It's an age-old question for golfers looking to invest in one of the best golf trolleys on the market: do you go for the best push cart or the best electric trolley? Well, for the indecisive amongst you, MGI may have just come up with the perfect solution.
The new E-Boost push cart, a first-of-its-kind design, offers the well-loved, easy-to-use experience of a push cart with the boost of an electric motor, as and when you need it. On paper, it sounds great, but I was excited to see how it functioned in practice out on the golf course.
Before I got it moving, it's worth noting this push cart isn't aimed at the person who wants something that folds down small and is lightweight. It's heavier than pretty much every push cart I've tested and doesn't fold very compactly either.
That's fine, though, this isn't the unique selling point of the E-Boost. If you're after compact and lightweight, the Big Max Blade IP 2 or the Bag Boy Slimfold are better bets for you.
It's easy to unfold the main chassis with just one click, but unfolding the front wheel is a separate function that highlights one of the main issues I have with the E-Boost.
Indeed, it is incredibly stiff to unlock from its folded-away position, nearly removing my index finger on more than one occasion, such is the speed it flings itself around when you unlock it. I tried some WD40 to loosen up the switch that unlocks it, but to no avail. Perhaps my sample was just particularly stiff, but I didn't enjoy having to wrestle with this part of the trolley very much.
Aside from this, it's a simple process, and once it's ready to go, you're presented with a smart-looking chassis and design with a nice amount of storage in the handle, which includes a large net underneath to hold any miscellaneous items, an in-built cup holder, scorecard holder and two golf ball holders.
The small lithium battery clips simply to the lower rear of the chassis, and a simple green light blinks on the handle to let you know you're ready to go.
On course, I really enjoyed using the E-Boost. I wasn't sure how much I'd use the push function, knowing that I had electric power ready to go at the click of a button, but I was surprised by how evenly I used both the push and electric functions.
The trolley free wheels as any normal push cart does, but the button located on the handle gives you access to a little boost of energy with a handful of speed settings to help tackle slopes or to just allow you to let it motor forward without pushing.
One of my biggest bug bears with even the best electric trolleys is the ever-so-slight delay you get when trying to get on with walking. As traditional electric trolleys don't freewheel, you can't push them to get going while waiting for the motor to catch up. With the E-Boost, however, you can get going immediately with a push off the line, and then press the button to have the extra boost of speed and assistance.
It's a really clever system that I think avid push cart users who are looking to move into anything more electrified will particularly enjoy. As great as push carts are, you can still feel pretty tired having to push them and a full bag of clubs, especially on hilly courses. The extra power provided by the E-Boost does a great job at removing that push cart fatigue without having to go all the way to a full electric model.
Word of warning: the battery will only do around 14-holes if you use electric power solely for all 18 holes. This is a little frustrating, and an extended battery life is one of the refinements I'd love to see on any future models.
Having used this for two full rounds now, I haven't run into any problems with losing power, and I must have be using my own push power more than I thought.
Of course, if the battery runs out, it's not a problem at all. Unlike if this were a standard electric model, you've got a perfectly normal push cart at your fingertips if the battery conks out. I just think a little more range would be nice to have. There's also no battery indicator on the handle, leaving you with a frustrating lack of knowledge about how much battery power you have left.
Price-wise, at $899AUD (around £450 or $599 USD), it's pretty perfectly positioned. Cheaper than even the best entry-level electric model - the Motocaddy SE at £499 - while not astronomically outdoing the RRP of the highest-end push carts like the Big Max Blade IP 2 at $400.
I was wondering before I set out onto the golf course: who is this trolley for? Why wouldn't you just make a decision one way or the other between push and electric? The E-Boost is an option that means you don't have to make a decision either way. To my eye, you've really got the best of both worlds here.
Barring a couple of refinements to the folding mechanism and perhaps a few tech additions to the handle, like a speed gauge or battery level indicator, I think this is a really well-priced, well-designed, and fun to use trolley.
