REASONS TO BUY
Narrow width
Anti-rebound bar
Smooth moving harness
REASONS TO AVOID
More expensive
Towels for RF installation
Difficult-to-tighten belt
Stiff padding
Non-removable cover
No cup holder
No infant insert
Can't clean entire seat
Clek Fllo Review
This seat was a pain to install and the hard padding is sure to create complaints
The CLek Fllo is fairly lightweight compared to the competition
Credit: Abriah Wofford
By Wendy Schmitz ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ January 5, 2024
Contributions From: Juliet Spurrier, MD
Our Verdict
The Clek Fllo has a sleek, minimalistic design that is appealing to those looking for an understated safety seat. It is a relatively narrow seat that earned a slightly higher-than-average score for crash test analysis. However, that is where the love affair ends, and much like a disappointing first date, the Fllo fails to deliver where it counts. We struggled with ease of installation in any method and ease of use features, like removing the cover and adjusting the harness. With a price this high, we wish it were more straightforward to use the LATCH system or even belt installation. Sadly, it earned some of the lowest scores possible in for installation, and given the importance of correct installation for safety, we think it is a deal-breaker when it comes to recommending this seat.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Clek company is headquartered in Canada. They work to produce products that are innovative and safe while remaining stylish. They offer infant, convertible, and booster safety seats.
The Fllo earned a slightly above-average crash test analysis score after analyzing the dummy sensor results from our testing commissioned with MGA Research.
Credit: GearLab & MGA Research
Crash Test
The Fllo earned a crash test analysis score that is slightly above average. All options in this review are considered safe and should meet federal guidelines. Our testing is somewhat hotter than the guidelines, and we expect some seats to fall below the average, so it is respectable that it came in above the average. It is the better of the two Clek options we tested in this metric.
The Fllo has a lower result for the HIC (head) sensor and an average result for the chest clip. These sensor results are the G-forces that the crash test dummy sensors recorded, so lower is better (fewer).
Despite this average overall result, parents should also consider that installing the seat correctly can impact safety, and our difficulties with installation on this seat give us pause. There are seats in this review with better scores in both metrics.
The Fllo is one of the narrowest seats in the group, and we had no trouble accessing the vehicle's LATCH anchor points.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Ease of Install - LATCH
This is one of the hardest seats to install using LATCH. With so many troubles, our tester was very frustrated. The Fllo has push-style LATCH connectors with a line decal on one side and a lock-off. The recline adjustment is a foot style with one extra level, and we suspect many cars will require a towel to get the right angle since the variation is so limited. Adding towels is not ideal, given the seat length, making the process more cumbersome.
The Fllo has push-style LATCH connectors.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Once you have the towels and angle adjustment, the connectors thread under the seat. You have to remove the seat bottom entirely to keep it out of the way, and we wish it were hinged like those on the Britax ClickTight seats. This seat has Spanish instructions on one side, which could be the side you are looking at during installation, depending on your chosen vehicle space. While we like having multiple languages offered, putting different languages on different sides is not the best decision. We recommend keeping the manual nearby. The towels can block the LATCH anchors on the car, making installation more challenging than it would be without the towels.
Pulling the Fllo LATCH Strap tight enough required putting a knee in the car seat to get the seat snug to the vehicle.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The manual and the company website have contradicting instructions, with one saying to use one lock-off and the other saying to use both. This is frustrating, and we think parents will be left wondering what to do, just like we were. We struggled to get the LATCH strap tight enough, but the lock-offs worked well to keep the seat secure on the strap. The whole experience would be easier if there were a tensioner or a lock-off that works as a tensioner. It passes the wiggle test, but we can feel the towels shifting and would prefer something tighter. The seat is long from front to back, and manipulating it was hard.
The level angle adjustment is just a flip-out foot on the bottom of the Fllo, which is why we struggled to get the right level for installation.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
We struggled with this seat for so many small reasons that made using it annoying. Overall, we suspect this will be the case regardless of your vehicle.
Forward-facing installation of the Fllo uses the belt pathway through the back of the seat, and the same flexible strap pushes LATCH connectors. There is red color coding to help you stay on the right track, but threading and pulling the strap was not intuitive. The installation angle is awkward and makes tightening the strap harder with spots of friction and drag in the pathway. Tightening troubles made getting a tight and stable car seat installation harder. The final wiggle makes it a seat we don't like as much as most of the competition.
Installing the Fllo using the vehicle belt includes removal of the seat bottom, hard-to-close belt lock-offs, and a more convoluted process than most.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Ease of Install - Belt
The Fllo did not fare much better using the vehicle belt. There is a line decal for rear-facing installation to ensure the seat is level. There is no color-coding on the pathway for the vehicle belt, but there is a belt lock-off.
For a seat in this price range, it is frustrating to see a sticker line decal for the level indicator on the Fllo. This style is harder to use and not as accurate as other methods.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
To initiate, you pull away the padding to get it out of the way. We used one to two towels (car-dependent) to align the seat properly using the line decal. The manufacturer's manual and their YouTube video for installation do not offer the same instructions, with one instructing you to use two lock-offs and the other saying only one.
Securing both is twice the work, so it would be nice to know if it is necessary or why the ambiguity exists. It is a longer-than-average seat, and we suspect it will be hard to fit in some smaller cars or with taller front-seat passengers. The lock-offs are pretty good, but they felt like they might break because the design is flimsy plastic clamps, and we had difficulty getting the last bit of tightness we wanted.
We had to use a towel to install the Fllo to get the right angle for the correct installation.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
It was hard to achieve the stability we wanted, and while it passed the wiggle test, we suspect some parents will be left wanting more. So much is going on with the process, including the padding removal and replacement, crotch buckle threading, and more, that it feels completely overdone compared to much of the competition.
