Features to Look For
When selecting the best hoverboard for yourself or your child, there are a couple of important features you need to keep in mind.
Motors
Depending on your experience, weight, age, and preference, hoverboard motors are an important feature to consider when selecting a scooter.
For instance, if you’re looking to get your kid a hoverboard as a means for recreation for their birthday or Christmas, do not worry about big motors. A modest motor with 200-250 watts of power is more than enough.
On the other hand, if you want one for yourself or some off-roading, a high-powered motor of about 300-400 watts single or dual motors will provide the best experience.
Safety Ratings
With any electrical device or gadget, checking the safety features and rating is a must to avoid accidents or mishaps, such as electrical failure.
Most hoverboards on our list meet the UL2272 certification standards for electrical safety.
This means that they have gone through rigorous testing to ensure that the rider is never in danger if an electrical component fails.
Aside from that, the boards can also come with other ratings, such as IPX ratings for waterproofing or fire ratings to prevent an electrical fire hazard.
App-controlled
These days every product is getting smart, and hoverboards are no different.
This means that most hoverboard manufacturers nowadays provide smart controls, which are managed by a mobile phone app.
These can be battery indicators, locking systems, music players, and speed indicators.
These controls are good and can make your experience even more thrilling. However, not everyone needs them. Truth be told, adding these app-controlled features also increases the price.
If you’re looking for a hoverboard that is simple and fun to use for your kid within your budget, then you don’t need fancy controls. You can opt for a simple hoverboard.
On the other hand, if you want multiple controls for serious riding, you may select boards that offer apps and high-tech features.
Weight Limit
This is the single most important factor when picking a hoverboard, as it can make or break your entire experience.
Hoverboards are lightweight and delicate devices. If you put too much weight on them, chances are that they will malfunction.
One, it will considerably slow down the top speed, so you won’t be able to enjoy your ride.
Second, this will have a significant effect on your battery that will decrease the lifetime of the scooter. And lastly, it can cause mechanical damage that can’t be repaired.
That’s why you should always make sure that the hoverboard carters to your weight.
Speed
While it’s fun to run at maximum speeds, doing so on a hoverboard without experience can cause serious injuries.
To decide which speed is the best for you, you should always consider your skill level.
If you’re a beginner, a hoverboard with a speed range of 7-8 mph is enough for you.
On the contrary, if you’re an advanced rider with plenty of experience, you can choose higher speeds such as 10 mph-12 mph.
Off-road Ability
This again depends on your skill level. A beginner should not invest in a hoverboard designed for off-road action. Neither would you enjoy the experience nor handle all the tough off-road conditions. You could even injure yourself seriously.
But if you’re a trained user with plenty of experience controlling a board with ease, you could tackle an all-terrain hoverboard that moves over all sorts of obstacles without any inconveniences.
Just remember that the off-road feature comes at a greater price.
Inclination
If you live somewhere hilly or love hitting the skate park with your friends, you need to invest in a hoverboard that can handle 15 degrees of minimum climbing angle, depending on your requirements.
Waterproofing
Hoverboards are mostly fitted with sensitive electronics that can be easily damaged if they are not protected. But kids love playing in the rain or in mud puddles.
This can significantly decrease the life of the hoverboard. And if it doesn’t have waterproofing, it can also cause a short circuit in the electronics, and the board may catch fire.
So always look at the specifications before purchasing a hoverboard to make sure that it has sufficient IPX protection.
Bluetooth Speakers
Bluetooth speakers aren’t a make or break feature of the hoverboards. Are they popular? Yes! But not as important as speed and weight specifications.
These days every high-end hoverboard is fitted with a Bluetooth app connection so you can connect your speakers and play music for fun. But these features increase the overall cost of the hoverboards.
Charging Time
We all wish that we could get our gadgets recharged in the blink of an eye. But how quickly a hoverboard charge depends on how many of its features depend on the batteries.
The more electronic features it has, the more power the battery will require, and a big battery will take a longer time to charge.
So if you want to purchase ones with all the latest high-tech features like; Bluetooth speakers, customizable LED lights, battery indicator lights, and mobile app connections, you have to wait for it to charge.
The hoverboards with these features can take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours to fully charge.
Range
If you want to play on the block with your friends, a hoverboard with a modest range of four to five miles is more than enough.
But if you like planning long trips with your friends, then you’ll need something with a range that can cover distances from 10 miles to 12 miles per hour on a full charge.
Otherwise, you’ll just be wasting your time recharging your batteries to keep up with everyone.
