By Dave Wolfe
Which push cart is the best?
Which carts are the most maneuverable? Which offer consoles with massive storage space? Which carts hand cart bags as well as carry bags? Which fold up light and tight? That’s quite a few questions, but don’t worry, we have the answers.
Once again we have assembled the available push carts to determine which one is truly the Most Wanted. Like with our club tests, the title of Most Wanted must be earned head-to-head. These twelve push carts were put through a series of #datacratic tests and assessments to determine which one is deserving of the Most Wanted moniker.
Remember, performance is everything. Company names don’t matter. Past performance is irrelevant. It’s a new year and a new test.
Carts Tested
Push Cart Features
*All carts tested offer locking brakes, solid wheels, enclosed consoles, umbrella holders, and optional accessories.
How We Test
Comparative scoring is calculated based upon ten measured characteristics that fall under two general headings: Portability and Playability. Totals for each cart are determined and the carts are ranked on an overall 100 point scale to determine the Most Wanted Push Cart. For more details, visit our How We Test Carts page.
Results: Most Wanted Push Cart
Winner: Most Wanted Push Cart
The BagBoy Tri-Swivel 2 may represent our first ever Most Wanted title defense. The cart just hits on everything that golfers want in a push cart.
It gets high marks for portability, has tons of console room for all of your gear, and it turns within its own footprint.
The ability to lock the front wheel in straight position, or let it freewheel, from the console is key to its versatility. It’s not the cheapest cart we tested, but you definitely get what you pay for with the Tri-Swivel 2.
The Features You Want:
- Amazing maneuverability from the swiveling front wheel
- Wide and stable wheel base
- Huge covered console and under console gear bag
- Relatively lightweight and compact when folded
- Velcro strap system securely holds any golf bag
Runners-Up: Most Wanted Carts
The Sun Mountain Reflex is a marvel of engineering and definitely deserving of its Most Wanted: Runner-Up position. The Reflex has the smallest folded volume, and yet feels quite large and stable when unfolded. It is very easy to unfold and it is the most adjustable cart in the group as well.
You can adjust the console height, front wheel tracking, strap position, and push handle position. The bag fit of the Reflex is better than the other Sun Mountain carts mainly due to the addition of a strap at the base and undulations on the top bracket as opposed to smooth plastic. The Reflex’s folding and unfolding simplicity is only surpassed by the truly automatic folding of the EasyPal.
The Features You Want:
- Highly maneuverable
- Tiny folded volume
- Best of class adjustability
- Simple folding and unfolding
Yet again Clicgear’s 3.5+ earns a top position in our Most Wanted test. This cart hits most of the marks and slips only because it’s slightly larger and heavier than other carts.
Folding and unfolding the Clicgear 3.5+ can be initially confusing, but veteran users will tell you that it soon becomes intuitive. Year after year, model after model, the Clicgear remains a top performer in the category.
The Features You Want:
- Ample console
- Excellent maneuverability
- Excellent strap and bracket system fits a wide range of bags
- Solid construction promotes longevity
Most Innovative Push Cart
The EasyPal opens and closes at the push of a button. While one might dismiss this as an unnecessary extravagance, a cart with a complicated folding/unfolding mechanism is likely a cart that doesn’t get purchased.
The EasyPal folds and unfolds automatically via a motor and a rechargeable battery. It also happens to be an excellent push cart. The battery and motor do add to its weight a bit, but it is still lighter than some other carts. Once unfolded, it performs as well as or even better than its non-automatic competitors. Also, should the battery die when the cart is unfolded, it can be folded manually.
The Features You Want:
- Automatic folding and unfolding
- Ample console
- Excellent maneuverability
- Small folded volume
Your Other Choices
Bag Boy C3
The Feature You Want:
- The lightest cart tested also offers a huge covered console, under console gear bag, and BagBoy’s excellent Velcro strap system. [BUY NOW]
BigMax Blade +
The Feature You Want:
- Extremely low profile when folded and now features additional gear storage in mesh bag below console.
