Joolz hub 2
- Weight: 9kg
- Age range: From birth to 22kg
- Includes: Ventilated bassinet, which is suitable for overnight sleeping
- Why we love it
- Sleek and simple design
- Soft and comfortable handles
- Super easy to use
- Light enough to be considered a good travel buggy
- Clever harness system
- Environmentally concious brand
First off, I have to say this buggy looks very smart – our two-year-old mini tester has been requesting to “go in the new buggy” throughout testing, which I take to mean she is comfortable and likes the look of it.
The design is sleek and simple and has all the things you would expect from a high-end buggy, including a decent canopy that folds right down for when little ones are sleeping, along with a comfy, cushioned seat.
Beyond this, the Joolz handlebars and bumper bars are very nice to hold. They are made from a particular type of soft rubber that looks premium and is comfortable to use. Equally, all the buttons and levers are subtle in their design and very easy to use, particularly with pulling the seat up and down, and the handlebar retraction – all the actions are easy and can be done one-handed.
The complete fold is also really impressive – it is the smallest fold I have seen on a true travel system, and the buggy stands freely once folded and doesn’t require the seat to be taken off. The technique to fold it is different to other travel systems I’ve tried – using an under-the-seat twisting motion. It takes a little getting used to but, once you have the knack, it is seamless. Once folded, there is also a clever retractable strap under the seat, which means you can sling the buggy over one shoulder and carry it. The buggy weighs just 9kg, which is not far off the weight of many travel buggies, and carrying it with the strap is easy.
The other major design plus is the retractable harness, which is unbelievably useful when trying to get a wriggling toddler into position. Rather than trying to find the end of the harness buried somewhere beneath your child, the straps simply spring back into place at shoulder height, ready for the next use.
David McMillan, head of design at Joolz said: “The harness is a key interaction for the parent, often overlooked, it needs to be super easy and no added mess. Super smart and neat, everything in its place, is maybe the whole story of this stroller. When not in use, we want the harness straps to pop up and out of the way, not hanging in the way of the seat.”
It is the first time I have used a travel system with the feature and it is a total game changer for those moments when your toddler is resisting going in the buggy.
Finally, I need to talk about the wheels – just like with the aer+, the hub 2 comes with silent rubber wheels. Many buggies come with plastic wheels which create a noise that can be jarring. The wheels here are also sturdy enough to handle the sort of wet leaves and rough terrain you might encounter day to day. They do not fare as well as some larger travel systems, such as the Bugaboo fox 5 (my usual travel system of choice) on genuinely off-road terrain but if you are in a city, the convenience of the compact features of the hub 2 outweigh that of it being able to go off-road.
Another plus on the hub 2 versus a smaller travel buggy is the generous basket under the seat. It is markedly larger than that of the aer+, something new parents in particular will benefit from, as they can carry lots of baby paraphernalia underneath.
Joolz is also an environmentally conscious brand, and the buggy is made using recycled products and comes with an impressive 10-year, fully transferable guarantee – something I think is marvellous and genuinely helpful to the climate and cash-strapped parents alike. The 10-year guarantee is something the company says emphasises “technical quality, serviceability, usability, comfort, ergonomics, and timeless design”.
Much to my delight, the buggy is basically built for you and arrives pretty much complete in the box, save a couple of minor tweaks. Typically, putting these things together can be fiddly and can result in a lot of confusion and re-watching video instructions. The only part of operating it that required more than a moment’s scrutiny was the underseat twisting motion that collapses the buggy into its folded form, but once you get the hang of that, everything is smooth sailing.