We own three of everything for Brevi, and this is NOT IN ANY WAY meant to come off as showing off, as it wasn’t by choice. (so no judgemental moms pls.) Because we aren’t merely “visiting” Korea and the US but actually staying there for weeks to months at a time, we felt it was necessary to buy separate baby items for each countries to save ourselves the trouble of lugging everything around. It sucked buying three of everything, but it also meant I have the opportunity to try out the other close competitor products that I couldn’t narrow down in my baby item search. This review is for baby strollers, which is every mother’s most talked about baby item! note: this isn’t a tech review, you can find specs of these strollers at youtube channels and other websites. It’s just an honest review of the pros I saw in each stroller after having used it for a year.
From the popular and the highly rated strollers in all three countries (listed at the bottom of post), we narrowed down our choice to Bugaboo Cameleon 3 (for Singapore) and Uppababy Vista 2015 (for America) because of their SMOOTHEST push. I am pretty petite, at only 100lbs, so it was important for me that this presumed heaviest deluxe stroller had an extremely easy push, preferably with one hand. We bought, tried and tested both strollers on our own baby for over a year before writing this review and I can confidently say that YES, both are extremely smooth, and as most reviews state, they are extremely well made! it’s funny that I CANNOT bother pushing a market cart anymore after I’ve been spoiled by the stroller’s easy push around the market and just throwing everything down the underseat basket.
side note: For Korea and for easy transit between airports, we got an umbrella stroller (Emotion by Babyhome, more on umbrella strollers in another post!) because there was no way we are taking deluxe strollers on flights.
Bugaboo Cameleon 3 vs. Uppababy Vista 2015
Folded Dimensions: (will update in kilos soon)
20″ W x 12″ L x 35″ H // 26.5”W x 14”L x 33”H (HUGE)
Weight:
21 lbs // 27.5 lbs (HEAVY)
Weight Capacity:
37.5 lbs // 50 lbs (Lasts longer and can be used as a double stroller)
Recline:
3 Position, Flat // 5 Position, Flat
Both are:
-fully reversible
-fully upright seat position
-bassinet included
-Adjustable handle height
Brevi at 7 months enjoying a walk in his Bugaboo
Bugaboo Cameleon 3 Pros Summary VS. Uppababy:
-Bugaboo has a way smoother push than Uppababy, no doubt! I couldn’t find many reviews that compared the maneuverability of these two specific strollers side by side. Even after one year of use, Cameleon can’t be beat. It’s extremely smooth and I usually push the cart with one hand while holding a sun umbrella (yes, I’m an Asian living in Asia) or a cell phone. This is with a 14 month old FAT baby + full underseat bag + diaper bag + an organizer.
-Feels a LOT lighter than Uppababy, both when carried or pushed. It’s a deluxe stroller that does that FEEL like a deluxe. So I now understand why Cameleon is extremely popular all over the world. (For some odd reason, it’s not as popular in Korea) Uppababy wheels are just HUGE and well, that thing just looks like a tank. I gasped when I saw it in person, after looking at Bugaboo for so long. Bugaboo was way easier to take in and out of the car trunk weightwise, but annoying bc the seat has to be taken out before being folded, when Uppababy folds with the seat on.
–Easier 5-point harness. Vista’s feels a bit cheap and a bit harder to click in.
–More Stylish looking. Uppababy isn’t pretty really (subjective). It’s just very very practical and thus loved by many Americans (and not so much by Europeans or Asians)
-A lot of cover seat choices
The listed above are the only pros over Uppababy, but the smooth ride and the weight can’t be beat for many.
Shopping with mommy at Nordstroms, with 5 full sized shopping bags underneath!
Uppababy Vista 2015 Pros Summary VS. Bugaboo:
–Huge Huge Huuuuuge underseat basket! Huge enough that I can fit two oversized bags (mine and my mom’s) when we go out, whereas Cameleon is small and shaped in such a way that you can’t just “throw” things in- you have to stick one here, stick one there. I didn’t know how useful big underseat bag size was until it was taken away and when going back to Bugaboo, I was annoyed that I can’t fit anything bigger than a normal bag anymore. I can carry my whole life down in that Uppababy and my baby will not go hungry for days.
–Cheaper than Bugaboo. $1200 vs. $800. Dealbreaker for some.
–Folds with the seat on. Bugaboo can’t, the seat must be seperated.
–5 Position Recline. I don’t realize how convenient it was until I had it. Bugaboo is limited to 3 and that works too, but it’s just a nice additional feature to have bc I could somehow turn it into a small playground-on-stroller. He would be fine looking around the mall for maybe an hour or so, but after awhile, he’d start getting fussy and wanting to be out. There was nothing I could do with Bugaboo, but with Vista, all I did was recline him to a point that feels right, free him from the seat belt, and he sat on the roomy stroller seat as if it’s a small playground (the bumper bar kept him safe). I threw toys and books in there and he just sat, moved around and had fun (of course under my watch while we were moving from place to place).
–Can buy a double seat for twins or second child. Bugaboo is one child only. I bought Vista thinking I’ll use it as a double stroller when we have our second. But it’s really a huge stroller so I’m not sure how I’ll manage to carry two seats out of the car trunk. will update after use in the future.
-Comes with a separate Bassinet that you do not have to configure. Bugaboo only provides a separate seat cover.
–Loved the foot break in Uppababy over the hand break on Bugaboo. Bugaboo is a bit tough to release and foot break made it simple and easy.
–Loved the bendable feet rest. As mentioned above with the 5-position recline, I’d put up the feet rest and recline the seat to turn it to a small playarea! Bugaboo doesn’t have one and Brevi always had to be belted and wanted out after awhile.
