Well, the seats you've mentioned are very different - I don't think I'd ever purchase a comfort sport, in fact, Graco doesn't have good convertible car seat out right now. Please don't get a Graco Comfort Sport. Car seat techs call it the 'crappysport'. LOL Its a crappy seat that won't last your child very long b/c it has a really short shell. The straps twist all the time, and if they're twisted they won't support your child in a wreck properly. They're hard to install. There's nothing good about these seats except perhaps they're cheap sometimes. Ditto the Safety1st 3-in-1/Cosco Alpha Omega/Eddie Bauer 3-in1 seats. These are all the same company - same seat, just different covers. They stink. Hard to install, b/c of narrow belt paths. Ever tried to wash a skinny cup by hand? Now imagine that skinny cup with pointy edges. That's what putting your hand through these to install them is like. AND they have too short a shell to really go to 40lbs. And they do not make good boosters. Also, most kids have to use boosters until they're at least 8 years old. Car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture, so no matter what they say it is NOT the last seat you'll ever need to buy.

Britax seats are an awesome choice, but so is that Evenflo Triumph Advance mentioned above. If you're going to need to install the seat in a pre '97 car, get a Britax seat, b/c they have built in lockoffs. most frequently (unless you're putting the seat in the middle position) pre '97 cars' seatbelts do not lock, so you have to use a locking clip which is a MAJOR pain in the butt. But built-in lockoffs take their place an make the seat much easier to use.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17", harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn't have built in lockoffs. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don't have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. It's one of only 2 seats that does this (The Britax Boulevard is the other, I believE), and it has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. No more tugging straps to tighten them either. You tighten and loosen the harness using knobs on the side of the seat. As a major bonus, it can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode. Awesome for kids who still sleep in the car. I LOVE THIS SEAT! LOL My son, who is too big for every other car seat at Walmart has the same amount of room in this as the Britax Marathon.

As for which Britax seat to choose, if you do. There's some big differences between the Roundabout and the Diplomat.
Roundabout:
-rear face to 33lbs
-forward to 40lbs
-3 harness slots
-5 point tangle free harness (Means it won't twist like the cheap seats
-push button harness adjustment
-built in lockoffs
-belly pad (goes around crotch buckle to make it more comfy
-harness holders (keeps straps out of the way when putting baby in and out)

Diplomat:
-goes up to 33lbs rear facing
-40lbs forward facing
-True Side impact protection from a foam pillow around baby's head, some kids HATE this pillow though. Definitely try your child in the seat first
-infinite adjust harness/headrest height, so its always at the right height
-you never have to take the seat apart and rethread the harness
-infant body position pillow (which you probably don't need anymore)
-tangle free harness
-push button harness adjustment
-built-in lockoffs
-comfort pads (go around harness straps so it doesn't chafe baby's neck)
-belly pad
-harness holders

So they're not that different: the biggest difference is the true side impact protection, but don't be fooled, every convertible car seat offer pretty good side impact protection, and the fact that you never have to rethread the Diplomat's harness. But if you like the no rethread harness, I'd go for the Evenflo Triumph Advance, same feature only easier to use and MUCH cheaper! Also, the Advance will last a whole lot longer, b/c of the taller slots and higher weight limit, but the shell is still a little shorter and in a bowl shape. The seat is quite wide, but not too tall for small cars.

To be honest, if was goign to pay for a Britax, I wouldn't get either the Roundabout or the Diplomat. Too much money for a seat that won't last very long b/c they only go to 40lbs and have short top harness slots. I would get a Marathon. rear to 33lbs, forward 65lbs. The Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon (These 3 are the same seat, just different variances of luxury additions, with the Marathon being the cheapest base model) can be found for regular price of $269, and on sale at Albee Baby online for $209-$219. The Marathon a wide open easy to route belt path, which makes using it correctly a lot easier, as do the built in lockoffs, which mean you never again have to use a locking clip. I can get it into 4 different vehicles in under 2 minutes. Because of the way the base is made, it fits in most cars. And, it is worth the money, b/c it lasts usually twice as long as most other car seats (all car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture) lasting a baby till they are 5-6 years old, where most at Walmart will only last till 2-4 years old. Rear faces to 33lbs, then forward to 65lbs. and top slots 17inches tall, lasts most kids to ages 5-6 years old. If you can get it online (or check babies r us) Britax is having one of their semiannual sales from February 24 - March 2. You could snag a Britax seat for $200 or less including shipping!

So there ya go, my 2 cents

When you're shopping, Remember these rules:
1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money! If its easy to use, you're more likely to use it correctly.
2)Children should stay rear facing AS LNOG AS POSSIBLE!!!! The 20lbs/1 year rule is outdated and provides a bare minimum for turning kids forward facing. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration both recommend keeping kids rear facing as long as possible, up to the limits of their seat, preferably until at least 2 years of age. For good reason: A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone. In other countries, rear facing 2 - 3 - 4 year olds is standard, they understand that its safer. Here, we turn them as soon as we get to, seeing it as a right of passage thing or something. Ridiculous. Most convertible seats have a 30lbs rear facing limit, Cosco/Dorel/Safety1st/Eddie Bauer seats rear face to 35lbs, Britax rear faces to 33lbs.
3)Once you do turn them forward facing, they need to stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. 4 years/40lbs is the minimum for riding in a booster, and most 4 year olds have no business using one yet. If they can't sit upright for an entire trip, they need the harness of a car seat still. And, even if they do sit properly, a 5 point harness is safer, so you want to keep them in one as long as possible. This is important to consider b/c most car seats only forward face to 40lbs. My son just turned 3, and is in the 95th% for height and weight - 40" tall and weighs 41lbs. He outgrew the 40lbs seats shortly after his 2nd birthday. It was a total waste of money. He now has a Britax Marathon, which goes to 65lbs, and will be able to fit it for some time yet. If I'd have bought it when he was born, I could have had one car seat this whole time instead of the 3 I wasted money on. They are more expensive for many reasons, this is one.

These are the best you can buy that will give you the most bang for your buck. As a single parent I'm always watching the budget - I have no money to speak of, and these are what I would buy. (My son has a marathon and is soon getting a Britax Regent). They will last the longest. I only wish someone would've told me all this before I had him, I coulda saved some money for the extra seats I started out with!

All seats in the US must meet the same safety criteria to sell, so technically they all are safe, however, if its hard to install, then it won't be used correctly and that makes it unsafe. Also, they only must meet the guidelines, some seats barely pass, some exceed them. Britax exceeds the guidelines and is easy to use.