Evenflo
Evenflo is probably one of the best known stroller brands on the market, selling in a variety of "mass market" channels like Walmart, Target and online on Amazon.
The company is probably most famous for its baby bottles, as that is how the company was founded in 1920 as the Pyramid Rubber Specialty Company in Ravenna, Ohio. Pyramid made rubber baby bottle nipples (among other rubber items like surgical supplies), as it was located near the "rubber belt" in nearby Akron, Ohio.
Also nearby were the major glass manufacturers in Pittsburgh (including Owens-Illinois Glass Co), which enabled Pyramid to marry it its rubber nipples with glass bottles to become one of the first mass-marketed baby bottles. The name "Evenflo" came from a unique twin air valve in the nipple that promoted liquid flow.
Evenflo rode the post-World War II baby boom to bigger sales and soon expanded into other juvenile products, including baby gates, car seats and eventually strollers. After changing hands among private equity owners several times in the early 2000's, Evenflo was sold in 2014 to Goodbaby International.
Goodbaby itself started in Kunshan, China in 1989 as a manufacturer of baby strollers, at a time when many companies (like Evenflo) off-shored their production. Goodbaby also acquired German stroller brand Cybex shortly before buying Evenflo. According to Forbes, Goodbaby has a complex of 11 factories that churn out over 10,000 strollers day under 15 different brand names (Goodbaby sells both its own strollers under Evenflo and Cybex as well as contracting out manufacturing for other brands).[1]
Today Goodbaby sells strollers under the brand names Evenflo (mass market), Cybex (specialty stores, chains) and gB/Urbini.
Like other mass market brands such as Graco, Evenflo often sells stroller with confusingly similar names—hence, there is a Pivot Xpand stroller (modular) and a Pivot Xplore (stroller wagon). There is also a regular Evenflo brand and Evenflo Gold, which are the same stroller with fancier fabrics.
Evenflo sells strollers under four basic categories: stroller wagons, modular strollers, lightweight strollers and stroller frames (designed to carry an infant car seat).
Flagship Model: Pivot Xplore All-Terrain Stroller Wagon
The Evenflo Pivot Xplore All-Terrain Stroller Wagon (see price on Amazon) (34.7 lbs) kicked off the recent boom in stroller wagons when it debuted in 2019. Yes, there were stroller wagons on the market since the early 2000's, but these were typically sold at higher prices, at $500 or more. Evenflo brought a stroller wagon to the market in the $300 range, which innovations such as two independent canopies on each seat. Before the Pivot, most stroller wagons had one large canopy that covered the entire wagon.
The Pivot wagon has a handle that reverses, so the wagon can be pushed or pulled. You can also add an infant seat via an adapter (sold separately) or a second seat that rides above the wagon.
At 34 lbs, the weight of the Pivot is an issue for some parents—and the stroller does not fold in a compact manner. As a result, you need a significant amount of trunk space to haul it to the zoo. That said, the all terrain wheels enable the wagon to be pulled over gravel, wet grass and other uneven surfaces.
Modular (Single-To Double) Stroller: Pivot Xpand
Riding on the modular stroller trend first pioneered by Bugaboo and then expanded on by UPPAbaby, Evenflo rolled out the Pivot Xpand (see latest price on Amazon) in 2019 as their entry in this category.
The Pivot Xpand has four modes with a single stroller seat that can face forward or rear—and the seat makes into a layflat bassinet that also can face out or in.
The stroller can also expand to hold two kids, either via a second toddler seat or adapter that holds an infant car seat (sold separately as accessories).
Evenflo's innovation in this category is an adjustable canopy that can be moved higher for a growing child.
The Evenflo Pivot Xpand is sold as a stand-alone stroller or paired with an Evenflo car seat as a travel system (see latest price on Amazon).