A few things jumped out at us in our evaluation of the Caddytek CaddyLite ONE. First, the folks at Caddytek have some interesting ideas on the use of capital letters. Secondly, a cart that is remarkably easy to unfold and also quickly folds back down into a compact shape becomes pretty popular for use by our review team.

It doesn’t perform at the level of a high-end cart – there is limited storage space, the tires create a bit more resistance, the foot brake is an acquired taste, and our test cart was a little creaky.

But there are a lot of things that we liked about the Caddytek CaddyLite ONE, including its good looks and its reasonable price. If you want to try out an entry level push cart without making too much of a financial commitment, the ONE is an excellent option.

SCORE
90
GRADE
A-
Size/Weight
91
Ease of Set-Up
96
On Course Impressions
85
Storage/Accessories
83
Style
90
Value
91

Retail price: $169.00
Availability: Discontinued. Replaced by the Caddytek CaddyLite EZ

Pros:

Cons:


91 / A-

SIZE/WEIGHT

At 16.5 pounds (as tested), the CaddyTek ONE is about average among the push carts we’ve tested (compare this to the lightest cart, the Tour Trek Tahoe, at 10.5 lbs., and the heaviest cart, the Sun Mountain Speed Cart V2, at 20 lbs.). When it’s folded, the CaddyTek ONE is nice and compact at only 15.5 inches tall. It’s not quite to the level of the Sun Mountain Micro Cart, which is 12.5 inches tall when folded, but it’s still easy to stow away in the trunk of most cars, including compacts.


96 / A

EASE OF SET-UP

As with most golf push carts, the Caddytek CaddyLite ONE requires some assembly. The instructions are reasonably detailed, and the entire process only took two minutes. Note that as with the Bag Boy TriSwivel, the manual fails to tell you that when shipped, the axle of each rear wheel has a little rubber cover on it that needs to be removed before you pop it into the hole. In the case of the ONE, the rubber covers are much looser, so it was pretty obvious that they needed to be removed. Still, would it be too much to ask for a simple line in the manual about this?

The unfolding process for the CaddyLite ONE is where it really excels. Step one is to pull the front wheel out and pivot it 90 degrees until it clicks into position. Step two is to pull on the cart and extend it until it clicks into place. And you’re done! Of course, this is TWO steps, and not ONE…but before you clamor for Caddytek to rename the cart, note that the first step of rotating the front wheel is actually optional (it just makes the folded cart a little flatter).

A complaint we have with the ONE is that although it is supposed to “click” into place when it’s folded, the retaining bracket is extremely loose, and thus when it is picked up with one hand, the cart has a tendency to droop and begin to unfold.


85 / B

ON COURSE IMPRESSIONS

The Caddytek CaddyLite ONE will get you and your clubs around the course, but it requires a little more work. The EVA plastic wheels don’t cut through the rough very easily, so you have to expend some extra effort. One thing we did appreciate was that the cart’s low center of gravity and wide profile kept it stable across a broad range of terrain.


83 / B-

STORAGE/ACCESSORIES

The storage and accessories available on the Caddytek CaddyLite ONE include:


90 / A-

STYLE

The Caddytek CaddyLite ONE actually took us by surprise with its looks. The lower center of gravity and the acute angle at which the bag rests give it an aggressive stance. The red trim on the wheels and handle matched well with the silver model we tested.

The ONE is available in three colors – black, silver and neon green. The wheels are silver with red trim for the black and silver models, while they are black with red trim for the neon green version.


91 / A-

VALUE

The Caddytek CaddyLite ONE retails for $160, placing it as the second least expensive golf push cart we tested, and it seems to be available for significantly less at online retailers. The construction of the aluminum body seems sturdy enough, but it made enough creaks as we pushed it around the course to give us some pause about the overall fit and finish of the cart.

In summary, the ONE doesn’t quite have the polish of some of the more sophisticated entrants in the market, but if you’re looking for an entry-level product, it provides reasonable performance at a reasonable price.


One Response

  1. I found the extra pushing effort was due to slight misalignment of the rear tires. A small engineering geometry glitch. Otherwise very good value.

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