What I’m going to talk about Self-Balancing Scooter Review is what I believe is the best thing that’s happened to me since my bike.This thing literally gave the word fun a whole new level of meaning to me and you’ll soon find out why.
But before I tell you about my experience, I’ll try to guide you (as much as I can) through the whats and whys of the self-balancing scooter.
What is a self-balancing scooter?
Although it doesn’t have a generally accepted name, this device, or vehicle, is something like a Segway without the handles. It’s a two-wheeled, smart, electric and self-balancing scooter.Some call it a mini Segway, and the word hoverboard also jumps around here and there among people, as this thing gives you the feeling of levitating several inches above the ground –it’s really cool!
The only thing, though, which connects it to a hoverboard is exactly that – the feeling of levitating. Otherwise, it has nothing to do with a hoverboard (I hope they’ll invent something like that while I’m alive). But really, a hoverboard needs to have no contact with the ground whatsoever and this would give it more versatility when it comes to terrain, and this is not the case with the self-balancing scooter. But hey, this DOESN’T make it less fun!
Before we go to how the ride feels, I’ll try to capture the essence of this vehicle in this review – that is the specs and characteristics.
What is it made of?
The self-balancing scooter is made of two independent electric, levitating motors which have smart sensors. These sensors detect change in pressure applied by your feet and give the motors command to move in the direction of the pressure. So if you press forward with both feet, it will go forward. Since the motors are independent, you can move in circles and make some quite interesting stunts (not recommending this to beginners). When I said smart sensors, I really meant SUPER-SMART! This thing literally reads your mind when it comes to moving in the direction you want to move in. This is probably because of our tendency to create unnoticeable movement of certain muscles in our feet when it comes to thinking what direction to move in. Well, this subtle pressure is detected by the sensors and they make this thing move – they are very sensitive, and this makes this vehicle very intuitive!
Since there are many different models (remakes of the original Chinese product), the smart balance wheels differ. They are generally hard rubber tires which are non-inflatable, but you can find inflatable tires as well – a friend of mine has one like that. They differ in size too, from 8 to 10 inches and it does make a difference. You see, this vehicle is versatile on terrains such as grass, gravel, carpets and all sorts of floors – that is if these terrains don’t have large bumps and rocks lying around. The larger the tire is, the greater the versatility of terrain is, as the self-balancing scooter won’t tolerate larger obstacles. If you compare inflatable vs. non-inflatable tires, just try to compare this to a bike with inflatable and non-inflatable tires (I don’t know if such exists, but you get my point). The difference isn’t as big, but the fact that there is air which creates certain amortization, which means that you will find it easier to maneuver on rougher surfaces.
When it comes to the outerstructure of the self-balancing electric scooter, it’s made of aluminum alloy – and it’s very durable. You will notice yourself once you start using it that during the learning process, in all those falls and crashes, it won’t break. It will scratch though – you’ve been warned. There are some self-balancing scooters that come with some kind of protection against scratching, but if you don’t get your hands on one of those and if you want your self-balancing scooter to be as neat as you, do find a way of protecting the fenders.
Last, but not least, it comes with Bluetooth speakers and a remote which has a lock command, so nobody can use it unless you unlock it (not all of them come with these features).
My experience with the self-balancing scooter
I bought my self-balancing electric scooteraround 6 months ago and I’m so crazy about it that I even see myself writing a review about it! I don’t know if it’s wrong, but I sometimes get curious seeing my friends riding it – even though I let them in the first place. I don’t use it for transportation, but rather for the mere fun in my free time. You could of course use it for transportation, as its battery life is long and the charging time is very short! I will tell you about that later, when I compare mine with that of my friend’s.
This thing can get fast too! My scooter’s max speed is 12 km/h (or around 7,5mph) and once I get to top speed it gives me a beeping sound, after which it slows down. Now, when it comes to speed, I would recommend that you start slow. The learning process doesn’t take much time as this vehicle is very intuitive, but you will need to find your balance. It took me some falls and scratches until I got the hold of it, and hopping on it isn’t easy at the beginning, so grab hold of something until you learn how to do it independently.
Pros and cons
Well for starters, I would definitely say that this thing is super fun! It is very durable, pretty fast and it does its job perfectly. It is an intuitive device with sensitive sensors which follow your lead. It is pretty versatile in terrain, when it comes to flat surfaces and it can quickly build up to top speed (it feels much faster than it really is).
On the minus side, this self-balancing scooter gets scratched up pretty easily. I will tell you that if you are a clumsy person, you will have a lot of trouble riding this thing in the beginning, but don’t worry – you will eventually get the hold of it. I did say it is versatile in terrain, but not when it comes to larger bumps and obstacles. It can easily maneuver over an inch or two high obstacles, but not larger (the 10 inch tire models can).
Same model, different prices? I wouldn’t say so.
That’s right. Many people say that it’s the same model with an outrageous difference in price. You can find a two-wheel self-balancing scooter starting from 200$ to as high as 1600$. Now, it is true that some brands sell their models for a ridiculously high price, but in general, there is a difference between the models. I wouldn’t tell you to go and buy the most expensive one, but I wouldn’t advise you to go for the cheapest oneuntil you do some research.
