"Marty Klimax" from Osann in the test: hardly cools, heats little
Sauna heat in the car or refrigerator air - the child seat with air conditioning from Osann is supposed to be made for such extreme situations. What is well-intentioned, however, works far too rarely and ineffectively in practical use.
In the late 1980s, summer vacations for me always began with a two-day trip in the car, more precisely in a Mazda 323 station wagon. My father had a soft spot for Greece, but air travel for parents and three children was not financially feasible. So we took the highway via Austria, the disintegrating Yugoslavia to Greece. It was hot on the Balkan route, we were sweating in the car without air conditioning. Even more sweat flowed because of the effort to roll down the windows. Yes, cranking, that's how it used to be.
These are my thoughts when I look at the "Klimax" child seat from Osann that I'm testing. The child seat wants to be able to do what I would have liked it to be able to do on those long trips south: it cools the child's back. It also has the option of warming it.
I waver emotionally between "What a luxury for my spoiled brat!" and "Yes, that's exactly what I need for my daughter!". After all, when it comes to special equipment for the car, I'm not a cost-conscious person either. The family car has a number of bells and whistles that are unfortunately easy to get used to: heated seats, massage function, multi-zone air conditioning. But all that is only for the driver and front passenger. The seven-year-old daughter in the back seat is denied such luxuries. Until now. Because she is allowed to test the seat provided by Osann together with me.
What can the "Klimax" do?
First, the theory. The "Klimax" is available in variants for all ages. So you can transport occupants cooled or warmed from the age of about one year or nine kilograms in weight. Osann also offers a booster seat, but safety experts advise against it.
There are meters of cables built into the seat. A temperature sensor detects when it gets too hot (30 degrees or more) and then automatically activates the ventilation. Warm air is extracted and a cooling draft is created. To do this, the air is set in motion by two fans on the left and right sides of the seat and exits through small holes in the backrest and seat surface.
Conversely, the heating system is activated when the sensor in the seat surface detects a temperature of less than 5 degrees Celsius. Then heat conduction cables glued in the two felt mats heat up to 60 degrees. Worries that you might accidentally cook your kids through are unfounded. When the sensor inside the seat detects 30 degrees, the heating switches off again.
You can read the current temperature inside the seat on a display on the seat. But only if you look at it from the front. Looking over your shoulder from the driver's seat simply always shows 88 degrees, because the double-digit display is so illuminated that you can't see what's going on.
Turning it on and off works with a simple button right on the plug. Besides, the "Klimax" also turns off when the pressure sensor detects that no one is sitting on it anymore. "Pressure sensor" is a big word here for the Osann engineers, though. Ultimately, it's a button under the seat that is pressed down when someone is sitting on it.
For all this to work, the "Klimax" needs electricity. That comes via a cable from the car's cigarette lighter, or 12-volt outlet (in case you don't have a cigarette lighter). It's over three meters long. That's enough to reach the 12-volt socket in the car, whether it's placed in the center console or even in the trunk. But it also means that it is lying around in the car and can become a tripping hazard when you get out.
How does "Klimax" prove itself in use?
As a father, I'm pleased that Osann has passed all the relevant safety tests for the "Klimax" and that this is documented with the corresponding labels. Another plus for me as a safety fanatic is the side impact protection. The flanks of the seat are pulled far forward at shoulder height. The harness from the back seat of the car is pulled into the seat and keeps small passengers securely in the seat in the event of a crash. The "Klimax" has not yet taken part in one of the major child seat tests by ADAC or TCS because it is too new.
The child seat is quick and easy to install thanks to Isofix insertion aids. Another practical feature is the cover, which is quite easy to remove. Absolute security against chocolate stains or other contaminating substances does not exist. The cover is only attached to the hard plastic with a few connectors, which you can easily loosen. I have seen worse solutions from other manufacturers.
The back part and the seat cover can be washed gently in the washing machine at the lowest possible temperature. But they should not be spun, dried or ironed. I recommend hand washing anyway. Sometimes the stains go away with a microfiber cloth.
The "Klimax" is not a comfort king
For my daughter, the Osann seat is a step backwards in comfort compared to her current Cybex Solution model, as she tells me during the first test drive. "Dad, write that the seat is more for four-year-olds!" Does Dad, because it's true. The "Klimax" is quite narrow, the headrest can be adjusted in height, but just not very far up. In the highest position, there is only 45 centimeters of space from the shoulders to the seat surface; with the Cybex, that's a good ten centimeters more. That's an unbeatable plus for my daughter, who is 127 centimeters long. The "Klimax" is therefore also more suitable for younger children, although it is designed for a weight of between 15 and 36 kilograms according to the description.
The "Klimax" also lacks a tilt-adjustable backrest. The lever for adjusting the headrest is difficult to reach once the seat is installed. And woe betide you if you pull the headrest up too far - then you have it in your hand and have to put it back in. There is no locking mechanism to prevent the headrest from being pulled upwards.
The climate control in the "Klimax" is: not cool
In terms of comfort and operation, the "Klimax" is rather average. Does the climate function still make the Klimax worth buying? Clear answer from me: No. Surely it is a good thought from the manufacturer to keep the operating concept as simple as possible. That means here: You only have one button. The system is either on or off. In the case of "on", the weather and the temperature in the car ultimately decide whether the seat does anything or not.
During the test period, I didn't manage to heat up the seat enough to get it to kick on. So I got myself a socket adapter with a 12-volt connection and turned my study into a small test lab. I first heated the temperature sensor from the seat to over 30 degrees with a hair dryer to activate the cooling. The two fans start running and move the air. But that's about it. The draft is barely noticeable when the seat is removed, certainly not through the seat cushion. Audible, however, is the running noise of the fan, because they are almost at head height and thus close to the ears. At least it's only a quiet hiss.
The simulation of a hot summer day was followed by that of a cold winter morning. For this, I packed the temperature sensor between two cooling elements. As promised by the manufacturer, the system starts working at below five degrees Celsius. Slowly, the felt mats warm up. But because the sensor quickly measures more than five degrees at room temperature, the heating is soon over again. This should be pretty similar in real life, because after a day of skiing, for example, you have to warm up the car again pretty quickly before you can drive home.
Conclusion: The "climax" is usually just a normal seat.
In principle, the seat only "works" when it is colder than five or warmer than 30 degrees. The temperature sensor alone decides, you can't activate it yourself. With my heated seat, I have more freedom and can warm my cold butt at any time independently of any sensor. And that even in different levels.
If the temperature moves between 5 and 30 degrees, the Osann seat is also just a normal child seat. Not a particularly good one, not a particularly bad one. It is solidly made, scores points with the easy-to-remove cover, but beyond that is at a disadvantage compared to the current Cybex model that I use or to a Maxi Cosi that I previously had for a few years. The padding is rather thin and slips easily. The display is hard to read. And because the backrest cannot be tilted, the "Marty Klimax" is for me above all not suitable for long distances. But that's where it could show its strength: the ventilation. If it were really effective.
So for me, the "Klimax" is an interesting attempt at something innovative, but not yet mature enough for me to buy it and recommend it to you. It is by no means a "completely new chapter in seating comfort for children", as the advertising copywriters euphorically describe it.
My parents used to be more successful and less expensive in this respect, regularly supplying us with ice cream on the journey. It cooled us down and lifted our spirits. And perhaps also left wonderful stains on the seat cushions.
8 people like this article
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
