The board is super fun and easily took me on a 10 mile round trip ride with no signs of the battery dying down. The board is super light for an e-vehicle so carrying into the restaurant on my first and second ride was no problem. When I tried to lug it into a crowded bar, it was not ideal, though once I found a seat and a safe place to put it I was okay.
The top speed is plenty fast and my commute to work was a blast. For this ride I was able to put it under my desk and charge it up for about an hour and had a full battery on the ride back. I ordered the smallest model, which easily fit under my desk and once it was there no one even saw it.
Note: this is my first electric skateboard, but I've been casually skateboarding for 20 years, and have previously owned an electric bike and scooter.
The pitfalls: since you're not strapped in or holding on, your center of balance is less stable than it would be on a bike or scooter. Therefore, accelerating and braking are the two things that felt the most sketchy when riding this board. I've fallen twice so far, both on the first ride, and both happened when I was trying to accelerate too fast. Luckily, Ilan, the mastermind behind this board, accounts for this by creating a slow accelerating gear system, to avoid the falls I experienced on my first ride. Now I accelerate slowly and have not fallen since.
The other scary part is braking. I haven't had any falls here yet but had to jump off my board once to avoid traffic. This weak braking system keeps the board from throwing you off, but like the acceleration, is not as reactive as a bike or board, which can stop on a dime.
Basically with this vehicle, vs. a bike or board, you are getting an increased level of portability and fun, in exchange for slower acceleration, braking, and less stability.
Riding in NYC a lot of people wanted to know what it was and I quickly ran out of the cards Ilan provides for curious parties. I'm a big fan and can't wait to take it to work every day and ride it as much as possible. Thanks, Ilan!
