The electric self balancing boards and SBU
As I have told you earlier, I am an enthusiast, passionate and keen researcher and love to explore new things online. Due to this I am able to find and share the best out of the 1000s of choices you can see in any category.
The last day I got a Morning mail from “The Huffpost daily” and you can’t imagine what caught up my attention that day.. Yes of course you can..was joking a bit J. There was a news regarding a hovercraft flying on deep water. Though, the news was entitled under the comedy section and has been considered as a falsifying video that is just a trick. Though, experiments are going on in labs and innovative engineers are on their way to invent a reliable hovercraft that would be affordable, reliable and usable, by a common man. Though I am not sure to what extent achievement has been done actually. But what I really am sure about is that, we are not too far off, from the fun we can get while enjoying a ride on self balancing scooters and Self balancing unicycles, that are already available on the market.
So, keeping that in mind, my research got ignited by the news on The huffpost issues, I switched on my Lapi and started searching on what can I find to share and try out to fulfill one of the most exciting desire of me and my son. I searched for hours and was too disappointed to see that people have tried to mock customers and have chosen to market the drift boards, electric bikes and self balancing boards and other vehicles like self balancing unicycles, that are either totally new in the market with no track of reliable performance or have self balancing boards with low ratings and high prices. Why should a person spend more than $500 to buy an electric self balancing board or sbu bikes, which could not even work for the first time?
So, I decide to make my check list, figure out ways to avoid scams and wrong suggestion, prepare my mind to sort things that are obvious and would have to be managed as obvious limitations along such drift boards and started my research to find the best options in the self balancing vehicles category either it be an electric unicycle that balances you automatically or smart boards with two wheels. lets figure which are the best...
The first thing I worked out was:
Things, I would check while buying an electric drift board/scooter
- Battery life, charging time and distance coverage
- Foot area
- Warranty (if there is any)
- Customer reviews (only verified purchases)
- Balance and Safety (in use and battery performance)
- Inclination and turning options
- Speed options in the electric drift boards
- Width or size of the tires (for SBU or electric unicycles you can see the grip of the tire)
In addition to the checklist I prepare myself for the following:
- I’d have to charge the electric drift board properly without overly charging or under charging it or draining it out till the battery is dead. As if you do so, you may ruin your board’s or SBU battery.
- I may not be able to balance or ride on smart board or sbu bike, where there are puddles, water or rocks and bumps on my way. so, I need to have a clear pathway.
- I may not find hundreds and thousands of self balancing scooter reviews or SBU reviews online as these are new products as the product you like may not have been bought by anyone in the market.
- I’ll have to buy a protection plan to make sure that my money is used safely and any issue with the product will be covered. (like square trade protection plan)
- The life and performance of the board/SBU will depend on the quality and to some extent the way I’ll use it.
- So, after making sure I have backup research I plunged into the pool of sparkling product options that nearly drifted me away to buy a low quality yet really attractive drift board that has not been proven to be good enough so far. But I escaped the trap, luckily.
Let me give you some of the best options that would save you and help to get a reliable and safe self balancing scooter/unicycles online.
Important notice:
What I have avoided here:
I am not going to add gyroscope vehicles by razor, or self balancing scooters manufactured by Glyro as they have been found to be, too problematic to the users and I can’t mislead you to buy the ones that can create issues later on.
I am going to add 3 smart boards or power boards by Swagway (the best seller), leray and hoverboard as they have a better position in terms of customer satisfaction as compared to others and are safe. In addition to these 3 smart boards I also have got self balancing unicycle or sbu bikes to share with you.
-Sbu or self balancing unicycle have got its place as a top notch self balancing fun rides. The main role has been played by the sbu designed by focus designs sbu manufacturers but other brands also have now established a great rapport on the market.
All these fun vehicles attracted me a lot and I thought I must share it with my readers to share the fun as well.
My first pick: Swagway X1 Hands-free Smart Board (two wheel self balancing board)
[newimgbox imgalt="Swagway X1 Hands-free Smart Board" imgurlid="61ym4HTNQXL" asin="B011E741PW"]
As I have said earlier, I’ll be sharing the best. Swagway has got an enormous response from its users and have proven to be a best seller among its competitors. Here are some quick specs about the swagway self balancing board.