What kind of research you say? There are loads of videos on YouTube with reviews on certain models. You can also find reviews such as mine, which if written in detail can help you determine your choice. Also, browse different models of this product from different sites and companies – don’t go for the first one you see and review the information you have in your head or write it down.
Now, to help you save all that time, I have done a lot of research and I did some research again before writing this review to help you out, so I will try to cover some of the criteria, which kind of set the price, starting from the most general ones before diving into detail.
Shipping
The first thing that sets the difference in price is the shipping time. Some people wait for a month and even longer (I waited for mine for about 40 days) to get the product from China for a lower price.
Product warranty
Another difference is of course the product warranty. Mine came with no product warranty.Getting a product warranty is an advantage I think, as you never know what may happen to it – simple as that, even the best products there are can sometimes have a manufacturing problem by accident. Luckily, my scooter’s still fine.
Performance
There are lots of different self-balancing scooters with different prices and thus different performance abilities.
Let’s start with the wheels. There are models out there which come with non-inflatable, hard-rubber 8 inch wheels and there are some which have 10 inch wheels and/or inflatable tires. What is the difference you ask? Riding 8 inch tires opposed to the 10 inch ones means more obstacles and sometimes a lot bumpier ride, if comparing inflatable vs. non-inflatable tires. Inflatable tires do not only create a smoother ride, but a greater versatility in terrain as well, because of the amortization from the air inside.
The next thing is the design. Of course you have many different designs of this product, and some of them mean less scratching surface or even scratch protection added. This does make a difference, as starching this thing is inevitable. You will fall a lot and you will scratch it a lot.
Max speed and range per charge is the next criterion. You can find self-balancing electric scooter with speeds from 7 to 11 miles per hour. The distance your self-balancing electric scooter can reach is also something you should check. I think this has to do with the batteries or something, but I’m not quite sure. The thing is that the range per charge differs a lot with different models.
Extra features
Some self-balancing scooters come with a lock remote and Bluetooth speakers. Others you can get with a free bag. There are some with the lights over the wheels and when it comes to lights, there are some with different light colors.
This was my choice
I bought my self-balancing scooter from Aliexpress.com .it was $265.00, as I didn’t want to go for the cheapest ones (there are some worth 200$). The reason I didn’t go for the cheapest ones was that I was suspicious of the quality of the product. You know, back in my country people say “If you don’t know what’s good, ask what’s expensive.” Well, as I couldn’t afford the more expensive models, I definitely didn’t go for the cheapest ones. This meant a long waiting time full of nail biting and absent mindedness.
The shipping time was, as I already mentioned, 20 days (shipping does differ from country to country, so I won’t say that this is the standard shipping time). The wheels are 8 inch, hard-rubber, non-inflatable wheels and the design is, well pretty scratchy.
It can reach a max speed of 12 km/h (or roughly 7.5 mph) and it can travel a distance of 15 km (or around 9 miles) at a full charge. The charging time is around 2 hours for a full charge. It came with a lock remote and a Bluetooth speaker (I haven’t tried the Bluetooth speaker, as I don’t feel the need to).
Extra eVoy X5 self-balancing scooter review
Because I already mentioned my friend’s eVoy X5 self-balancing scooter and have tried it many times so far, I decided to do an extra review about his scooter too, as it is very different from mine in many respects.
He’s had his self-balancing electric scooter since August 2015 and the delivery time took only 15 days. He purchased it from the eVoy site or 999$ and got free shipping with a coupon he found on their Facebook page. I think the coupon is still available. Just try typing EVOY150 in the coupon area when proceeding with checkout.
This model is quite different from the omnipresent models most people have. It has 10 inch inflatable rubber tires which give it a great advantage, but it is also much bigger and heavier. It can reach a max speed of 16 km/h (or 10 mph) and the range per charge is 22 km (or around 14 miles)! The charging time is pretty much the same as that of mine.
It is much more versatile in terrain than my smart-balancing scooter and the ride feels smoother. It has no difficulties with larger crack or bumps but the greater obstacles remain a problem here too. It comes with a lock remote as well.
Putting all things together
After having read this review, and if you if you are still unsure what model you should you go for, I would say it all depends on your taste and preferences. I went for the cheaper one, as I thought I wouldn’t become so passionate about it.
But now that I see myself writing a review about it, trust me, you will want a good model. My self-balancing scooter turned out to be pretty much what I expected for the price I bargained for. I simply love it! Now, if you have more money, definitely go for the eVoy X5 – it’s not the same as all other self-balancing scooters out there, and from what I’ve seen so far, it’s worth every penny. Really, both scooters are worth every penny, it only depends how many pennies you are planning to spend.
Here are the links for the scooters I recommend:
My self-balancing scooter (from www.aliexpress.com)
My friend’s eVoy X5:
You can get a free shipping discount for this one – try typing EVOY150 in the coupon box.
Fun fact:
I gathered a list of celebrities who ride a self-balancing scooter. Let’s so how much you know about them J
Justin Bieber;
Chris Brown;
Nick Jonas;
Zedd;
Soulja Boy;
Kendall Jenner;
JR Smith;
Nicki Minaj;
Wiz Khalifa;
Nina Agdal;
David Ortiz;
Karim Benzema;
Skrillex… and more
Speaking of which, help me make this list longer by telling me if your favorite self-balancing scooter-riding celebrity is missing here.
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