Clek Fllo Review

Clek Fllo in Tank

The Clek Fllo convertible car seat is the Clek Foonf‘s little sister.  This long lasting converible car seat rear faces to 50 pounds and forward faces to 65  pounds  The Fllo includes the same seemingly indestructible Crytpon fabric as the Foonf, but has an optional Anti Rebound Bar and a less featured base.

Clek Fllo harness and crotch positions

There are two crotch buckle positions. The proper position is the one closest to the front of the child’s body without being in front of it. Either can be used for rear facing or forward facing as long as it’s in the proper position. The Fllo comes with a dual length crotch buckle. The longer buckle position is for use in the outer buckle position. It can be used rear facing if the child is able to use the farthest out position according to the manual. Be sure when switching crotch buckle position you are putting the buckle through the correct opening in the seat cushion as well. The Fllo comes with a crotch buckle pad that must be used for children under 22 pounds There are also two loops at the end of the harness to adjust harness length. The shorter one is for smaller children and the longer one for older children. If installing the seat without a tether for a child weighing less than 40 pounds, you must use the smaller setting.

Clek Fllo recline mechanism

There are two recline lines on the side of the seat. One for children under 22 pounds and one for children over 22 pounds. Once a child weighs more than 22 pounds, they can use any recline angle between the two lines as well. This can be important for those stockier, younger babies who still could use the extra recline. Pool noodles are not permitted to be used to change the angle, but a rolled towel is though. Using the ARB to adjust recline tends to work well. Move the ARB higher on the back of the vehicle seat and this will naturally recline the seat more. This tends to work better if you can get behind the seat and push the seat into the vehicle seat, but this can be hard to do because of the sheer size of the seat.

In the Town and Country it made the seat want to slip out of the recline that was needed as it was being tightened, so it was a bit tricky. There will be a gap with this method, but this is not a concern if the seat is installed so that it doesn’t move more than an inch side to side at the belt path. If you choose not to use the ARB, there cannot be a gap. It must be filled in with rolled towels, not pool noodles. It was not possible to install the Fllo to the under 22 pound recline line with the ARB attached, and have the driver’s seat in a usable position, in the Town and Country. This is something to consider if you have a petite child, as some kiddos will not reach 22 pounds for quite some time.

Clek Fllo recline lines and lower anchor connector

The anti-rebound bar is optional and can be removed if needed. This is helpful as the Fllo allows for no overhang when installed. Removing the ARB will give you extra space to move the seat closer to the vehicle seat back.  Putting the ARB on and removing it was quite easy too after you do it the first time. Once off, it could have been reclined to the under 22 pound line on the passenger side of the van, but not the driver’s side. Here is the difference in using the ARB and not using it when reclining it to the over 22 pound line. You can see it easily gives an extra 2″ more between the Fllo and the vehicle seat in front of it. The Fllo was installed in a 2000 4 door Cavalier as well, didn’t even bother with the ARB, and it was a tight fit. At full recline, the front seat wasn’t usable and you could only use the bottom five headrest positions. In the more upright recline, someone could sit in the front seat but was right up against the dash. The Fllo wouldn’t be recommend for a smaller car if you routinely have a front passenger.

UPDATE: Clek created a FAQ for the Fllo. The FAQ states, “It is preferable to have infants under 22lb more reclined, such that the upper reference line (infants under 22 lb) is parallel to the ground. However, providing that the ground level falls within the Upper Reference Line for infants under 22lb (40 degrees from vertical )and lower reference line for children 22lb and over (30 degrees from vertical), you can safely use the seat.” This gives more flexibility to parents when using the seat and leaves it up to them to decide which angle between the lines will work for their child and vehicle.

Clek Fllo using the ARB vs. no ARB

The Fllo can be installed rear facing with either lower anchors or seat belt. The seat cushion of the seat must be removed to access the belt path for installation. Neither installation was difficult though so choose your preference and keep kiddo’s weight in mind. Lower anchors can be used for installation until the child weighs 35 pounds, when the child weighs between 35-50 pounds, the vehicle seat belt must be used instead.

Clek Fllo rear facing installation

This seat has built-in lockoffs for both forward facing and rear facing vehicle seat belt installations. The lockoffs are not required for vehicle seat belt installations — if your vehicle’s seat belt locks, the Fllo can be installed via either method, though the lockoffs make for a fairly straightforward installation so we’d suggest that caregivers try that method first.  As of 2016, both lockoffs are required when installing with the lockoffs.   Please consult your Fllo’s manual to confirm the requirements for your particular seat.

Clek Fllo forward facing installation

When it was first released, the Fllo had the following minimum height and weight limits: 14 pounds, 25″ inches tall, and the child being able to sit independently. With the release of the Clek infant-thingy, the Fllo can now be used with babies as small as 5 pounds and 19 inches long, when the infant-thingy is also purchased.

