OVERALL RATING: 93. GRADE: A. Clicgear has updated the design of their cart with the release of the Clicgear 3.0. The 3.0 retains the rugged good looks, solid build and rock-steady performance of the prior version. What’s new is an upgraded brake mechanism and significantly better storage space.
Our only reservations are the complexities of unfolding the Clicgear, which isn’t the most intuitive of processes, and the fact that when it’s folded up, it becomes an awkward-shaped cube.
All in all, the Clicgear 3.0 is a nice improvement to an already excellent product, and definitely one of the top golf push carts on the market.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the wide range of accessories that are available for Clicgear carts. Our favorite was the shoe brush (perfect for scraping off grass and other gunk that clumps on your spikes), but there’s a whole host of nifty add-ons, including a seat, cooler bag, and upgraded umbrella holder with adjustable angle.
Retail price: $229
Availability: Discontinued. Replaced by Clicgear 3.5+
Pros:
- Sleek aggressive styling
- Sturdy and stable on the course
- Improved brake system
Cons:
- Complex unfolding process
- A little heavier than most and bulky when it’s folded up
SIZE/WEIGHT
At 19 lbs. (as tested), the weight of the Clicgear 3.0 is a hair more than that of the prior version, and it is at the heavier end of the spectrum among the push carts we tested (compare this to the lightest cart, the Tour Trek Tahoe, at 10.5 lbs.). And it still folds into a bit of an unwieldy block. It’s an improvement on behemoths like the Sun Mountain Speed Cart V1 and V2, but we still found ourselves throwing it into the back seat, rather than spending time rearranging all of the junk that tends to accumulate in the trunk of the car in order to fit both a set of clubs and the Clicgear. Two sets of clubs and two Clicgears is beyond our feeble packing capabilities.
EASE OF SET-UP
Unfolding the Clicgear 3.0 is not the most intuitive process (interestingly, they no longer include an instructional DVD). Clicgear tries to make the 5-step process easier by making the critical knobs and levers bright red, but unless you have a Ph.D in origami, you may do a little bit of head-scratching each time you have to fold or unfold it.
ON COURSE IMPRESSIONS
- We liked tooling around with the Clicgear 3.0 on the course – it felt sturdy and stable, and the tires seemed like they could handle any kind of terrain.
- The Clicgear 3.0 includes a great new brake lever that is positioned for easy access directly under the push handle. It’s as simple as rolling to wherever you want to stop and pulling the lever in one easy motion as you naturally move your hand back off of the push handle.
- Instead of a friction-based bicycle brake, the Cligear 3.0 has six gear notches around the front wheel and the brake is a block that inserts into the nearest notch to stop the wheel from rolling. The brake on the prior Clicgear 2.0 was a bit fussy, requiring you to sometimes have to roll the cart a few inches forward or backward so that the block would slip into the appropriate notch and engage the brake, exacerbated further by the fact that at the same time, you had to pull and twist the brake handle. Not so with the nifty new Clicgear 3.0 brake lever – since the lever is directly under the push handle, it’s easy to just feel whether the brake is ready to click into place – if not, you just keep nudging the cart forward, since your hand is already on the handle.
- The tires are made of solid foam, so there is no danger of winding up with a flat.
- The handle can be adjusted within about a 45 degree range, providing flexibility for users of different heights.
STORAGE/ACCESSORIES
The storage and accessories available on the Clicgear 3.0 include:
- a valuables tray with a magnetic lid, which is nice and roomy (much improved over the Clicgear 2.0). The tray easily handled our traditional “stuff capacity test” of 2 golf balls, a GPS device, an iPhone, a set of keys, and a wallet. Note that the storage box has a bracket that is designed to hold 3 golf balls (there are no other doohickeys on the Clicgear 3.0 to hold golf balls)
- a fantastic storage net that is great for holding head covers in between shots, providing easy access to snacks, or generally stowing miscellaneous junk that you bring on the course
- an elastic band attached to the lid of the valuables tray that is designed to hold down a scorecard – we actually found this to be quite handy for securing an iPhone that was running a golf GPS application
- another elastic band attached to the lid of the valuables tray that is designed to hold a pencil – which we found to be a bit clunky because the elastic was too tight for easy access to or stowing of the pencil
- 3 holes for storing tees
- hooks for hanging a towel
- an umbrella mount that holds an umbrella upright to provide you with shelter when it’s raining
- 2 straps to hold a folded umbrella when it’s not in use (similar to those found on most golf carry bags today)
- a cup/bottle holder that can be clipped on to any one of three different pegs (1 on the left side of the cart and 2 on the right). We liked the flexibility of where to position the cup/bottle holder, but note that it would occasionally pop off as we were folding up the cart.
We also like the optional shoe brush that clips on to the frame of the cart (available for an additional $9.99). It can occasionally come unclipped if you’re too aggressive in your scrubbing, but is generally extremely useful for getting mud and dirt off of your spikes during a round.
STYLE
The Clicgear 3.0 is still the coolest looking push cart on the market. Moving the front wheel lever away from the side of the wheel (as it was on the 2.0) and making it a button on the front takes away the image of a brightly colored brake caliper showing through the wheels of an exotic supercar, but it’s a minor quibble. The Clicgear 3.0 is available in kiwi (light green) black, blue, silver, red, orange, white and yellow. No matter which color you select, the trim color for the wheels, knobs and handles is always red.
VALUE
With a retail price of $229.00, the Clicgear 3.0 is the second most expensive golf push cart among the units we tested. But with a nice feature set, solid fit and finish, and dependable performance on the course, the Clicgear 3.0 provides first-rate value.
First off I would recommend this cart. It’s great but I have had two problems. The new bottle holder is a disaster. It comes off the peg when you try to take the bottle out. I have broken one while folding the cart and lost when taking it off before folding the cart and then talking or doing other post round things and driving off with it left in the parking lot. The old bottle holder was fixed and worked just fine. The other problem is with the new GPS holder thaqt I just bought. On first use the cap that screws it down stripped, (the threads inside are plastic), very poor design. I am returning it to TGW for a refund and going back to the generic holder that I altered to fit. These two problems surprized me because otherwise the cart is perfect.
Yawn…Want some cheese with that whine?
Will fold to fit in a Miata trunk.
Yes i have a clicgear pull cart & after 1 year i can not use it ,i play golf aprox 20 rounds . T he problum i have is where the handle snaps into the body of the cart is broken which i can not use it Please ,,Please help me out..Has any one have this suituation..i may have buy a differend brand,,
call the manufacturer
Just bought this a few weeks back and noticed that the handle is not aligned to the front wheel. Returned it back to base and said that it is designed that way. I find it a bit odd. Is this the same setup as everybody else? Or is it a manufacturing fault?
I have had a Clicgear 3.0 for just over 2 years. In terms of looks, style, functionality, it is great. After one year the aluminium tubing snapped on a bend on the push handle. When dismantled, there is a drill hole going through this point making it a weak spot. I got it welded and have used it all year with no problem until last week. The other side snapped at the same time as the plastic support where it folds on the top section. Result was half a trolley a mile from the clubhouse. I contacted the company I bought it off, “out of warranty”. I can buy replacement parts for £50. Contacted Clicgear Hong Kong, no reply. Contacted Clicgear USA, they said they would forward on my picture to head office. Its a great trolley but…. there is a major design issue drilling holes on bends, just beware, it should last more than 2 years for £179 shouldn’t it?