iCandy Raspberry Review

When I review a pushchair for the purpose of holiday travel, I want to make sure that I am giving my readers the full lowdown and putting it to a proper test. So, here is my iCandy Raspberry review.

The iCandy Raspberry Pushchair

The marketing campaign for the iCandy Raspberry states that this is great for ‘urban adventures’. Living in a country market town, I can’t really comment on that but, what I will say is that it stores snugly in our understairs area and is easy to push around.

The new Raspberry has already won Red Dot Design and Good Housekeeping awards. In my opinion, the designers have certainly put a lot of thought into their latest model.

Is the iCandy Raspberry suitable from birth?

There is a lie-flat seat which means that the Raspberry is suitable from birth. You can also purchase a separate carrycot for £180.

How light is the iCandy Raspberry?

Very. It is easy to pick up and push around. Despite the lack of weight, it is very sturdy and secure. Pushing it up and down pavements is fine weight-wise.  It weighs in at just 6.6kg.

How easy is the iCandy Raspberry to push?

Generally, I have found it really easy to push. The fact that you can lock the front wheels so that they don’t swivel is helpful on a smaller pushchair.  Overall, I think it handles well.

The brake is as standard with a foot pedal in the middle just in front of the basket.

It is worth noting that this is not a pushchair for ‘off-roading’. It is sold as an urban model. It is fine with grass or sand down at your local playground but the size of the wheels makes uneven surfaces a challenge.

There are 3 different handle bar positions – so it makes it much easier for us tall people and means we don’t have to stoop over to push.

It’s small, slender size also means it is easier to get round shops with narrow aisles – unlike something I have experienced with our Peach.

What is the iCandy Raspberry like to fold?

I have to admit that this took me a while to work out – and I had to watch a couple of videos before I got it. It is very stiff to start with but, with time, I am finding it easier. Partly because it is becoming worn in and partly because I am getting used to it.

Nip over to the iCandy YouTube channel to find a video on how to fold the Raspberry.

Is it travel system compatible?

Yes. You can purchase car seat adaptors for the iCandy Raspberry for £30. These adaptors fit easily onto the chassis and are compatible with Maxi Cosi Cabrio, Pebble, Pebble Plus, BeSafe iZiGo, Cybex Aton Q, Cybex Cloud Q, Joie iGemm, Nuna Pipa, Kiddy Evo Lunafix and Kiddy Evolution Pro 2.

What is the iCandy Raspberry like to take on flights?

We also received the iCandy Raspberry Travel Bag because I knew that flying with a baby would be the biggest test for us. I needed to make sure that we took a pushchair which would fold and store on the flight, be easy to use abroad and be comfy for Rex.

Pushing it up to the gate was straightforward and the fold was fairly easy, however, trying to get the pushchair into the travel bag was another matter. It was extremely tight and, in the end, I had to leave the zip undone around the top of the pushchair – not ideal if you wanted to store nappies or the like in the bag as well.

Despite the issue with the zip, the pushchair stayed put inside the bag and made it easier to carry onto the aircraft. It has an excellent carry handle and shoulder strap and, with it being lightweight, made the pushchair effortless to carry.

The air steward took the pushchair from us as we boarded and, when we collected it from the luggage carousel, everything was intact.

What is the iCandy Raspberry basket like?

This one is big! I have been really impressed with the amount of items you can fit into the basket and the height when you have the extenders on too. As an added extra, I love the zip pocket on the back of the chair – really handy for my phone and purse.

What is the iCandy Raspberry hood like?

I am really impressed with the hood. It is extendable by simply unzipping a portion of the hood.

Once unzipped, there is a mesh area to help circulate air around your child and give you the ability to keep an eye on them. On top of that, there is an extra sunshade section at the front.

What is the iCandy Raspberry seat like?

I have to admit that this is the part of the pushchair that slightly lets it down. I like to see Rex sitting in a pushchair instead of on it – and, in the Raspberry, he does the latter. It is fairly flat and looks a little uncomfortable to me. That said, he did fall asleep in it a number of times when we were in Spain.

What I do love though is the easier recline option. Unlike our older Peach, the recline handle is on the top of the rear of the hood which makes it much easier to adjust.

What are the options for interaction with your child on the iCandy Raspberry?

As I stated above, there is the mesh section in the hood of the pushchair. On top of this, there is also the ability to have the seat either world or parent-facing, giving you the option to be able to see your little one.

I also really like the extenders which heighten the seat. These are useful to either get closer to your child when parent-facing or means that they don’t see a sea of legs when world-facing! Also, it is really handy if you don’t have access to a highchair when out and about.

They are easy to detach with a clip just underneath on the inside of the pushchair.

What colour options are there for the iCandy Raspberry?

Named after areas of London, showing it’s urban purpose, the colours available are Greenwich Grey, Bloomsbury Black, Piccadilly Pink, Kings Road Khaki and, the one we opted for, Savile Row Sand.

What is in the iCandy Raspberry box?

The chassis, the seat, a flavour hood, rain cover and the extenders.

What ‘extras’ I can buy?

There is the duo pod which is reversible and combines the iCandy Footmuff and Seat Liner into one for £90. You can also purchase the travel bag at £60, parasols at £30 or a UV pushchair screen for £29, a clamp for the parasol or cup for £5, a cup holder for £15 and the iCandy travel cup for £7.

What is the price for the iCandy Raspberry?

The cost for the iCandy Raspberry is £550. The travel bag for the Raspberry can be purchased separately for £60.

What are my final thoughts?

I have to say that overall this is a handy pushchair from iCandy. We use it as an occasional stroller and it comfortably sits under the stairs so we have quick access to it if we need to nip out to the shops or up the road to the park. It is also excellent if you are looking to travel and don’t want a pushchair taking too much space.

The only drawbacks I have found are the seat – not the most comfortable – and the travel bag – not being able to do it up fully.

They never pretend to be cheap and do cater towards the top end of the market but with price comes quality. Great to push, lightweight and narrow, it is a fantastic little stroller for using to nip out to town, and I have a feeling it will get better as Rex gets bigger.

Disclosure: Thank you to the lovely people at iCandy for all their support and for sending us this pushchair in return for the iCandy Raspberry review. Please note that all words, images and opinions have been formed by the owner of this blog. They have not been influenced in any way. Please do not reproduce any of the content or images on this post without prior agreement from Verily Victoria Vocalises.

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