Colours: 4 colors: blue (popular, but hard to get ;), white, pink, yellow
Origin of body parts: China
Brand: U.S brand FCC, WERCS, rohs, Prop65, CE, Un38.3 Certified
Speed: 10mph
Miles coverage: 20 miles per charge
Warranty: 1 year warranty for online purchases
Turn and inclination: 0 degree turning capability and 15 degree inclined motion capacity
Operation and usage: very easy to operate and can be learned easily
This smart board comes with all beneficial features one should be looking for. It is rated as a safe vehicle for people who are about 220 pounds. Though, it is not a hard and fast limit, but it should be considered important as it may affect the functionality and durability of the board. It has got rubber wheels and ABS body. The foot pads are rugged to keep your feet stable on the board.
How to ride on Swagway hands free smart board
Riding on this smart board is an easy task. As you just have to put it on step on the board and let the board balance it all. To move it you will have to lean your body in the desired direction and you can see how smoothly you can turn wherever you want.
Check out how you’ll ride on a self balancing board:
It is definitely a product that will bring in all the joys a hover board can bring to you. As a caring mother, I’d suggest buying some accessories as well, including knee caps, a sports helmet, two wheel smart board carrying bag, replacement bumper for two wheel hover board, and protective skins for hoverboards. You may also need to have a hoverboard tool kit.
My second pick: Leray™ Self Balancing Scooter Balance Motion
[newimgbox imgalt="Leray™ Self Balancing Scooter Balance Motion 6.5" Two Wheel Hoverboard" imgurlid="51U9WKOuoaL" asin="B011BWUDGG"]
I got in love with this one due to many reason that I’ll discuss in the upcoming paragraphs. To introduce it to my readers, it’s a two wheel self balancing smart board that would let you enjoy a balanced and safe ride up to 15 km. A quick looks to the important specs are as below:
Balance control: this gyroscopic two wheeled smart board has 3 gyrosensors and three accelrometers that mange the overall balancing function.
Motion angles: it can run horizontally as well as with a 15 degree inclination and also a zero degree turn.
Speed and milage in a single charge: 15km at 8-10km/hr on a horizontal plane.
Motor power: 500watts
Battery, charging and capacity: it uses LG Lithium 18650 battery having a charge capacity of 110Wh, that would not burn anyways (as experienced by the users and guaranteed by the brand). It needs only 2-2.5 hours to be charged completely.
It is a certified safe battery and would cause any issues.
Weight limit: better to be used when you have got a body weight up to 90kg or 220lbs.
The product has been trusted by 70 percent of its users and have been reviewed as one of the best models by Leray manufacturers and comes with a unique brand warranty to cover any issues you might face in the first year of purchase. It has got a sturdy design with 6.5 inch wheels and a stable gyroscopic balance that makes the smart board a fabulous gadget. You just have to charge it up using the AC adapter that comes along it and turn it on to put it to work. You may need a little bit of practice when you step on it, but it is just a matter of few of the early attempts and you’ll learn it fast, obviously. Because of the fact, it balances your body very quickly and would not let you fall or lose your balance. To turn or move forward you’ll just have to lean your body and you will be directed as you need.
My third pick: 2 Wheel Self Balancing Scooter/Powerboard by HOVERBOARD
[newimgbox imgalt="Powerboard by HOVERBOARD - 2 Wheel Self Balancing Scooter with LED Lights" imgurlid="71hG6UWxxJL" asin="B01541MVA6"]
Considering that some of the models have had some issues, I placed this colorful hoverboard product as my third pick. This mode has much better position than its other kins as it has caused no little issues for the users in some cases. But overall if you look into its features and safety characteristics, It justifies its position on the list of popular smart boards.
Coming to its features:
Here are a few quick specs:
Colors: It comes in white, red, blue, black colors
Battery life and charging time: It can get fully charged within an hour and runs up to 6 hours on an horizontal plane.
Speed: it can take you up to a speed of 8 mph.
Warranty: It comes with a 1 year warranty and you can contact US based customer support whenever you have any issue.
Brand and origin: the components are made in China while they are sold by an American company.
Weight limit: the approximate weight limit has been determined as 220 lbs
Overall, the self balancing smart board has got an easy handling and a smart usage opportunity for fun lovers. There is no indication given by the seller about the inclined plane usage, but assuming that it is a good one and has got equal features as other on the market, it can manage slight inclination for your ease. To work it out, like all other self balancing or gyroscopic vehicles, you can lean towards the direction you want to move. Further, there is a battery power indicator present on the board that is easily visible while you are riding on it to make sure you know how much juice is left.
A little about negative experiences shared by the customers:
I added this part so that you must know what you are buying and if you have had any issues you must know what could be the reasons.
