I have one. Here is my review:
I received my scooter in October 2017. It’s March 2018 and I think it's time to post my review
After waiting over a month for the scooter to be delivered, it finally arrived to my delight. To be fair, the delivery was delayed because the shipment was held back, I was told, due to so many storms coming in to the East Coast. It was one of the most active and destructive storm seasons on record, and I was told that the ship carrying my scooter was waiting for safe weather to come in.
Nevertheless, once I got my scooter, I embraced the whole thing and left my bike behind for good.
Since I received my scooter, I have been riding it daily to work. I ride it from home to the train station, take it on a 2-hour train commute to Los Angeles, and ride in style to work. Then at the end of the day, the same thing in reverse. I love the fact that I avoid the insane LA traffic and zip around quickly in my man toy.
The Good:
- Initial quality - Looks like solid quality construction and quality parts all around.
- Performance - The scooter performs as advertised. I’m 220 lbs and I have hit 17 MPH consistently on flat terrain. You do have to keep the scooter fully charged, the air pressure on the wheels at 43 psi, and if you have mechanical dexterity, keep the brake pads from dragging on to the brake disc. This last one is a trial and error thing, because you have to find the sweet spot to get the “friction free rotation” on the wheels, but at the same time make sure you are able to stop the wheels efficiently. Once you get the sweet spot, your scooter is ready for optimal performance.
- Looks - The scooter looks amazing. I have received so many compliments. It's just a cool looking machine.
- Portability - I’m 52 years old and not as athletic as I once was. I am able to easily fold it, carry it, move it around train stations and put it in the trunk of my car. For the short distances that I usually carry the scooter, I can handle the weight with relative ease.
- Operability - Once you figure out what the buttons on the controllers do for you, it is very easy to get up to speed with the operation of the machine. It’s not Rocket Science to get this thing to go.
The Not-So-Good:
- Charger quality - After 4 months of riding my scooter, the pin on the power supply charger broke. I was told (and surprised) that the charger only has a 1-month warranty. I would have liked two things from the guys who sold it to me. First, that the company would have been upfront on what the warranties are, which parts are covered, and for how long. (I couldn’t find the terms anywhere on their site) And second, that they would supply a warranty card, or documentation, stating the warranties, coverage and period, like most consumer products do. I ended up spending $60 for a replacement. So customer support is sketchy at best.
- Construction - Sliding Collar on the steering bar - This collar holds the locking pin that keeps the scooter folded (see pic). It “stays in place” by a tiny set screw, and I found out quickly (after two weeks of riding it) that the set screw does loosen up, and consequently, the collar slides down and you can’t fold your scooter. I tried tightening the screw a couple of times, but after a handful of days riding it, it was back to the same issue. I ended up modifying the collar. Basically, I purchased two, 2-inch diameter hose clamps to lock the collar in place. It has fixed the issue permanently.
- Construction - Frame - On February 26, 2018, I was riding my scooter back to work from a 2.5-mile lunch ride. As I am crossing the street to get to my building, the gooseneck that holds the front wheel and steering bar just snapped. I did not hit a hole, nor hit a curb. I was just in the middle of the street, getting off the sidewalk, riding at about 10 MPH and the thing just snapped. I was able to break the fall and only end up with a bruised hand and a bruised knee, but I fear that if I was going faster, or riding it on the street alongside traffic, (which I have done occasionally) it could have been a lot worse. I was perplexed as to why this part would break, but I presume this would be the point of highest stress on this machine. Possibly metal fatigue. Like I said, I use it every day, go up and down the sidewalk ramps, going over bumps on the sidewalk, and occasionally crossing a baseball field to get to my destination, but never hit a hole nor a solid object that would have been the obvious culprit for the break. I would presume some vibration would have been accounted for during the design and engineering phase of the frame, so maybe the design must be revisited to ensure this machine is safe. I have seen a fair share of commuters with electric scooters in LA, and have seen many scooters that are comparable to this one, with springs and shock absorbers both front and back.
- Customer support: Well, after letting the vendor know what happened with the incident, they told me and I quote “These machines are built to last, they won’t break unless you hit a hole or curb at full speed or if you do a lot of jumping with it. The manufacturer has suggested you take it to a welder and fix it. It would only cost you $20 to $30 bucks”. Well, I did not hit a curb nor a hole, and I don’t go around jumping and doing tricks. Like I said, I’m 52, and I use this scooter exclusively for commuting, not to be a show-off. I did take the scooter to a welder, and the welder showed me the sub-par original welding at the point where the break happened. I am including pictures of the repair and evidence of the shoddy workmanship. You be the judge.. So I am out $80.00 for the welding repair and the hours it took me to take the scooter apart and put it back together. I sent these pictures to the vendor, and all I have heard is crickets… a catastrophic failure after 5 months of use, and you are on your own to get it repaired.
My Honest opinion:
The scooter looks awesome, it seems to be of high-quality construction… in fact, it does seem to have quality parts (wheels, brake system, speed controller and user control interface, battery, steering column, etc). However, if you are planning to use this machine daily (like me), and if you value your life I would think twice before purchasing this particular machine. This is more of a weekend, let's have fun kind of toy. Not a serious commuting vehicle. The stress points on the frame need to be reinforced, or alternatively, use shocks and springs to mitigate stress on the frame. I keep thinking what if I was riding the scooter alongside traffic when the break on the frame happened... And the fact that the vendor did not try to help on the fix at all, tells me that they are not prepared to deal with catastrophic failures on these machines. I was able to come out of this incident with minor bruises, but others may not be so lucky.
