ClicGear, Sun Mountain, CaddyTek???

[Slowcelica]

I have the caddytek 4 wheel cart. I've had it for probably 4 years, it's IHMO every bit as good as the clickgear and quite a bit cheaper. It's well made comes with a bunch of accessories already, cup holder, cooler, etc... I went for the 4 wheel over the 3 wheel for stability, it folds up easily 1 button press, the durability has been great no problems whatsoever.

[ChetlovesMer]

17 minutes ago, Slowcelica said:

I have the caddytek 4 wheel cart. I've had it for probably 4 years, it's IHMO every bit as good as the clickgear and quite a bit cheaper. It's well made comes with a bunch of accessories already, cup holder, cooler, etc... I went for the 4 wheel over the 3 wheel for stability, it folds up easily 1 button press, the durability has been great no problems whatsoever.

Can I ask you how you like the location of the brake on/off button? 

If I'm not mistaken you tap it with your toe. 

[iacas]

12 minutes ago, Slowcelica said:

I have the caddytek 4 wheel cart. I've had it for probably 4 years, it's IHMO every bit as good as the clickgear and quite a bit cheaper. It's well made comes with a bunch of accessories already, cup holder, cooler, etc... I went for the 4 wheel over the 3 wheel for stability, it folds up easily 1 button press, the durability has been great no problems whatsoever.

I'm glad you've had a great experience, but that opinion isn't backed up by what I have seen at junior events. The CaddyTek caddies break more often, despite having lower counts than the ClicGear.

I don't advise anyone skimp on this purchase - odds are the cart may last 10, 20, even more years. My advice is to get the best thing you can get now: an extra $50 or whatever over those 10-20 years will more than pay off.

FWIW, Amazon Ratings:

• ClicGear: 4.7/5 stars, 82% 5-star rating, 563 reviews
• CaddyTek: 4.2/5 stars, 68% 5-star rating, 721 reviews

And yeah, those are the three-wheeled carts. I am still of the opinion that's what he should get.

P.S. No, I'm not placing too much weight on my own "anecdata" there, just sharing it for the OP to give as much weight (or as little) as he wishes.

2 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

If I'm not mistaken you tap it with your toe. 

Ugh. I don't like those - the handle mounted brake on the ClicGear or the Sun Mountain carts I've used are my preference. Little things like that shouldn't matter, but when you turn the brake on and off 30-50 times per round, it gets old fast.

[ChetlovesMer]

4 minutes ago, iacas said:

Ugh. I don't like those - the handle mounted brake on the ClicGear or the Sun Mountain carts I've used are my preference. Little things like that shouldn't matter, but when you turn the brake on and off 30-50 times per round, it gets old fast.

I have to say that is my biggest concern. Agreed it may sound like a tiny matter, but when I was tinkering with them at the golf show (indoors, dead flat surface) I really didn't like that toe-tap brake system. I much preferred the on the handle brake on the ClicGear 3.5. 

One question: Does that ClicGear model 8 brake handle seem clunkier and not as smooth (that may be redundant.)? The 3.5 brake was what I would call perfect. The model 8 brake was not. Just curious if that was unique to the one I tinkered with or if anyone else has seen that. 

[iacas]

I don't remember having used a Model 8 for a few years, so I can't say.

[Slowcelica]

49 minutes ago, iacas said:

I'm glad you've had a great experience, but that opinion isn't backed up by what I have seen at junior events. The CaddyTek caddies break more often, despite having lower counts than the ClicGear.

I don't advise anyone skimp on this purchase - odds are the cart may last 10, 20, even more years. My advice is to get the best thing you can get now: an extra $50 or whatever over those 10-20 years will more than pay off.

FWIW, Amazon Ratings:

• ClicGear: 4.7/5 stars, 82% 5-star rating, 563 reviews
• CaddyTek: 4.2/5 stars, 68% 5-star rating, 721 reviews

And yeah, those are the three-wheeled carts. I am still of the opinion that's what he should get.

