Graco Leisure Sport 7420 Jogger Stroller Review
- Product:
- Graco Leisure Sport 7420 Jogger Stroller
- What’s Good:
- Comfortable for child, dual adult cup & key holders
- What’s Bad:
- Hard to turn, bulky for a compact car
I have had the pleasure of owning the Graco Leisure Sport 7420 Jogger since January 2003. As my daughter was too big for the rear facing seat by that time, (8 months old) I didn’t use the option of snapping it into the stroller. After using a Peg Perego traditional four wheel stroller for the first 8 months of her life, I find this stroller exceptionally superior, and would never recommend any other type of stroller to an expecting parent. If you are an active person who enjoys walks for exercise, this would be a great choice. My daughter is two, and loves to be in “her buggy” as she calls it.
Key features:
- Use from infancy to toddlerhood
- 5 point harness (or use as a sole lap belt for a bigger toddler)
- 40 lb. maximum weight (take you beyond age 2)
- Sturdy frame, rubber tires, hand and foot brakes
- Elegant gender-neutral colors (Shades of gray)
- Canopy with peak through window
- Two cup holders up top, covered keys/wallet holder for adults
- Comes with a tire pump, wrist strap attachment for older child
Seat reclines for sleeping, and detaches for washing. A very handy feature, that other mothers have commented on as being a great idea, is the front tray with cup holder for baby. If you are going on an hour or more walk, it is great to be able to put a snack and a drink on the tray. There is a generous basket beneath that will hold a few bags of groceries. Soft ergonomic handles with a hand brake. Manual foot clamps to secure stroller when stationary.
There are strollers available that are superior for intense cross country running, as this jogger doesn’t have shocks. However, for brisk walks & jogs over gravel, grass, icy slush – even hard packed sand on the beach, this is an excellent choice for the money. Sears (Canada) offers this “Travel System” that includes the LATCH rear facing car seat, for about $280 CAD.
I have jogged with the stroller and find it suitable for paved road running. It doesn’t move as smoothly at speed as the more expensive models, and is tricky to turn when moving at a decent running speed.
A few unfortunate attributes are:
- Difficult to turn, as all wheels are solid state, but this is typical to jogging strollers.
- Doesn’t fit easily into a compact car, you have to detach the front wheel, and it takes up a lot of trunk space.
- Need two hands to fold down, can’t hold baby at same time.
- Canopy doesn’t go far enough over the baby so not terribly effective for a sun shade
- Can’t turn the handle around so that your larger baby is facing you, for example, to get them out of the sun. However, a light blanket hung from canopy solves this dilemma.
This is a great everyday stroller. It isn’t terribly wide, so it can navigate through a grocery store or mall, but honestly, you won’t use it much for those situations anyway, that’s best left to umbrella strollers or slings.(A review on Maya Wrap Sling coming soon!)
Overall
This is a super stroller for low to mid intensity jogging and brisk walks. An excellent piece of baby gear for the first two years
Comments
Peter Rukavina - April 29, 2004 1:48 pm
I've taken a page out of your book, and reviewed the Maclaren Volo travel stroller. It has a completely different purpose that the jogging stroller you review here; I imagine that having both in the garage would make a good pairing, and you could cover most any situation.
Véronic Denis - December 1, 2004 12:39 pm
I want a know if I can buy only the car seat of this Graco's stroller .
Thanks
Véronic Denis
Vanessa - May 6, 2005 11:25 am
I am wondering where I can buy this travel system. I have searched the web with no success.
Vanessa - May 6, 2005 12:23 pm
Nevermind on the question above, I called Graco and the model 7331MEC has replaced the 7420 model. In case anyone else is wondering about this.
Jenni - February 23, 2006 5:45 pm
DO NOT BUY THIS STROLLER!! I have been using this stroller for the past 6 months and I'm ready to give it to goodwill. The tires go flat after almost every use. It is difficult to turn. It also feels like it is going to fall apart.
Shawna - April 18, 2006 6:02 pm
This stroller rocks. I have used it since my daughter was born in July of 2003. Now I am passing it on to a family member with a newborn. Highly recommended!
Leticia - April 12, 2007 11:35 am
This stroller and enfant seat are the best! I did a lot of research before purchasing this particular stroller and am glad that I did. I'm not sure what happened when Jenni (above) assembled her stroller or if she might have received that one out of a hundred, but I am completely happy with my purchase! An excellent stroller for hiking and fast walking.
Rhea - April 23, 2007 12:38 pm
I love this stroller. It is an awesome investment, very sturdy - gravel, snow, bumpy sidewalks - no problem with this thing! It doesn't turn/steer easy but once you get the hang of popping wheely's it's no problem to maneuver. Plus it gives my arms a much needed work out! I have had this stroller from day one, my son is 7 months old and I have only had to pump the tires one time!
Anonymous - July 7, 2007 5:23 am
I checked this stroller out at Sears and it's all plastic. Sure, the tires are air tires and it's an all-terrain but looks and feels alot like a toy. This stroller is bulky and much much larger than the Phil and Teds or any of the other jogging/all-terrain strollers. I own a P & T Sport and have gotten so many compliments on it. And the P & T gets alot of attention.
Anonymous - July 7, 2007 5:25 am
This stroller looks like a copy cat of the P&T!
Anonymous - July 7, 2007 5:29 am
This stroller looks like a copy cat of the P&T! But unfortunately this stroller doesn't have the quality of the P&T. Gwyneth Paltrow, Tiger Woods, Russell Crowe, Cindy Crawford, Patrick Dempsey and Jenna Elfman all drive the P&T.
Dee - September 23, 2007 6:30 pm
Well, of course a $500 the pt&t stroller is going to be better (at least I hope). But at that price, its very expensive. I'm not a millionaire so what they use isn't relevant to me. for $280 plus car seat this looks like it might be a good deal.
jade - May 27, 2008 3:21 pm
brilliant got one of these for sale on ebay at the mo
Elle Momma - May 30, 2008 3:23 pm
My husband & I, love, love, this stroller & I agree, it's not as fancy as those Phil & Ted's & BOB strollers but I think it functions just well & at a very much more wallet friendly price...in fact, I think GRACO, just rocks with all their products...
Good gawd peeps, get some perspective, too, just b/c celebrities buy expensive buggies doesn't mean we all have to follow suit...we live in the real world right? If we all made 20K per episode on a T.V. show or were a supermodel, of course, you're going to think dropping $500 - $1000 for a stroller is no big deal but I'm not going to buy into this stoller envy/ competition...all that stuff is for parents egos/ issues/ competition with other parents on the playground & kids don't really care what kind you get, just as long as you take them outside & you get exercise ;-)
Peace out everyone,
Elle
Jenna - June 8, 2008 3:18 pm
FYI: The Phil and Teds turns into a double stroller when a second seat is attached to the lower basket. For anyone thinking of having more than 1 kid it's something to think about. Yes I agree it's kind of expensive but it's cheaper than buying a single stroller and then having to buy a double later on.