When I researched about this brand, I considered numerous sites, blogs and forums to discuss what were the issues people have rated some of the models too low.
What I found was that: either they have got a worn out product or sometimes a product that was not in a good condition and wasn’t able to work at all or in some cases, people were saying that the product was a different one from that of the ordered items.
In such a condition I must say you should contact amazon or the original manufacturer to see if the seller from whom you have decided to buy the product is reliable and authentic so that you don’t get into such an experience. Also, make sure you cover your product warranty with an additional protection plan like square trade. They cover all kinds of liabilities and might help you lower the stress that could be caused in case of any problems.
Hoverboards under $200
How much does a Hoverboard cost? It is very cheap anyone can purchase that, its under 200$ few collection are shared for you.
[search search=" hoverboards under $200"]
Self balancing unicycle
Self-balancing unicycle or SBU bikes have become aggressively popular among teenagers and young kids, who love to ride-on the future of skate boards and unicycles. These unicycles are safe, easy to balance (as you don’t have to balance on your own, it does automatically) and is a great way to have fun. The most popular one in this category was one manufactured in USA as the first focus design sbu, and then the sbu V3. But due to some reason it has been discontinued on amazon, not sure why. Searching on the other options I got a few better options and would be sharing it with my readers here.
First choice: Solowheel SBU by Inventist
[newimgbox imgalt="Solowheel by Inventist" imgurlid="41k9lKN23iL" asin="B007Q3FZYK"]
I chose this one, because this is a unicycle that has been considered as a reliable safe and easy to balance. It is eligible to be shipped within US and has its body made in China. The overall structure is sturdy and strong and would not let you fall, if you use it within its known limits. It comes in the form of a single wheel capped with a strong cover which is termed as “tank built” by the verified users on amazon. There are two foot rests, one on each side and can also be used with two optional training wheels. The speed limit is about 10 mph and can cover about 10 miles 0n a single charge. It weighs 26 pounds and can be carried in a specialized backpack for unicycle. It is made of plastic plus metal parts. The tires can be re-inflated if it runs out of the air and battery is rechargeable within an hour. The directions and movement can be controlled while leaning in the required direction.
Second choice: Ninebot Self-balancing Scooter- One-wheel (E-model)
[newimgbox imgalt="Ninebot One-wheel Self-balancing Scooter" imgurlid="71Pr4g7FyFL" asin="B00Q2AW1MC"]
I picked this one Ninebot one is sold and covered by a 1 year guarantee and comes with a guarantee card to make sure you have the right SBU for your money. It comes as a single wheeled cycle with a modern design, inspired by the simple futuristic looks. There are two foot rests to keep you balanced on it and training wheels can also be attached to it for slow learners.
It moves with a max speed of 12-22kmph and can cover about 30-35 km per charge. The battery has got a 320 Wh capacity and can live up to 1000 cycles. Along with a capability to run horizontally, this little vehicle can drift you with a 20 degree angle, easily. To operate this self balancing transport, you need to get on it and lean towards the direction where you need to go and this will help you reach in an easy and quick way. In case of low battery, you can expect it to get recharged within 4 hours.
Here is how your first ride on ninebot or any other SBU would be:
Third choice: IPS® 16 Inch SBU Self Balancing Electric Unicycle
[newimgbox imgalt="Self Balancing Electric Unicycle Scooter Electric One Wheel Scooter Monocycle" imgurlid="41XLN8iKE+L" asin="B00WQNJUJG"]
IPS 16 inch SBU has scored 100/100 on amazon so far and have been reviewed as a great, well built, reliable self balancing unicycle in the market. The reasons for this quality rating includes its sturdy body, better tire grip and size and a powerful motor to drift you for long hours under variable conditions and pathways. The battery has got a capacity of 260/340wh, which makes it able to give you more fun for a longer period of time. The motor comes with a 1000w power engine to drift your unicycle smoothly under variable surface conditions. It can withstand a weight up to 120 Kg and can move at an inclination of 15-20 degrees. the charging time is 3 hours and can take the speed to 30 kmph and have a total endurance level is 40km, which is quite sufficient for a long time fun. It is a china made product built to perfection and has a sturdy body for a better support and long lasting fun.
So, our fun filled journey of reading about these futuristic products has to end here. But it doesn’t mean I am finished with all the exciting options that are available for you. But don’t stop your hunt in finding a great self balancing unicycle or SBU or other . See below for more options. Cheers and have Fun!
[search search=" Self-balancing One-wheel under 100"]