It’s Germany vs. China in the Electric Skateboard Booster wars!
Will Mellow reign supreme?
Or will the Asian duo of Landwheel and Onan knock them off their board?
Let me stop you before you click on any of the above links. IMHO, avoid the Landwheel site. The browser tab is in Chinese characters and when you click “About Us” nothing happens plus there is no information on how to order the product. That’s not a good sign. I immediately put a Post-It note over my computer’s camera for fear a group of Shanghai businessmen were watching me from their company’s breakroom. And, if you think that sounds paranoid, blame Mr. Robot.
(Actually, the Chinese characters are the result of some sort of Chrome incompatibility. But the other parts still gave me pause. If you’re determined to buy a Landwheel, you may want to go to Ebay instead of the company’s website. At the time of this writing, there were several Landwheel kits available priced between $500-$700.)
First of All, What’s An Electric Skateboard Booster?
An Electric Skateboard booster is a motor or a drive, which fits on any skateboard.
Got it?
Good.
Let’s move on.
Which Came First?
Earlier this year, an overly-anxious Reddit user, posted the following question on ElectricSkateboarding.
What?! Where did LandWheel and Onan come from?! Who copied who in terms of design? This electric skateboard market is becoming insane. There are so many competitors now. Wasn’t Mellow the original innovator in terms of this idea and design? Or am I wrong?
Nonetheless, the LandWheel and Onan are still compelling and according to their specs and pics, it seems like a viable option. Anyone else wanna input their opinions on the matter?”
Mellow definitely appears to be the best quality product of the three, as for intellectual property i have no idea who came first. i would assume Landwheel/Onan copied Mellow’s idea , but Onan does have their own patents so who knows.
Yikes! Breathe, overly-anxious Reddit user, breathe!
I can only assume this “viable option” has to do with price. Mellow is expensive. Landwheel and Onan are much cheaper. But are you sacrificing quality for savings?
Onan The Competition
Onan doesn’t have Chinese characters on their website tabs but they certainly have Chinese characters writing their copy.
From their front page:
Beginning from today, skateboard will be thoroughly redefine by ONAN Electric Booster. A new way to travel! A new riding experience! Let’s become to a skateboard gens!
Yes, everybody, let’s become to a skateboard gens!
On Amazon, the Onan X3 Electric Skateboard booster (Green) received two reviews. One reviewer gave it 1 star while the other reviewer gave 5 stars, making the 3 star average somewhat misleading.
The negative review had the headline: “stay well away from this skatebord booster. BUYER BEWARE!” and listed the following reasons for the assessment.
1) intermittent connections with remote control …very dangerous
2) motors overheat FAST. within 1 mile.
3) NOISEY.. it was scaring people.
4) under-powered even on fast mode. .
“Motors overheat FAST” may be cause for concern. Batteries can be dangerous. We all remember the stories of hoverboard batteries bursting into flames.
Let’s face it, China does not have the best reputation for quality control. In all probability, Onan and Landwheel are producing perfectly safe Electric Skateboard Boosters. But it’s something to consider.
Mellow, on the other hand, brags about using Tesla batteries. And, Germans eat quality control for breakfast.
Their favorite cereal? Quality Chex. True story.
Boosting The Price
As stated earlier, Mellow electric skateboard boosters are expensive.
If you order the Mellow Drive, for example, you get the Mellow Drive, a battery pack, Mellow remote, charger and manual for 1.427,73 €.
In US dollars, it’s $1,683.17, not including shipping. That’s a lot of bratwurst! You can understand why some folks are desperately seeking a “viable option” when it comes to electric skateboard boosters.
But the reviews on the Mellow Facebook Page are good so, perhaps, it’s worth the extra cash.
- There are e-sk8boards and there is Mellow Drive…
If you’re looking for a toy with batteries and motors attached to skateboard you are certainly not in the right place.”
- THX for the great ride : ) – This is exactly how it should be: fast, smooth, silent and easy to handle – Thumbs up!
- The product itself has a very high quality feel to it and rides incredibly silent and smooth. It feels like you are floating and one can do all the wide carves that a normal longboard can do. Speed and torque are easily manageable and fun. If you don’t watch your balance, the torque will make you pop wheelies on a shorter deck. From the eskates that i have tried, its definitely one of the faster ones.
To Buy Or Not To Buy
Yes, that is the question. Obviously, you want one. Who wouldn’t? But perhaps this is the time to exercise a bit of patience.
At nearly 1/3 the price of Mellow, Onan and Landwheel are still on the high side. Regardless of what route you take, the buy-in is somewhat substantial.
Since the difference between loving an electric skateboard booster and liking one could come down to tiny details, maybe you should wait until more reviews emerge. Resist the temptation to be the first on your block to own an electric skateboard booster until you find the right one at the right price for you.
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