Thanks to the seat's low profile, it is pretty easy to uninstall. First, you disconnect the vehicle belt, pull the padding back to access the pathway, and unthread the belt before replacing the padding.
There is no level indicator for forward-facing installation, but you still have the flimsy clamp lock-offs to help you. Routing the belt is through the open back of the seat, which is easier if you angle the seat toward you while threading. There is some red color coding to help guide you, and the exposed bars make it easy to thread the belt. Again, the lock-off feels like a cheap, flimsy afterthought and could potentially break if not handled with care. Given the location, it is harder to tighten the belt in this position, and we struggled to get a tight fit and stable installation overall. The overall experience left us wishing it were easier and more stable.
The Fllo harness has paded sleeves for comfort, but the fabric isn't as soft as we'd like.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Ease of Use
The Fllo is not easy to use, with features that take more effort than competing products.
Harness
The buckle on the Fllo is encased in a padded sheath, making it hard to get the strap prongs all the way in. The buckle sits relatively low, and given the limited adjustment span, we worry it could become challenging to use with bigger kids. The prongs cannot be retained in any way, and you will be searching for them under tiny tushies when your child sits down.
The Fllo harness tightens and loosens somewhat better than the average convertible seat. The tightening mechanism is smooth and takes a little force, but it isn't a struggle or significantly challenging. The release mechanism isn't a button but is a pull tab instead, and while it took some getting used to since most seats have buttons, we thought it was more ergonomic.
The Fllo is one of the few convertible car seats we tested that has a rethread harness height adjustment.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The Fllo harness height adjustment is the dreaded rethread operation and a challenging one at that. It has five height levels and two positions for the crotch buckle. Rethreading is difficult and requires moving plastic components, and the spaces are small. Given that many higher-scoring, less expensive seats have the easy non-rethread adjustment, it is a real bummer to have a seat in this price range cause so much trouble. Little ones will need to be out of the seat to make the changes, and some parents might even think it is easier to uninstall the seat from the car.
LATCH storage for the fllo is under the seat bottom. It takes some practice to fold the straps up to fit, but it keeps them contained and out of the way.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
LATCH Storage
The LATCH storage on the Fllo is only so-so. The location is under the seat, and it took us some time to get the connectors and webbing in far enough to close the seat back up.
Cover
Cover removal on the Fllo is a major concern, as most of the cover cannot be removed. This feels like a huge mistake, given how messy little ones can be. Whether you want to frequently launder the cover or want the option should vomit happen, we hate that it is only cleanable with a steam cleaner.
While the Fllo might use higher-quality materials, it is one of the stiffest padded options in the group and not very comfortable.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Comfort/Quality
The Fllo is not that comfortable and lacks in some aspects we look for concerning quality. The seating material feels like a rip-stop canvas and is not very smooth. It feels like a choice made for durability instead of comfort. It is rough but not irritating. We wish it were smoother and softer than it is, and imagine longer durations with bare legs won't be fun.
While the Fllo seems to be made from quality materials, they aren't as comfy as some of the competition, and we wish they were softer and cushionier.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The padding on this Clek made us feel that comfort was not the goal. It is unbelievably dense, almost like they forgot to put comfort foam over the impact foam. While it is probably fine at first, the unforgiving nature of the consistency might lead to the grumbling of older toddlers about discomfort. Our tester was definitely not a fan.
The Anti-rebound bar on the Fllo only added to our struggle to get the installation completed.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The manufacturer brags about it being built like a tank, and we get the toughness they are trying to evoke, but it left us feeling like we wouldn't want to sit in a tank with hard surfaces and little support. We kind of want to sit on a cloud or at least on soft grass. There is EPP foam in the tush and head areas, but that is about all.
The Fllo manual is under the seat bottom, which will keep it clean but makes it hard to reach when installed and hard to put back after you use it for installation.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The shell has a small lip on the bottom edge for gunk to collect, and we can see liquid messes dribbling in and moving about to places you can't reach with a sponge or towel. It feels less like a traditional shell and more like components placed over rigid bars. It has no cup holder to clean or search for, and while the price feels like it should have one, we haven't found most holders to be the right size for kids' cups anyway.
The Fllo is one of the heaviest but also most narrowest in the group.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Weight/Size
The Fllo is somewhat heavier than the average convertible contender, but it is the narrowest in the group, so depending on your needs, it could be the right fit. With a weight of 26 lbs, where the average is closer to 24 lbs, it could be somewhat heavy to carry.
With a width of 16.9 inches, it is a favorite among parents who need to fit multiple people or seats in a single row. The average width of the convertible seats we tested is about 18.6 inches, so the difference between the Fllo and the average seat is significant when mere inches matter.
Should You Buy the Fllo?
We did not care for either of the Clek convertible seats as neither was easy to install nor impressed during crash testing. The Fllo is really hard to install, and the cover is not totally removable, which means extra hassle for cleaning up messes (which will happen). While this Clek had a better crash test analysis score than the Clek Foonf, it was enough to impress, and the price makes it a deal breaker for us; considering the higher price, we don't think you are getting as much as you are paying for.
What Other Convertible Car Seat Should You Consider?
One of our favorite convertible seats is the Romer Veni. This is a great seat with a similar price and a much better crash test analysis result than either Clek. The Romer is uber easy to install, and offers more nods to comfort and quality. If budget is a concern, then the Graco Extend2Fit 3 in 1 is also one to consider, with some of the highest crash test analysis and a cheaper price paired with a lighter weight. If you need a narrow seat, the Graco SlimFit3 LX 3-in-1 is only 16.5 inches wide compared to the Fllo 16.9-inch width. It is cheaper and has better crash test results, but it is more challenging to install.
Manufacturer Video
Side-by-Side Comparison
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