If you have not yet experienced the fun and exhilaration of an electric hoverboard, you may be happy to learn that Hoverboards are as popular as ever in the spring and summer of 2021. Join me today as I explore why this is and how you too can join the ranks of those hovering around all over town. Whether you’re a child or an adult, it’s never too late to get out there and hover!
Standard Hoverboards
If you want to ride your hoverboard in places that are smooth, flat, and easily accessible, all you need is a standard hoverboard model. The XPRIT 6.5″ Red HoverBoard (shown below) is just such an example. It has fun features like bright LED lights, built-in Bluetooth speakers so you can stream music from your phone, 6.5″ solid rubber tires, and is UL2272 Certified (meaning that it’s made from top-of-the-line materials and has passed certain safety tests that were designed for electronic mobility devices).
There are many different hoverboards that have similar features and specs, and they come in a variety of fun colours and slightly different designs. If your goal is simply to ride on paved streets, sidewalks, and even indoor floors, this is a great type of hoverboard for those types of surfaces. Its max speed and running time on a full battery charge are roughly 9.5 km/h and 45-75 minutes respectively, so do keep that in mind.
Another thing worth noting is that sometimes standard hoverboards have minimum and maximum weight requirements that make them unsuitable for many users (and can also affect their total running time, as in carrying more weight can drain them faster). The above model, for instance, has a weight range requirement of 45 pounds minimum to 165 pounds maximum, meaning that someone like me (about 200lbs) is too heavy to use the board regularly. I have tested several such boards in the past myself, and although they have held up over the short term testing period, they do lose a lot of their speed and power with a 200 pounder like me on them. If you’re like me, you’ll likely need a more heavy duty board.
Heavy Duty Hoverboards
The second major classification of hoverboards I want to cover today is the heavy duty hoverboard, such as the ProZip “Hummer” All Terrain Hoverboard, which is very similar to the white XPRIT shown above. Hoverboards such as these have many of the same features as standard boards (like AutoLevel and built-in Bluetooth), but they also have off-road features like GPS and even their own dedicated smart phone app that provides access to a speedometer and an odometer.
This is the type of board you’ll want for rough terrain and off-road use. I’m not saying that these boards can go anywhere, but they can certainly go on surfaces that other boards simply can’t, like gravel paths, grass, sand, and many other commonly encountered surfaces. I have actually tested a couple of similar boards myself and found them capable of easily handling my weight. Such boards often have a maximum weight capacity of 100 kgs or more, which is 220 pounds or higher.
This type of board also features oversized tires with deep, all-terrain treads for enhanced grip and traction on rough surfaces, and the model linked above can travel at a top speed of 15 km/h, which is not bad at all. There are even settings for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced users, so anyone can get a board and give it a try.
If you’ve been considering a hoverboard, whether for fun or transportation, this spring and summer might finally be the right time to get on board. Check out the many great Hoverboards at Best Buy Canada today!
