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Unofficial Review: Big Max iQ+ Pushcart


MaxEntropy

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I'll start by saying this is my first pushcart. About 20-some years ago I bought a pullcart, so that is all I really have to compare to.

For Christmas, my wife ordered me this pushcart. I had expressed interest in getting a decent cart that would allow me to walk more often - I was OK with using my crappy old pullcart for 9 holes, but there was no way I would attempt to pull that thing for 18. Although price was a consideration (my wife was looking at carts in the $200 range), my primary constraint was how small the cart folded. I have a 2016 Hyundai Genesis Coupe and trunk space is at a premium. As it is, I have to remove my D, 3W, and Orange Whip from my golf bag to get it in the trunk.

20200602_170055.jpg.48d8257e054d3720990f23ef2678d5dd.jpg

From a maneuverability perspective, the fixed front wheel has an obvious effect, requiring one to tilt back to turn, but it feels natural to me. I had concerns about the small front wheel and whether it would get stuck in any holes, ruts, or uneven terrain I might encounter, but so far there has been no issue. The base is also wide enough that the cart never feels like it is going to tip when I am on a side slope.

The construction seems sturdy - nothing feels "sloppy" or loose and the cart rolls smooth and straight. Compared to the Most Wanted list, this cart is near the lower end in weight at ~15 lbs., so not a lot of extra effort is needed to push.

The braking mechanism is a lever under the right side of the handle bar. Flip the lever and a pin is pushed out and catches one of the spokes of the right wheel.

The storage compartment has plenty of room for everything I would want to stash in there, including a separate pocket with a velcro tab which is the perfect size for my phone. There is a ball pouch that will hold 3-4 balls. There are also a couple nylon straps to secure optional accessories (GPS/phone holder, cup holder, umbrella holder). The umbrella holder was included with the cart. There are removable "blanks" in holes in the top of the storage compartment for these accessories. The compartment lid is held down by small magnets, so the lid doesn't flop on bumpy terrain.

20200602_170125.jpg.f632826832005d4ccb5bca8d61e336b5.jpg

And it does indeed fold up pretty small.

20200609_160547.jpg.509c244a512fc64c916792003a5bb159.jpg

Again, since I have no frame of reference, it is difficult to compare, but to me it seems like a smooth and easy move to unfold or fold the cart. It is not a one-handed operation, but certainly does not require much effort. To fold, just press a button near the intersection of all the bars and lift the handle and the cart collapses without much force required. The front wheel also has a release so it can fold back, but you don't have to fold it back as it still fits in my trunk with the front wheel extended. To unfold, set the cart on the ground and lift the handle. A second hand is usually required to push on the lower portion until it locks.

So far, it does not appear durability will be an issue, but only time will tell.

I do have a few minor issues (in no particular order):

  1. Both bags I have are stand bags - the legs interfere with the supports, making it a little tricky to strap in securely oriented the way I would like. With my Bridgestone bag, I have found that if I leave the velcro strap that secures the legs undone, pressing the bag into place gets the leg mounts below the cart's support pads. This causes the legs to pop out a little bit, then I can pull them in and secure them with the velcro. In my reading, it seems this is a somewhat common issue and may be more of a bag design issue than cart. Obviously a cart bag makes this a moot point and am strongly considering a new bag in the near future, but I am generally not a fan of the size of cart bags.
  2. Optional accessories - I have seen a few carts that have built-in phone/gps and cup holders. Considering I need to keep my phone in my left front pocket and my bag has a bottle pocket, I don't consider this a big issue. Perhaps these become optional because of the price point?
  3. The pencil holder does not secure a pencil well at all. I lost the pencil that came with the cart during my first round.
  4. Brake durability - with the way the pin mounts and with a 3-spoke wheel, there have been occasions that I engage the brake, let go, and the cart rolls a bit until a spoke hits the pin. Given that it can be up to almost a 120* rotation before a spoke hits the pin, the cart can generate some decent momentum depending on the slope of the ground. My fear is that if I am not careful and a spoke bashes the pin a few too many times, this may become a point of failure.

In summary, so far I am very pleased with this cart and it makes walking a lot more enjoyable than it has been in the past.

If anything else pops up, I will add to this thread.

Thanks for reading.

 

Driver:  :callaway-small:Epic Speed 9* (set -1) MMT 70X
3W:bridgestone-small: Tour B JGR Recoil 760ES
3H, 4H: :bridgestone-small: Tour B JGR 19*, 23* Recoil 780ES
4-AW:bridgestone-small: Tour B JGR HF2 Modus3 Tour 105
SW: :cleveland-small: RTX Zipcore Black Satin 54*
LW:Sub70: TAIII Black 58*
Putter:ping-small: Scottsdale TR Senita
Bag: BigMax Dri Active Lite
Ball:taylormade-small: TP5x or :titleist-small: AVX (yellow)
Pushcart: BigMax iQ+

Testing Complete, Final Review PostedSub70 TAIII Forged Wedges

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  • 2 weeks later...