Right those are the 3 wheeled carts, the 4 wheel has a little higher ratings, 4.4 out of 5. Also as I said mine is 4 or 5 years old the quality of manufacturing could have changed in that time. The brakes being on the wheel don't bother me at all, I only have to set the brake a few times around, and it depends on the course you're on and how hilly it is.

Why do you prefer the 3 wheel over the 4 wheel?

 

[iacas]

9 minutes ago, Slowcelica said:

Right those are the 3 wheeled carts, the 4 wheel has a little higher ratings, 4.4 out of 5.

The one ClicGear 4-wheel cart I saw also only had like three reviews, too.

9 minutes ago, Slowcelica said:

Why do you prefer the 3 wheel over the 4 wheel?

Less effort to push, particularly through taller grass, easier to turn, and a cooler look.

Stability too is sometimes said to be greater on the 4-wheel version, but those are generally shorter and the bag stands more upright, which raises the CG of the whole thing, so I often find the three-wheel carts to be more stable as the bag is lower and more angled.

[NM Golf]

1 hour ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Can I ask you how you like the location of the brake on/off button? 

If I'm not mistaken you tap it with your toe. 

I am with @iacas on this one, the toe brakes are a pain in the ass. My first cart I ever owned had one and it's just annoying after a while. Much easier to have it on the handle and out of the way like on the ClicGear.

6 minutes ago, Slowcelica said:

Why do you prefer the 3 wheel over the 4 wheel?

I cannot answer for him, but I don't see a need for the fourth wheel. My 3-wheeled ClicGear is plenty sturdy, I have let it go down hills by itself and parked it on pretty good side hills and never had it tip over.  The fourth wheel just adds extra weight. 

[Slowcelica]

4 minutes ago, iacas said:

The one ClicGear 4-wheel cart I saw also only had like three reviews, too.

I meant the caddytek, this is the one I have:
https://www.amazon.com/CaddyTek-One-Click-Folding-Wheel-Version/dp/B00LA2SOIW

3 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

I cannot answer for him, but I don't see a need for the fourth wheel. My 3-wheeled ClicGear is plenty sturdy, I have let it go down hills by itself and parked it on pretty good side hills and never had it tip over.  The fourth wheel just adds extra weight. 

Ya when I got mine, I felt like the 4 wheel would be more stable, I still feel that it is a little more stable. I have a friend who has a 3 wheel cart and he's had his tip over but I'm not sure what brand it is. The 3 wheel are for sure easier to maneuver though.

[ChetlovesMer]

17 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

I cannot answer for him, but I don't see a need for the fourth wheel. My 3-wheeled ClicGear is plenty sturdy, I have let it go down hills by itself and parked it on pretty good side hills and never had it tip over.  The fourth wheel just adds extra weight. 

Again, I've never owned one. But the biggest advantage I see to the 4 wheeler models, at least from tinkering with them indoors is that they all seem to fold up more easily and smaller. 

[iacas]

33 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

But the biggest advantage I see to the 4 wheeler models, at least from tinkering with them indoors is that they all seem to fold up more easily and smaller. 

4-Wheel - ClicGear Model 8.0: 27 x 17 x 15

3-Wheel - ClicGear Model 3.5+: 24 x 15 x 13

For most that's probably true, but it's not for the ClicGear models.

The CaddyTek 4-wheel cart: 26 x 17 x 14

[NM Golf]

46 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Again, I've never owned one. But the biggest advantage I see to the 4 wheeler models, at least from tinkering with them indoors is that they all seem to fold up more easily and smaller. 

The ClicGear 3.5 takes a bit to get used to, but once you get the hang of it after a couple times it is quite easy to fold and unfold. I always give customers a quick tutorial when I sell them one, they are experts by the time they walk out the door.

I cannot speak to the 4-wheeled versions of any of these carts as I have never used one. I can however tell you I have had a few people with 4-wheeled carts wish they would have bought the 3-wheeled. The complaints are they are harder to push in the long rough and harder to maneuver. 

