However, as we mentioned earlier, you can still get your hands on some Petite Star products and buggies and even spares that are floating around on the internet.
With all secondhand products there's guidelines you should check before buying.
The Petite Star Twin Charisma is a great-value 3-wheeler twin buggy that you can use with babies and toddlers simultaneously. While not as robust or rugged as more expensive 3-wheeler twin buggies, it gives a good performance in urban surrounds, especially for its price.
Petite Star has a number of single buggies in its range, including the Kurvi, the popular Zia, Zia4 and the City Bug. The brand is known for its innovation as well as its reasonable price tags – the Zia is one of the smallest-folding buggies on the market, and a number of Petite Star pushchairs have won awards.
The Petite Star Twin Charisma is the first double buggy in the range, and is available exclusively through Nursery Value (the e-commerce trading arm of Petite Star). The Twin Charisma boasts a one-handed folding mechanism, bumper bar and quick release pneumatic (air-filled) tyres.
What we love
I tested the Petite Star Twin Charisma with my 9-week-old and 2-year-old simultaneously, and it was brilliant that I could get to them both easily when required, because of the buggy being a side-by-side double. Often 3-wheeler doubles are tandems, and you have to rummage to get to the rear seat.
The seats are multi-position and recline independently too, so 9-week-old Ted was able to sleep while my toddler Jack could sit up.
Another great feature is the shopping basket, which is very roomy and also easy to get to. I easily fitted two large bags of nappies, plus some other bits in without the usual cramming session. There are also pockets to store bits and pieces.
With its three wheels and pneumatic tyres, the Petite Star Twin Charisma performed reasonably well off-road in the park. It coped brilliantly on gravel paths, although it suffered on muddy grass, as the front wheel became bogged down, making it difficult to push.
The Twin Charisma is also comfortable to push, with the handle nicely padded.
The hood has a viewing window and the rear skirt can simply be folded up to revel the mesh summer hood for added ventilation on warmer day. Also included in the price are two fleece-lined footmuffs, which are beautifully warm. They simple make you want to try and squeeze inside and have a snooze!
The Twin Charisma is truly a bargain. The price tag of £199.99 includes the buggy, footmuffs and raincover, so there are no extras to shell out for.
What to watch out for
As with many twin buggies, it's not easy to squeeze in and out of narrower doorways, so it can be impractical in some shops and houses. The Twin Charisma is fairly wide and therefore virtually impossible on the bus, unless you get on the middle doors and people are feeling generous about giving you some space.
A criticism of twin buggies in general, not the Twin Charisma specifically, is that my toddler was able to give the baby a few well-aimed whacks as we were riding along because they were sitting side by side.
The Petite Star Twin Charisma is not as sturdy as other (far more expensive) twin buggies. However, this is to be expected given the great price, and wouldn't be a problem if you used it carefully and didn't expect to be able to scale mountains with it.
I found the Petite Star Twin Charisma fairly easy to fold, but then heavy to lift, so it was difficult to get it into the car by myself.
Who is the Petite Star Twin Charisma buggy best for?
Budget-conscious twin mums who won't be travelling by public transport or climbing mountains.
The Petite Star Twin Charisma is a stylish, value-for-money, twin 3-wheeler. It’s great for some off-road walks, but not mountain hikes, and comes with lovely fleece-lined footmuffs included in the price. However, it’s not for regular public transport users.
Read more...
