Clek Olli Review
The Clek Olli is a backless, belt-positioning booster, rated for children 40-100 pounds and 40-57” tall. The Olli is one of two booster seats with rigid lower LATCH attachments. It is also one of a handful that allows LATCH to be used at all as a booster.
As with all boosters, the Olli must always be used with both a lap AND shoulder belt. Children 12 and under should always be seated in the rear seat, even if there is no active airbag in the vehicle. Since the Olli is backless...
the vehicle must provide adequate head restraint for the child.
Features and Advantages
Rigid LATCH- The Olli has rigid LATCH attachments. In most newer vehicles, this means you can simply plug it into the anchors in the vehicle seat and it will remain solidly attached. This is very helpful when the child gets into and out of the seat and also while driving, as it prevents the booster from moving. Booster seats should always be secured when not in use, as they present a serious projectile hazard in a crash. With other boosters, you need to buckle them with the seatbelt when not in use. With the Clek Olli, the rigid LATCH always secures the booster to the vehicle!
Padding and Comfort- The Olli is reasonably padded and comfortable. My
daughter has no complaints and she often complains about her child
seats! The high arm rests are clearly more comfortable than most
competitive models.
Owner's Manual- The owners manual is concise and gives you everything you need to know without a lot of extra information. It can be found online at http://www.magnaclek.com/pdfs/olli_Owners_Manual_US_EN.pdf . It gives clear indications of unacceptable vehicle configurations and a toll free number to call if you have any questions about a particular seating position. There is a pocket for the manual on the bottom of the booster.
Fabric and Care- The cover options are very stylish and can be seen at the Clek website. Removing the cover is not too difficult, with Velcro flaps and closures. Care is machine wash cold water, gentle cycle and air dry. No bleach, iron or dry-cleaning.
Comments and Use
All vehicles since 2003 have LATCH, and some as far back as 2000 have these anchors, also. The manual has a chart of many compatible models. If your vehicle is equipped with these anchors, the rigid LATCH installation should be very easy, as simple as lining up the attachments to the anchors and plugging it in! The release can be done with push buttons on each LATCH connector or with a simple pull of a strap on the bottom of the front of the seat. This strap can be tucked out of view to prevent inadvertent release (for squirmy kids!).
All in all, it should take just a minute or two of time once you learn how to do it. If you are in a hurry or in a seating position that is not specified for LATCH in the vehicle owner's manual (like a center seat in many vehicles), you can use the booster with just the lap and shoulder seatbelt. In this case, the rigid LATCH attachments are just pushed into the crack in the vehicle seat and not used.
My daughter is almost 8 years old. She is 50” tall and 54 pounds. She does NOT fit safely in the seatbelts in our vehicles (see criteria below). With the Olli, she fits correctly. With her back flat against the vehicle seat, the lap belt is positioned under the armrests. Both the lap and shoulder belt go under the armrest on the buckle side. The shoulder belt fits snugly on the center of her shoulder, not on her arm or neck. The lap belt fits well on her hips and gives a secure fit.
Note that some vehicles have hidden anchors that are recessed into the seat cushions or bight between the vehicle seat bottom and back. Some other vehicles have high mounted anchors or have a vehicle seat design that just does not accommodate using a rigid LATCH attachment system. In the case of an incompatibility, you just use it with just the lap and shoulder belt and leave the rigid LATCH attachments unused.
A few vehicles have off-center LATCH anchors. This is most common in center seating positions. When using rigid LATCH in such a position, you may find that the shoulder belt and/or head restraint are not located correctly to provide a safe fit. In these cases, you may need to use another seating position or use the Olli without the rigid LATCH installation (such that you can center it to the head restraint or move it so the shoulder belt fits correctly). In other models, the seatbelt buckle may be located in between the LATCH anchors. This would be another case where you need to find another seating position.
Please remember that this booster does not have an internal harness. Even if you use the LATCH lower anchorage system to attach the booster, you must still use a lap AND shoulder seatbelt to restrain the child!
The official recommendation is that children should be in a booster
until they are 8 years old, unless they are already 4’ 9” tall. This is
only a rough guideline. Because both kids and vehicles differ, the best
way to know if your child is ready to move out of a booster is by fit.
Children are not ready to move from a booster to a regular lap/shoulder
seatbelt until.
1) They are tall enough so that their legs bend at the knees at the edge of the seat; and
2) They are mature enough to remain seated with their backs flat against the back of the seat and not slouch; and
3) The lap belt sits high on the thighs or low on the hips (NOT on their tummy!); and
4) The shoulder belt crosses the shoulder and chest (NOT on their arms or neck!); and
Each passenger must have their own lap AND shoulder belt and remain
seated properly for the entire trip! Never allow children to share a
seatbelt!
The quality seems very good. It is manufactured in Mexico.
Disadvantages
No cup holders - I don’t generally have a need for cup holders since anything the kids have will usually be spilled, cup holder or not. Plus, most vehicles seem to have about 20 cup holders already. Even so, some parents prefer boosters that have one or more cup holders built-in.
Price- At around $89, it is among the pricier backless boosters. The rigid LATCH, high armrests and styling set it apart from more generic competition.
Backless- Like all backless boosters, the Olli provides no head support or side impact protection. Your vehicle must have a seat back or head restraint that comes to the level of the top of the child’s ears or above. If your vehicle seat back or head restraint is too short, use another seating position or do not use a backless booster as this poses a risk of serious whiplash injury.
No Shoulder Belt Adjuster- As is the trend in backless boosters, no strap or cord is provided that allows parents to adjust the shoulder belt. This is not needed for most kids in many vehicles, so it is not a disadvantage. In some vehicles, children at the minimum height limits may need additional shoulder belt adjustment to fit properly. In these cases, a seat with a 5-point harness, a high back booster or a backless booster with an adjustment strap may be needed.
These disadvantages are all relatively minor. Like all boosters, the Olli cannot be used on aircraft. As with any child seat, the Olli may not fit some kids or vehicles. In particular, the rigid LATCH system can be difficult in vehicles with poorly placed lower anchors, but should work quickly and easily in most models.
Conclusion
The Clek Olli is a very nice backless booster. The rigid LATCH, comfortable padding and high armrests are appealing features and make it worth the extra money for some parents and children.
As with all child restraints, it's a great idea to try one with your child and vehicle before you purchase, if at all possible. The Olli is sold primarily through specialty baby stores, The Right Start and many online merchants.
Magna Clek is fairly new to the child restraint market in the USA. Their parent, Magna International, is a major global supplier of automotive systems and components.
Details on the clek olli can be found here:
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