Swagboard Spectra Electric Skateboard REVIEW

When I was younger, I always had an interest in skateboarding. I would ride my skateboard and felt pretty confident in my skills. In the past few years, I haven’t had much of a chance to really enjoy skateboarding and when the opportunity for me to try the Spectra Mini Electric A.I. Skateboard by SWAGBOARD came up, I jumped at it. I was super excited when I heard of this skateboard as I have been looking for another outdoor activity to do after school. I was becoming bored with the same old routine and now that it is here, I can go out and skate around with friends while listening to music and learning this new activity.

DETAILS

The Spectra Mini is classified as a ‘penny board’ which is a type of plastic skateboard known as a ‘short cruiser’. They are known for being smaller in size than standard boards. The Spectra Mini is different than those ‘traditional’ penny boards in that it’s made with a maple board instead of plastic. It’s still small measuring only 23 inches in length. It is quite a bit heavier than traditional boards though (approximately 9.2 lbs) due to the electronics/motor located on the board. The Spectra Mini can travel quite a distance (up to 5.6 miles) at a top speed of 9.3 miles per hour on a full battery charge. The board charges with a convenient MagCharger that snaps onto its magnetic charging port. After a 22–30 minute charge, the board can be ready to ride. The board uses regenerative braking technology that will recharge your board when you decelerate or descend down a hill.

In addition to its premium design, the Spectra Mini has a few additional special features like the SenDeck gyroscopic sensors that detect changes in your posture and riding style. The board features a built-in A.I. self-learning system that will learn how you ride to improve your overall experience. Since it’s a ‘connected’ board, you do need the mobile app (available on iOS and Android) for keeping the board updated and operating it. The eboard Go App is a Bluetooth App Remote that controls firmware upgrades, speed modes, and monitors the battery status of the board.

With the help of the mobile app, you can use your smartphone as a remote to adjust your speed and accelerate. You always have the option to move in a more traditional method and use the app’s Pedal To Go Mode to get a boost when you kick off.

Additional Features:

• Turning Assist: The skateboard’s hub motor engages an optimized differential to help smooth out each turn you make.
• Hands-Free Riding: A 3D posture control system uses pressure sensors beneath its SenDeck to allow you to control the Spectra Mini by shifting your weight.
• Ultra-bright LED Indicators: From sunrise to sundown, the electric skateboard’s LED indicators show its current battery status and alert oncoming cars or pedestrians of your presence.

USER EXPERIENCE

The skateboard arrived in a pretty standard retail box. The exterior of the box has an image of the product with the name clearly printed on it. The skateboard is surrounded by Styrofoam and is well stabilized inside the box. It comes packaged with a user guide, skateboard key, and power supply. I was pretty taken with the quality of the skateboard when we unboxed it. It was very stylish and built with the same premium quality that some larger brands feature. Other than its size, the Spectra Mini doesn’t really remind me of a penny board at all.

The weight of it is disproportionate to its size in my opinion. I have actually ridden it quite a bit in our neighborhood and found myself with a dead battery pretty quickly. When that happens, it’s pretty awkward to have to haul back to my house. If something could be modified to make it just a little lighter, that would be amazing.

Aside from its weight, I don’t have a lot of complaints. The Spectra Mini has a good smooth ride to it. I feel as though it takes a lot of skill to get the board to turn to the side when you are going around corners. It’s really fun to crouch down and ride from a low angle and the app is easy to use. I’ve had a few experiences with personal electronic transportation devices and found the eboard Go App to be one of the easiest to use. In addition to the app giving you remote control over the board, you can also lean forward or backward to start moving. Whenever you lift your foot off the front of the board, it slows the board down long enough for you to hop off.

CONCLUSION

The Spectra Mini is a really fun transportation device that I can see being very handy in smaller communities or on college campuses (as suggested on the Swagtron website). It will move really fast when you need it to and you get a good feeling riding it. I have had experience with other electronic skateboards, hoverboards, and eBikes. Out of all of those options, I like the Spectra Mini the best along with my hoverboard. I love it and anyone looking to enhance their transportation options will too.

For more information, visit swagtron.com.
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Originally published at macsources.com on September 19, 2018.