly with no floppiness or loud clicks. The hood fabric itself cannot be removed from its frame but can be taken off the pushchair with the rods still in place. The hood fabric is a soft and high quality material with a herringbone pattern and the zipper to extend the hood runs smoothly over the top, the material has a UPF50+ rating. There is a large viewing window at the rear of the hood on the back panel which is a mesh panel that can be uncovered by pulling the fabric over the middle part of the hood.

There is plenty of storage on the Zero Gravity starting from the under seat basket which will carry up to 3kgs and has a large rear opening for ease of access. From the front with the leg rest raised there is a pouch in the under seat basket with an elasticated opening to keep smaller items more secure. Under the leg rest as mentioned earlier there is a small pouch with a popper fastening and lastly on the back of the hood fabric there is a pocket with a velcro fastening which will easily fit a phone, keys and purse.

Rain Cover

The rain cover is attached by using the poppers on the side of the frame and 2 velcro straps around the lower part of the front legs, to fit the rain cover the hood needs to open. The rain cover is included with the pushchair and does not need to be purchased separately.

Handlebar

The handle on the Zero Gravity is not height adjustable but is at a height of 104cm which I found very comfortable as I am taller at 5ft 8inches, it is always a downside when handle height is not adjustable but better that it is fixed at a slightly higher height than some others on the market as this in general is more comfortable for shorter and taller users. The handle has the same padded leatherette finish as the bumper bar and feels of a high quality.

Wheels, Brake and Suspension

The Zero Gravity features large puncture resistant rubber wheels, 22cm at the rear and 16cm on the front. The front wheels also have good suspension and are easily removed by pushing a button at the back of the wheel cuff. The front wheels are also lockable and this is done by twisting the cuff slightly and then turning the wheel into a forward position until it clicks into place, to release the wheel lock simply twist the cuff again.

The brake is located on the rear lower bar and is an on/off design, however on the model we tested it was a little stiff to release the brake, this could be because the it is a new pushchair though as the design of the pedal would usually give a smooth on/off operation.

Handling

We tested the Zero Gravity with 2 different weights first of all a passenger of 6.5kg, with this the push overall felt light as a feather, the chassis doesn’t tip or wobble it still feels firm to the ground but very easy to glide over rougher terrain and kerb pop is smooth and doesn’t require much effort. Next, we tested the Zero Gravity with a passenger of 21.7kg, almost at the maximum recommended weight capacity  and although the extra weight in the seat was noticeable it didn’t make the push  any harder, overall the Zero Gravity felt more firmly seated to the ground, kerb pop was still effortless and bounding over tufty grass was no trouble at all. The second passenger who although hasn’t required a pushchair for some time had plenty of space in the seat, still lots of room to grow in the harness and was sat very comfortably in the Zero Gravity.

Fold

The Zero Gravity fold is a very impressive design, it can be done completely hands free and folds into a self standing unit ready to be lifted straight up with either the bumper bar acting as carry handle, or a handle found under a fold in the seat fabric (shown in pictures above). To fold the Zero Gravity first lock the front swivel wheels by turning the lighter grey cuff at the top of the wheel until the wheels click into a locked position, next locate the red lock switch on the right side of the chassis and unlock it, lastly on the rear axle you will see foot pedals on either side with number s 1 and 2 on them press these down with your foot and the pushchair will fold in front of you, it folds in such a way that the handle does not touch the ground as well so you don’t need to worry about the handle being damaged. It is very clever.

The Zero Gravity is very compact when folded with everything attached but if you are short on space the bumper bar can easily be removed as can the wheels, with these removed the dimensions go from L84 W58 H33cm to L68 W47 and H25cm

Unfold

To unfold the pushchair locate the travel fasten clip on the left side of the frame which locks into the inside of the frame, release the clip and then holding the handle pull the pushchair up until it clicks into place. The weight of the Zero Gravity makes it very easy to unfold and the strength in the frame is evident here as it feels solid with no wobbly flex in the frame.

Carrycot

The Zero Gravity has an optional carrycot. It needs to be used with adapters (bought separately) and the carrycot can be attached by simply slotting the adapters into the bumper bar connection point and lifting the carrycot onto the adapters, It is best to remove the seat fabric when using the carrycot, this sounds more complicated than it is though and illustrated instructions are available on the Babystyle website if you open the Zero Gravity manual. We removed the fabric in just a few minutes following the instructions and put them back on with no issues. The carrycot will attach to the frame with the seat attached you just need to lower the seat into the fully reclined position, this will make it difficult to put the rain cover on should you need it though.

The carrycot features a well padded washable interior and mattress, the hood is the same fabric as the main pushchair hood and features a mesh ventilation panel at the rear, there is also a carry handle. The hood of the carrycot can be adjusted by pushing in the buttons on either side of the frame and moving the hood up/down, it is a very quiet movement so shouldn’t disturb a sleeping baby. The base of the carrycot is slightly rounded to create a rocking motion when the carrycot is placed on a hard surface but can also sit flat by popping out the little feet on the base. The carrycot comes with a rain cover which fits over the entire carrycot wrapping underneath the base, there are ventilation holes in either side of the carrycot rain cover and a velcro fastened cover for the handle. The rain cover attaches with poppers around the adapters and although it is possible to attach when the carrycot is attached to the frame with the seat fabric in place it is much easier to do without the seat on.

Car Seat

The Oyster Capsule i-size car seat features the same fabrics as the carrycot and pushchair and is attached to the chassis using additional adapters (car seat and adapters bought separately), it features a newborn wedge and head and body hugger and the harness is easily adjustable, the harness pads feature a very soft fabric and are well padded. The car seat also has a sun canopy which can be pulled back over the back of the seat when not in use or attaches with loops to the handle.

The adapters attach to the frame in the same way as the carrycot adapters by slotting into the bumper bar attachment points and then the car seat slots onto the adapters. To release the car seat press down on the pale grey buttons by the handle and lift the car seat up off the adapters and to remove the adapters push the bumper bar release buttons and slide the adapters out of the slots.

In Conclusion

Babystyle have managed to improve on an already excellent model and we are very impressed with the Zero Gravity. It offers so many great features it has been difficult to find any negative points and the only things I can really mention in that regard are the brake being slightly stiff to release but this is most likely down to the fact that the pushchair tested is brand new and the non adjustable handle height will be a negative for some people but it does sit at an excellent height that will suit most people since its comfortable to push a higher handle but can be back breaking when the handle is very low.

The fabrics feel of a high quality and the colours available are neutral and stylish. The leatherette finishes give a more luxurious feel and the well padded seat will offer plenty of comfort for the passenger. The size of the seat is exceptional offering plenty of seat width and height and a weight capacity up to 22kgs the Zero Gravity could easily take your child from birth until they no longer have need to use a pushchair.

The Zero Gravity offers plenty of storage options and Babystyle have thought of all the possible needs you may have from quick and secure access to small essentials on the back of the seat unit, to a large rear access point for the under seat basket and a pouch to secure bigger items in the basket as well.

The weight of the Zero Gravity is also a massive selling point, it is so lightweight and neat in its fold it will be easily stored in most car boots and with the quick release wheels can be made even more compact.

Finally, the Zero Gravity enters the market at an excellent price point with an RRP of £299 and even with all the optional extras including the carrycot, car seat and adapters this will still come in at less than £550

We have awarded the Babystyle Oyster Zero Gravity a Best Buggy Gold star rating of 5 gold stars. This is an excellent offering from Babystyle and definitely one to be considered.

 

Share This

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.