Ogio Lightweight Bags – Assassin and Helios

I remember the first time I heard of Ogio. For some reason, it seemed very odd to me that there was a company that just made golf bags. As a new golfer, I just assumed all bags had club manufacturers’ names on them. After seeing a fellow golfer carrying one of their stand bags, I decided to try out the Ogio Synchro, which is a large cart bag. I could go on and on about how much I love that bag, but this review isn’t about the Synchro. Ogio has released a new line of bags that they call the Ultralite series. Sound familiar? I’m sure it is if you follow the golf industry at all. We are seeing a proliferation of lightweight golf clubs, and it just makes sense that we’d see golf bags follow suit. After all, some of us carry them around for three or four hours at a time. Who really wants to make that harder than it needs to be? Ogio sent the Assassin cart bag, which I have been using, and the Helios stand bag, which GolferGal has been using, to THP for a review. Both of us are going to share our thoughts on them today.

The Assassin Cart Bag

Features and Specs

• 14-way Diamond Ultralite Performance Cart top
• New low profile OGIO Ball Silo
• Two fleece lined valuables pockets with phone pouch
• Deluxe padded shoulder strap
• Umbrella containment system
• Hydration pocket
• 9 zippered pockets
• Lightweight hex rip-stop material
• Weight: 4.7 lbs

As I mentioned earlier, I currently use an Ogio cart bag, so I was pretty interested to see how the Assassin compared to it. The first thing I did was unload my old bag to see if I noticed a weight difference between the two. Using my entirely unscientific method of picking both up, I was able to easily tell the Assassin was lighter. The bag I tested was red and black and the fabric had a very cool texture to it. There is no doubt that this is a great looking bag that will get some jealous stares from other golfers.

Ogio bags are known for having tons of features, but I did have concerns that the Assassin would be lacking in that department due to the reduced weight. In ways, I was right, but in other ways the bag was full of smart features that I enjoyed. First off, I have to say that I really missed having an external putter well. I’ve used one for a while now on my other Ogio bag and it’s just a great feature that is almost a must-have for me. However, I completely understand why it wasn’t included. There is quite a bit of weighty material required for a putter well, and this bag is supposed to be light. I really liked the ball silo on the outside of the bag. I’d never used one before, but ended up very pleased with it and used it often.

The Assassin’s shoulder strap was very comfortable and the loading handle had a ribbed texture on the inside that was very soft on the hands. The one thing I didn’t care for regarding the loading handle was that it was on the back of the bag. I’m sure there is a reason for it, but I felt it was a little inconvenient to have to lay the bag on its front when I put it in the trunk. It prevented me from being able to quickly reach into the pockets after I’d laid it down. I did find the umbrella holder functional and useful, though it also was situated towards the back of the bag. I had some doubts about this at first, but it actually performed very well on my push cart once I figured out the best way to position it. As for the dividers, I had no issues getting my clubs in and out of them with ease. I really enjoyed the diamond shaped top and the hard plastic handle that it had. One smaller feature that I thought was genius was the towel loop. I carry a towel that doesn’t have a carabiner and the towel loop has more than enough tension to ensure your towel stays put.

As for pockets, I felt like there were plenty of them and they were intelligently positioned on the bag. A pet-peeve of mine is pockets that have no purpose due to being put in awkward spots, but I didn’t encounter this issue at all with the Assassin. I had plenty of room to store everything I needed and I was able to keep the items I used most often in a spot that was quickly accessible. The valuables pocket was convenient in that it had a holder for my cell phone. The only complaint that I had regarding pockets is that I wish Ogio would have made the valuables pocket waterproof, or put a fabric liner inside the waterproof pocket. I found that humidity caused a bit of sweating on the inside of the waterproof pocket and I didn’t feel comfortable putting my phone in there without wrapping it in a towel first. Despite that, I thought there was plenty of handy storage that was easy to get things in and out of.

In the end, I thought this was a very good bag. If you are looking for a lightweight cart bag, you really can’t go wrong with the Assassin. It’s got a good amount of features and ample storage room. I personally don’t mind the extra weight that certain features bring with them, but I can certainly see why others would be willing to forgo certain luxuries in the pursuit of an easier time carrying their bag around. One thing can’t be denied. This bag looks great! Now, GolferGal is going to share her thoughts on the Helios stand bag.

The Helios Stand Bag

Features and Specs
• 9″ 6-way Ultralite Performance top
• O-Shox™ suspension strap system
• AFS air flow system tech shoulder straps
• Fleece lined valuables pocket
• Air-mesh hip pad
• Hydration pocket
• 6 pockets (5 zippered)
• Lightweight hex rip stop material
• Weight: 3.3 lbs

GolferGal’s Likes:
• I love all the color options. They are so light and bright and come in such a nice variety that there is a color choice for everyone.
• This stand bag is super lightweight. When placed on a scale it’s not quite as light as the company claims but still significantly less heavy them my bag, making it extremely easy to transport.
• I love the pocket for a water bottle. It’s perfectly placed on the bag and is actually big enough to fit a few water bottles.
• I really liked the size and location of the valuables pocket.
• There is, what seems to be, a hidden pocket just next to the valuables pouch that is great for storage. It’s not overly large but certainly big enough to be useful.
• The handles are easy to grab, making it a breeze to lift this bag in and out of the trunk and onto a cart if necessary.
• I think the towel loop is nice, but not a feature I would use.
• I found the bag, as a whole, to be extremely sturdy and well made.
• The ‘backpack’ shoulder straps were easy to use, didn’t hurt my shoulders, and made it easy to carry the bag if I so chose to.
• The pockets that were provided are a good size, and would easily fit my golf balls, glove, and misc. items that I generally store in my bag.

GolferGal’s Suggestions:

• I would have liked to see a few more pockets, even if they were small ones. However, I do understand for the size and weight aspect that it might have been difficult to design the bag with more pockets.
• I would have loved to have a spot on the outside of the bag to hold some golf balls (a ball silo).
• I am spoiled and really like having a separate putter well so that was something I missed with this bag. However, like Ryan said, it is understandable why the lightweight bags do not have this feature.

Overall I really liked this bag. I used it more for range sessions then I did rounds of golf, but I loved how easy it was to transport back and forth from the car. One of my biggest complaints about my current bag is that it is so heavy sometimes it feels like it weighs as much as I do. My absolute favorite feature about this bag is the weight. I was also incredibly impressed with how well the legs worked and how sturdy it felt given its size. If I had my choice I think I would still choose a cart bag for my rounds because I always ride in a cart, but I can’t stress enough how nice it was to use this bag at the range and while traveling. For those reasons alone I would recommend this Helios lightweight Ogio stand bag. I realize now that I have been spoiled with an external putter well and this is the one feature, if at all possible, I would like to see added here. As far as the looks are concerned I thought this bag was a hit. I absolutely love the colors. I enjoy bright colors and I thought the color of the Helios was bright, brilliant and beautiful. I can say with confidence that I would definitely recommend this bag to anyone who was looking for a stand bag.

Summary:
As you can see, GolferGal and I agreed and felt differently about a couple features these bags have. The great thing about today’s golf industry is that there are so many options out there for use to choose from. Hopefully you will give these bags a look if you’re shopping any time soon. They definitely have a ton of appeal and will make the right buyer very happy. For more information, please check out Ogio’s website at www.ogio.com. Thanks for reading today and best of luck out on the course this year.

Ryan H. and GolferGal

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Ryan Hawk
Editor and writer Ryan Hawk lives in northwestern Illinois with his fiance and son. He's been a writer for The Hackers Paradise for two years and has been involved with a number of THP events.
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