The hoverboard or the two wheel electric balance board was a rage in 2016, and as 2017 comes to a close, its popularity shows no signs of abating. It has in fact created a new segment in the American market, of young and young adult buyers who are keeping up a constant demand for the two wheel hoverboard.
The rise, fall and second rising of the hoverboard is well known. I will not go into the details, but in a nutshell, when the hoverboards first came out they were made in an irresponsible manner y some Chinese manufacturers, causing their batteries to malfunction and cause explosions and fires. The US Govt. had to step into set up guidelines for hoverboard safety called the UL 2272 standard.
While hoverboards were getting banned everywhere, the new UL 2272 hoverboards made a safe come back. Certified to be safe and fire prof, these hoverboards slowly brought back the hoverboard market in the United States and other parts of the world. Today we have a large number of UL 2272 hoverboards selling across online stores ranging from Amazon.com to SwagTron.com to Skque.com.
Today, you can be sure of any UL 2272 certified hoverboard, and can buy one without having to worry about fire or other quality issues or hazards. However that does not mean that all UL 2272 certified hoverboards are made the same. Some hoverboards are of a better quality than others, and have enhancements and features that others don’t have.
VOTED MOST USEFUL FEATURE
OF WEBSITE! (Click Now)!
One example is the off-road hoverboards. These are more powerful hoverboards with motors that are 400 watts instead of the regular 350 watts, and also a wheel size of 9-10 inches instead of the usual 6.5 inches. Then there are Bluetooth enabled hoverboards and regular ones. The Bluetooth enabled hoverboards have speakers in them that connect to your mobile device to play music directly from it. They also have mobile device apps that can remotely control some aspects of the hoverboard like locking, pre-defined routes, battery charge level etc.
Of course the brand of the hoverboard also matters. But according to our in-house experts as lon as the hoverboard is genuinely UL 2272 certified, there isn’t a massive difference between a premium brand and a regular run-of-the-mill UL 2272 hoverboard. Let’s take a brand like SwagTron as an example. SwagTron is a very reputed brand of e-rideables, with highly popular hoverboards like the T6, T3, T1 and T5. These hoverboards are of a very high quality and have unique features like the Sentry Shield System which encases the battery in a patented aluminum casing that eliminated fires and explosions. They also have a range of other enhancements aimed at making them safer and more efficient.
If you compare it with a regular hoverboard that is available in the range of $180 -$200 on Amacon.com, then you will not see an enormous difference in the essentials. The body will be of a similar shape, the wheels will be of a similar type, the battery will be of a similar caliber (since both have to pass the UL 2272 certification standards), the performance will be nearly the same. However the looks will be different, with more customized and sleeker looks on the SwagTron hoverboards. Also the SwagTron hoverboards will have some additional features that a regular hoverboard may not have, like the Sentry Shield System, Intelligent Battery Management, better charge level indicator lights, a sleeker outer shell, bigger foot pads etc.
THE difference will be in the durability of the hoverboards. The SWagTron hoverboard will have uniformly good components, and will work better for longer. The specifications of the SwagTron will be precise, if it can take a load of a certain number of lbs, it will, if it can climb a certain degree of incline it will. In the case of the unbranded regular hoverboard, the performance may not be as advertised. You will fee; the SwagTron runs smoother than the other one.
However if you want to get the full experience of riding a hoverboard, both will give it to you. You will be able to do everything that you can do with the SwagTron, with the unbranded hoverboard. When you couple it with the 30 days return guarantee of Amazon.com, then it almost makes sense to go in for the cheaper option.
However, our suggestion is that if you want a seamless and enjoyable hoverboard experience, then it does make sense to go in for a reputed brand. SwagTron is one of the best brands available today, but there are several others that are equally good, like the Razor Hovertrax, EpikGO and a few more.
If you are looking at buying an off-road or all-terrain hoverboard then the best one available today is the SwagTron T6, though the EpikGO is equally good. The SwagTron T67 is the only hoverboard in the world that can take a load of over 400 lbs, 420 lbs to be precise. It also has all the enhanced performance and safety features of the SwGatron brnad of hoverboards. AT a price point lower than the EpikGO, it does seem to be in the sweet spot of price and performance. However, we cannot let go of the EpikGo hoverboard completely, as it is a really well made hoverboard too. If you compare the two, the finish and looks of the EpikGo is better. Performance wise both may be at par, but the EpikGO has class written all over it.
It is a fine distinction, and one that I feel boils down to your personal preference. Go for the one that excites you more. However, if budget is a constraint then the T6 will be the one to choose.
Razor, as a brand, is many years older than SwagTron, or any of the other hoverboard companies. It is an established name in e-rideables like electric scooters and cycles etc. Their RazorHoverTrax 2.0 is a very good hoverboard and is backed by the trust and credibility of a long standing brand. You can definitely go in for it and you will get a very good product.
Skque is another brand that comes to mind. It has been around for quite some time now, but it hasn’t made a huge impact as a brand. We like the hoverboard but when you go to its website, it doesn’t come across as a premium brand. If they smarten up their website, and make it more credible they will do much better. Their range is also comparatively garish in design. Well in all fairness, their hoverboards are also cheaper on Amazon.com. Skque might be an option if you want to buy at a lower price.
The biggest tip that we can give you is that you should go in for a genuine UL 2272 certified hoverboard and might want to avoid unbranded hoverboards that come with generic names like well ‘hoverboard’ or ‘two wheel balance board’.
With that said, here is an extensive list of hoverboard brands available to buy today. We have divided them into different categories so that you can make a choice more easily. Enjoy the e-ride!