-High enough to be used as a high chair at restaurants. Bugaboo can’t but this didn’t matter much as we just ask for the proper high chair.
–deeper seat than Bugaboo, but I didn’t feel Bugaboo’s was shallow enough to be an inconvenience.
–adjustable canopy height. none for Bugaboo
–Peek a boo closure. none for Bugaboo
As you can see from the list, Uppababy Vista wins in practicality. It has way more features at a cheaper cost. But I’m not sure if it necessarily translated into me favoring Uppababy over Bugaboo. For one, smooth push was one of the most important on the list for me and Bugaboo won by far. Second, it just feels much lighter and Vista bulky. When taking the stroller out, I had to DROP my stroller out from the trunk because it was just so heavy, whereas with bugaboo, i can easily lift out. But with Vista, I liked that it came with so many cool features and the big underseat basket which I LOVED when shopping (I fit a small side table in there to return at a furniture store), and Brevi seemed to enjoy the “seat space” bc of its depth and was able to play in it without the seat belt at times, whereas in Bugaboo, he always had to be belted on or else he may slip out.
My piece of advice:
Get Bugaboo if you need to move around with a car, or you always won’t have your husband around to help you. Get Bugaboo if you’re not much of a shopper and will be using more for outdoors at parks or city streets.
Get Uppababy if you live in a city where you do not have to lift or carry your stroller and use public transport. Get Uppababy if you shop a lot and need a lot of bag space, because somehow it’ll fit! Get Uppababy if the weight is not much of an issue for you, and if you want it used as a double stroller in the future. Comparing it to a car, I think of Vista as a Toyota, functional and cheap(er), and Bugaboo a Lexus. A luxurious stroller with smooth push that you would not just throw around anywhere.
If you have any questions on these two strollers, please ask away!
Here’s a list of the most popular strollers by country by observation on forums/street/fairs:
- US: Bugaboo and Uppababy
- Korea: Stokke Xplory (and perhaps Mima Xari, Orbit)
- Singapore: Bugaboo (and perhaps Stokke Xplory)
note: I crossed Stokke off my list because it just wasn’t functional. While it as a unique design and the baby can sit high on the pram to be closer to the mother, I didn’t like its huge bulky look and the tiny underseat bag. Roomy underseat bag is a MUST for most mothers on the go. And it just looks too futuristic which isn’t my style at all.
Another on the list (just because the design is so stylish!) was the newly introduced Cybex Priam. While I absolutely loved the design and the fact that there was an option to build it according to your lifestyle, it was too new and without many legit reviews so I wanted to stick with the tested and the highly-rated by mommies.
Wedding, Cities & Motherhood 
All mothers are really careful and perfectionist when it comes to their baby’s safety and choosing the best stroller are just one of the things we think a lot before buying. Thank you for posting a great review! 🙂
thanks, Michelle! 🙂
Thanks for the review! I’m pregnant with my third child and so much has changed since then. I used to have the Bugaboo Frog (which I loved) and now shopping for a new stroller. I’m in between the Cameleon and the smaller Uppababy because I dislike the bulky wheel look. I live in So Cal and I’m leaning towards the Cameleon. What do you think?
Hi Angela,
Right, another point I hadn’t mentioned on the blog was that the Uppababy Vista back wheels are not only huge, but they are also wider apart than the front wheels. This means that when I try to squeeze myself in somewhere with the stroller, the back wheels get caught a lot of the times and it’s pretty frustrating! Whereas the Cameleon’s front and back wheels are both the same width (similar width to Vista’s front wheels), so you don’t have this problem.
I say go for Cameleon! I love that it’s a deluxe that does not come with the bulky size. The Uppababy cruz is probably a better comparison with the Cameleon due to its smaller size, but the handling can’t be beat with Cameleon, it’s just so much smoother than Uppababy strollers and I notice it as I use it more and more. And if it wasn’t for Vista’s huge underseat bag, I don’t think I would’ve even hesitated going with Cameleon. I think Bugaboo is prettier in design too, but that’s just my opinion. 🙂 hope this helps!
xo
angie
Angie, I hope you don’t mind me writing but this is simply the best review! My husband is stuck on all the high-tech reviews and comparisons and half of the styroller he is looking at look like camping tents ….but I so like how you got straight to what matters for me, versatility and function without being overwhelming! I’ll be alone during the week without a car and needing to rely on subways in NYC (many of which don’t have elevators!) so the weight thing is a concern! I’m also not a strong woman – but not as petite as you! While prettiness is something to think about (but only a little bit I suppose!) I really need to focus on functionality. The Vista under storage sounds hard to beat…but the weight and clunkiness on the subway won’t win me any friends… We also want to have two children in RELATIVELY close procession if lucky, which is why we are willing to invest in a very good stroller (we are doing budget on everything else, except I splurged on one woolen hat with bunny ears.)
I would simply love your advice – even though I think you really already give it!
Lou x
Hi Louisa,
I totally relate and understand your concern. Though I did write that you should get a Vista if you do not have a car and would not need to close/open/carry the stroller as much, I think NYC is an exception. Because the streets are always crowded and narrow, maybe it’s best that you stick with cameleon because for a deluxe stroller, it does not feel like a deluxe and yet provides the best stability and protection for your baby. It’ll allow you to move around much easily than many other strollers and you’re def right, Cameleon is really well built and I’m sure it’ll last years for your second child to use! But of course there are the cons, such as not being able to fold with the seat on thus it takes longer to get in and out of taxi, and not as big underbasket… but I guess that’s okay if it means it’s lighter and smoother to get around the NYC streets. 🙂 hope this helps!
xo angie