[BUY NOW]
Bag Boy Quad Plus
The Feature You Want:
- Lightweight, simple folding, with a huge covered console and under console gear bag. [BUY NOW]
Clicgear ROVIC RV1C
The Feature You Want:
- Large, well-designed console paired with easy rolling and maneuverability.
[BUY NOW]
BigMax Z360
The Feature You Want:
- Tight-turning maneuverability and the strap system easily accommodates both cart and carry bags. [BUY NOW]
Clicgear Model 8
The Feature You Want:
- Solid construction with best of class stability and brake strength.
[BUY NOW]
Sun Mountain V1 Speed Cart
The Feature You Want:
- Easy to maneuver with a simple folding process and bag clamping system. [BUY NOW]
Sun Mountain Micro-Cart Sport
The Feature You Want:
- Excellent maneuverability with a low profile folded design.
[BUY NOW]
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Bert Pit
3 years agoI bought the bag boy tri swivel july 2017. Just after a few weeks the front wheel fell off. It was difficult to put the wheel on again, because a button had to be pushed and the button would not pop back again.
Then the break handle malfunctioned. I had to drill a little hole in the system and put an extra screw in the handle to make it functional again.
Today the break cable broke and I saw that the brake on one side was broken as well. All in all poor quality, Monday I will call them and find out how good the guarantee is.
David W
4 years agoI don’t really understand paying for a swivel front wheel. I have a clicgear and I just lean it back an inch or two (gets the front wheel off the ground) and swivel. The balance of the weighting is done so well that it isn’t heavy or cumbersome to do it.
luis Arturo
5 years agoWhat about AxGlo Flip N’ Go
4 whell
Brian Sparks
5 years agowhat would suggest as the best option for the 6’6″ golfer? I have one of the early clicgear models and have always felt it too short. BTW – those fasteners on it have never broken….and this is going on 6 years or so.
Golfwhiler
5 years agoAll I can say is that your have to go to a store and check out carts yourself. I ended up with a Bag Boy Quad XL. Once I put a stand bag on it, opened and closed it, and rolled it, I was sold. The Sun Mountain carts felt shaky, and I did not like the long term prospects for the bungee fasteners on the Clicgear. To each, his own.
gunmetal
6 years agoI agree with the need for sine tour of measurement for filling resistance. Like a stimp meter or something. Some roll much easier than others and that’s a huge deal for me.
Bob
6 years agoI’ve been using a 3 wheel cart since Sun Mountain first introduced the Speed Cart. I find weight can be a major factor is pushing. You say you did weigh each cart using a digital scale as part of portability but I see neither portability nor weight on your chart. Are you presenting mass as weight?
Matt Holm Pga
6 years agoBig Max Blade Trolley! (Only because I did not see 1974 Honda CB125S as an option!)
Steven
6 years agoI bought the Bagboy Tri-Swivel 2 earlier this year. It has been great and I don’t miss carrying my clubs at all.
Jon Silverberg
6 years agoI’ve been using a Sun Mountain 4 wheeler for three years or so…it’s OK, especially the folding mechanism, but I’m not crazy about the top of bag bracket, because stand bags tend to slide around the smooth plastic…I had to cut a notch in the plastic so that the top of one leg of the bag would stay put, but that has weakened the cart’s bracket, and I can see it breaking off one day…
What I’d like to see in a push cart review is rolling resistance on level fairway-height grass with a standard bag-with-clubs weight on board…the determination of physical effort to move the combo would be a major decision-maker for me…
Bag Boy
6 years agoWe are honored, thanks for the Most Wanted Push Cart award 2 years in a row!
john
6 years agoI am a scattershot, so my golf cart goes into rough terrain. My cart needs to be durable, and I have a record of busting up cheap carts. My Clicgear 2.0 has been more durable than the rest. I’ve managed to break some stuff (most annoying was the main hinge lever) and other stuff is wearing out (brake cables). However, the cart has stood up to 3 years of abuse so far.
Jason Duyette
6 years agoIf they want to donate some to a high school golf program I’d say it was the best.
andrew
6 years agoi would like to see a section of the review for carts that fold up with the bag attached.
Michael Burke
6 years agoJust got my ClicGear 3.5+. Excellent build quality!