Welcome to the "push cart amateurs" 😉 ha ha .. that's a nice looking one, and yeah does it fold up compactly!

Good point about the weight - lighter (without sacrificing durability, of course) is much better, imho. Had a ClicGear 8.0 one season, the so-called "Cadillac of pushcarts" and while it would probably never ever break ever you could definitely feel you were getting a little extra workout on a hilly course.

Hard to tell from the pic, but maybe it's possible to set the bag slightly higher or lower vs the bottom bracket to try to get the stand mechanism to fit in better..?

WITB of an "aspiring"  😉 play-ah ...
Driver...Callaway Paradym (Aldila Ascent PL Blue 40/A)
5W...Callaway Great Big Bertha (MCA Kai'Li Red 50/R)
7W...Tour Edge Exotics EXS (Tensei CK Blue 50/R)

4H...Callaway Epic Super Hybrid (Recoil ZT9 F3)
5H...Callaway Big Bertha ('19) (Recoil 460 ESX F3)
6i-GW...Sub 70 699 V2 (Recoil 660 F3) 
54°, 60°...Cleveland CBX2, CBX 60 (Rotex graphite)
Putter...Ev
nRoll ER5 or MLA Tour XDream (P2 Reflex grip on both)
...all in a Datrek bag on an MGI Zip Navigator electric cart. Ball often, not always, MaxFli Tour.

Forum Member tester for the Paradym X driver (2023)
Forum Member tester for the ExPutt Putting Simulator (2020)

followthrough.jpg

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3 hours ago, cksurfdude said:

Hard to tell from the pic, but maybe it's possible to set the bag slightly higher or lower vs the bottom bracket to try to get the stand mechanism to fit in better..?

The only way to really fit without the legs interfering is to rotate it so the legs are either of to one side or facing up. Facing up might not be bad from the standpoint of club access, but then all the pockets face the ground.

I've thought about grinding the plastic on the left mounts with a Dremel since I don't need a ton of clearance - about 1/8" - 1/4" should do it.

Driver:  :callaway-small:Epic Speed 9* (set -1) MMT 70X
3W:bridgestone-small: Tour B JGR Recoil 760ES
3H, 4H: :bridgestone-small: Tour B JGR 19*, 23* Recoil 780ES
4-AW:bridgestone-small: Tour B JGR HF2 Modus3 Tour 105
SW: :cleveland-small: RTX Zipcore Black Satin 54*
LW:Sub70: TAIII Black 58*
Putter:ping-small: Scottsdale TR Senita
Bag: BigMax Dri Active Lite
Ball:taylormade-small: TP5x or :titleist-small: AVX (yellow)
Pushcart: BigMax iQ+

Testing Complete, Final Review PostedSub70 TAIII Forged Wedges

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  • 3 months later...
  • 6 months later...

I have now been using this cart for over a year, so I thought I'd give an update.

By my count, I've played around 400 holes of golf with this cart. I still like it - it is still easy to push and maneuver and I have had zero issues that lead me to believe there are any durability concerns. I try to be fairly careful with the brake mechanism and not let a spoke bash into it, so it is still a long-term concern, but maybe unfounded?

Any questions?

Driver:  :callaway-small:Epic Speed 9* (set -1) MMT 70X
3W:bridgestone-small: Tour B JGR Recoil 760ES
3H, 4H: :bridgestone-small: Tour B JGR 19*, 23* Recoil 780ES
4-AW:bridgestone-small: Tour B JGR HF2 Modus3 Tour 105
SW: :cleveland-small: RTX Zipcore Black Satin 54*
LW:Sub70: TAIII Black 58*
Putter:ping-small: Scottsdale TR Senita
Bag: BigMax Dri Active Lite
Ball:taylormade-small: TP5x or :titleist-small: AVX (yellow)
Pushcart: BigMax iQ+

Testing Complete, Final Review PostedSub70 TAIII Forged Wedges

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  • 1 month later...

Also purchased the IQ+ 2 weeks ago . 2nd downhill I parked on, brake didn't engage.  Luckily no runaway cart or ending up in the dam.  Will need to see if anything can be done about it.  For now I just make sure to park level 🙂 

/update : Went to have a look to see if the holding pin can be pulled out a bit as it protruded only about 0.5 cm when locked.  Did so and it extends now almost a full cm when locked. Perfect, no runaway cart any more 🙂 

 

Edited by Luke7777
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