My shop sells a ton of the ClicGears, I sold around 10-15 of them last summer by myself. it doesn't hurt that we have them cheaper than Amazon.

Edited January 29, 2019 by NM Golf

[ChetlovesMer]

I've pretty much decided on going 3 wheels. One of the courses I like to walk is pretty hilly. The 3 wheel models all appear to be more stable when I do my very scientific testing on them. (Basically, I try to push it over.)

[iacas]

17 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

I've pretty much decided on going 3 wheels. One of the courses I like to walk is pretty hilly. The 3 wheel models all appear to be more stable when I do my very scientific testing on them. (Basically, I try to push it over.)

The rear wheel base is often a little wider. They can fall forward at an angle a bit more easily, sometimes. And… what I said before about the distance between the front and rear wheel(s).

[RemyM]

I have a three wheel Sun Mountain speed cart and my buddy has a Click Gear.  He has pushed my cart when caddying for me and I have used a Click Gear when playing at another friends club.  We both have come to the same conclusion.  The Sun Mountain is lighter and easier to maneuver then the Click Gear but the click gear does fold up smaller.  The bracket that holds my divot mix bottle on the Sun Mountain has fallen off many times even with a bigger screw and at this point I just store it in the basket.  Other parts of the Sun Mountain have also broke including the front wheel pivot lock, the bottom bracket and couple of brake cables.  Getting replacement parts for the Sun Mountain has been easy in the seven or so years I've had it.  My buddy has only had to replace the brake cable once on his Click Gear in six years. 

[JEd_i]

I've had the ClicGear 3.0 since about 2009 or '10.  It's been through several hundred all-season rounds in the Pacific Northwest and is still in excellent shape.  I've had to replace the brake cog and brake cable, but that was easy.  The cog was easily ordered from ClicGear and the cable was replaced with a generic bike brake cable from Dick's.

I tried the 8.0 for a few months, and it was more stable (not that the 3.0 isn't), but I couldn't modify it as easy as I did my 3.0 so I sold it.  I've modded the upper strap system to sit more around my bags collar so it doesn't squeeze just below it.  I did this a few years ago, but I think ClicGear now has a couple different OEM options to do this.

[ChetlovesMer]

Okay, so I realize that I'm putting way more thought into this purchase than probably necessary. But it's like -5 degrees outside, so what else do I have to do?

I dragged the family out last night to go look at push carts. Here's an interesting data point. They had a pair of refurbished CaddyTek carts for a really good price. (But not the style and color I wanted.) I asked the guy if they had any refurbished ClicGear carts. His quote "Oh we never get refurbished ClicGear carts. Once and a while a Sun Mountain, but never a ClicGear." Apparently they just don't fail, so there just aren't any to refurbish. 

So, my wife told me I should buy the ClicGear. Her philosophy if it's going to last forever, 50 extra bucks divided by forever is a really small number. 

Okay, so I made my purchase. I got (technically) ordered a ClicGear 3.5+. The current promotion included an upgraded cup holder, nice, and another accessory of my choice. I picked the GPS/Cell phone holder. I would have taken it home with me, but they didn't have blue and since I'm not playing golf anytime soon judging by this terrible weather, I thought why not order it and wait for the color I want? 

So, I'm childishly giddy about my new purchase. I have a ClicGear 3.5+ in blue with an XL cupholder and GPS/cell phone holder on the way. I hope to do a review on it when I get it. I'll at least chime back in on this thread and give an update. 

Thanks to everyone who responded to this thread with tips, advice, or comments. I appreciate all the input. In the end my wife actually told me I should get the more expensive one, so giddy up.

[iacas]

IMO you made a wise choice.

What accessories were included in the promotion?

P.S. It's almost criminal that they don't just ditch the regular cup holder and go with the XL. The regular is barely large enough to hold a can of pop/beer/whatever.