Michael Eleftheriou
6 years agoLeo Steinberg
Chris Loberg
6 years agoI carry my Jones bag in the summer and a Callaway stand bag in the winter. Simple
Scott Dreyfus
6 years agoI don’t know by from a guy who carries bags, The sun mountain 3.5 deluxe is the best hands down. The swift is nice but a pain in the ass with 1 divider
Undershooter30
6 years agoI agree with Dava and Chris. Caddytek is a great option. I got my shipped to my door for $136 and its extremely nice, durable and easy to fold. 2 other golf buddies got them too and none of us have a bad thing to say about them.
Curtis Dellapenta
6 years agovery nice! i wish, get my birthday with push cart! 🙂 LOL! oh man1 🙂
Mark Falteisek
6 years agoWhy isn’t there any Tour Trek from Golfsmith?
P.J.
6 years agoI know there are endless carts – but you missed a big one (albeit a small company).
CleverCaddie (formerly Upright Caddy) has a wonderful cart, you can use a standard cart bag, the clubs sit straight up and down – just as if it were in the back of a golf cart. Easy access to the pockets. Sorry boys – you missed out on one of the best, if not THE best, carts available.
No – I don’t work for them, just been a loyal user for around 10 years now.
Check it out for yourselves: http://www.clevercaddie.com/
Brian Jay Murra
6 years agoPaul Michael Grillo
Herb W
6 years agoNice review, would love to see this taken one step further. Please evaluate the power/remote carts especially the two that claim to follow behind you. My push cart tends to make me hunch over and tighten up in the shoulders and neck. A power cart would eliminate this and let me get the benefit of walking as well.
Steve Paine
6 years agoGreat review! I was going to try and come up with some kind of a ranking by myself…but you did the work for us as usual!! THANKS!!
Do you think that it would be ever worth it to rate/rank electric/remote operated carts? I for one would be very interested in an article about these carts.
Steve Paine
6 years agoThe “walk behind / in front of type” of course…
Mario Silva
6 years agoI personally like Bag Boy
Hank
6 years agoA battery-operated folding mechanism in a cart? That thing looks like a transformer. Never heard of Golfepral but definitely up for giving it a try since I hate how it takes forever for me to set up the one I have now.
Chris
6 years agowould be really cool to see you add in caddytek, and see how they compare, given the massive difference in price
Dave S
6 years agoYou took the words right out of my mouth! I purchased a CaddyTek Explorer 4-wheel cart three years ago on sale at Costco for $99 and it’s the best bang for the buck golf purchase I’ve ever made. Even now you can get them for a little over $130 off Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/CaddyTek-Superlite-Explorer-Dark-Grey/dp/B00OAXZVHA
It has the simplest, one-button folding mechanism, is made well (has withstood three seasons w/o any issues) and has all the bells and whistles: umbrella holder, cupholder, tees holder, pencil and scorecard holder, storage space and detachable under-cart bag. Just because they can’t get into big golf retailers like Dick’s or GolfSmith doesn’t mean they are not quality.
Dave S
6 years agoSorry, the one I have is this: http://www.amazon.com/CaddyTek-One-Click-Folding-Wheel-Version/dp/B00LA2SOIW/ref=pd_sim_sbs_200_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=07DKV8B159BPTJGZMTEX
$150, but still a killer deal for a high-quality pushcart.
Benjamin Lee
6 years agoThere is a lot more issues than I anticipated that can affect what is best cart for you. You height, the bag you use, features, etc.
Jim
6 years agoNice review, but really if you want a cart stop reviewing and go buy the Clicgear. Bulletproof design, ease of use on the course, and a simple folding style (as you said once you get used to it). Plus it has lots of accessories too. I’ve had mine for 3+ years and it still looks as good as new while others have fallen apart.
Josh Gold
6 years agoBrent Palen
Brent Palen
6 years agoMeh….golferpal easypal??
Joe Gendron
6 years agoI have no doubt the tri-swivel is a great cart. But my Clicgear 3.5 is awesome.
David Bell
6 years agoHappy to see this. They were my first pull cart way back in the day…before push carts were invented. (I often pushed it anyway).