Clek Fllo (almost) 2 years old

This little cutie is 23 months old, has a flair for fashion, and fits well in the seat.  She weighs 25 pounds and is 35 inches tall.  She’s got plenty of legroom and plenty of room to grow in the Fllo!

Clek Fllo – 2 years, 25 pounds, and 32.25 inches

This model just turned 2 and is 25 pounds and 32.25 inches tall. She’s using the second harness slots from the bottom (almost to the third). Since she weighs more than 22 pounds, she doesn’t have to use the crotch buckle pad, and can use the steeper recline level. She does have to use the closest crotch buckle setting with the shortest crotch buckle, which is a bit of a tight fit with her cloth diapers.

Clek Fllo 3 years old

Our three year old rear facing model weighs 32 pounds and is 41 inches tall.  She’s ready to take on the world here and she’s got some room to grow in the Fllo!

Clek Fllo forward facing installation

The Fllo can be installed forward facing with either the vehicle seat belt and lockoffs or the lower anchors.

Clek recommends using the top tether whenever possible for forward facing installations. The top tether is required when the Fllo is installed with a lap-only seat belt and when it’s installed with a lap/shoulder belt for a child who weighs more than 40 pounds.

To convert the Fllo from rear facing to forward facing mode, the recline foot must be moved to the forward facing position and the lower anchors must be either stored (if installing with a vehicle seat belt) or moved to the forward facing belt path. To install the seat forward facing, the lower anchor connector webbing must be moved from the rear facing position to the forward facing position. Remove the strap on the right side of the seat (when facing the seat) then thread it through the forward facing belt path.

Forward facing, the Fllo can be installed with lower anchors for installation until the child weighs 40 pounds. When the child weighs more than 40 pounds, the vehicle seat belt must be used to install the Fllo.

To install the Fllo with the lower anchors, attach the lower anchor connectors to the lower anchors in the vehicle, then pull the loop in the webbing to tighten until the seat moves less than one inch side to side at the belt path. Attach the top tether to the vehicle’s tether anchor and you’re ready to go. The tether must always be used when installing with the lower anchors.

Caution: the lockoffs in the forward facing belt path mean that there is less room to maneuver your hand through the belt path.

Clek Fllo 4 years old

Here we see a fashion-forward 4 year old model  She weighs 42 pounds and is 44 inches tall.  She’s got some room to grow yet and she finds the seat quite comfortable.

Clek Fllo – 5.5 years, 49 pounds, and 45.5 inches

This model is 5.5 years old, weighs about 49 pounds and is 45 inches tall. She’s tall for her age, but also has a long torso for her height. While she still barely meets the rear facing weight limit, she is too tall, so we put the seat in forward facing. The harness is on the top position and she’s using the crotch buckle with the longer webbing position that’s the furthest from the back of the seat pan.  Despite being moments away from outgrowing the Fllo, she found it comfortable.

Clek Fllo EACT system

Integrated into every Clek Fllo is an Aluminum Honeycomb Safety System designed to reduce the forces transmitted to a forward-facing child in a collision. Fllo’s Energy Absorbing Crumple Technology (EACT) transfers forces away from the child and to the aluminum honeycomb deformable cores integrated into the seat base. http://www.clekinc.com/fllo/ Here are the pre and post collision drawings of the honeycomb cores.

Three across with Clek Fllo, Evenflo, Sureride, backless Evenflo Big Kid

The fabric cover of the Fllo is made of Crypton odor, bacteria, and stain repelling fabric; making it easy to wipe down in case of everyday spills. Contact Clek customer service for an email set of instructions on how to fully disassemble the seat if a thorough cleaning is needed. If it is anything like the Foonf, try hard to keep the need for cleaning to a minimum!

Another great feature of the Fllo is that it’s super narrow. The base of the seat measures only 13 inches, which the widest part is 17 inches. This can make it ideal for a three across when needed and the narrow base helps if you need to buckle in boosters next to it. Need more help with three across, Your Guide to Three Across may help. This is the Fllo, Evenflo Sureride, and Evenflo Big Kid in a 2000 4 door Chevrolet Cavalier.

Clek Fllo FAA approval label on the bottom of the seat

FAA Approval  The Clek Fllo is FAA approved. While significantly lighter than the Foonf, the Clek Weelee below can still help if you need to take your Fllo on a trip. The FAA label is found on the very bottom of the seat when the recline block is back in the forward facing position.

Clek Fllo has a 9 year expiration

Expiration The Clek Foonf has a 9 year expiration. The label with the date of manufacture can be found on the back bottom of the seat, just above the FAA label.