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Self-Balancing Two-Wheel Scooters

mcwalker

By mcwalker
in 2015

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mcwalker

mcwalker

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My daughter and niece are interested in self-balancing two-wheel scooters this year (and dad might have fun with one, too).  Photo below. These are relatively new on the market and prices have been coming down.  I look forward to seeing whether there are any Black Friday deals on these, but I am also not sure of differences in quality between the different models.  At current pricing, I would probably want to spend in the low end of the price range (preferably $200 and certainly not more than $300), but I don't want something that falls apart or presents more hazard that is inherent to these devices.  A couple of reviews I have heard indicate that they are all fairly similar in quality, which suggests going with the cheapest available.  I am not interested in higher speed, since that is inherently more dangerous, 6 mph / 10 kph is more than enough.

 

Does anyone own one of these?  Do you know anything about the different brands?  Post here if you know a particularly good price for one and we will post if some turn up in the Black Friday ads.

 

Amazon search link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_18?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=self+balancing+two+wheel+scooter&sprefix=self+balancing+two%2Caps%2C130

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41f6yGHjCcL._SX425_.jpg

Edited by mcwalker
angelbabymommy

angelbabymommy

Posted
Posted
I'm also on the look out for one of these for my 13 year old daughter. Our price range is exactly the same too! lol I'm pretty sure I'll end up buying it from Amazon. The price range is in my budget, it will ship free, the reviews are just are 4 star and I've also seen where a protection plan can be purchased.
AuntieJul

AuntieJul

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I saw this for the first time on evine the other night. It was called a Swagway for $400. But it looked pretty neat! I'm still surprised that kids under 18 are required to wear a helmet while operating it. It's also heavy - 22 lbs. Good luck with BF deals for it!
mcwalker

mcwalker

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Don't expect many Black Friday Deals on them, most stores aren't even going to sell them.

http://bgr.com/2015/10/23/black-friday-christmas-hoverboard-deals/

That's an interesting article.  I heard of the patent issue, but hadn't thought about how it might impede a major retailer (who are better targets for lawsuits) from jumping in yet.  Let's see what happens.  I agree that the chance of Black Friday deals is better in a year or two, if only due to the newness of these.

Edited by mcwalker
Dyva247

Dyva247

Posted
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I was going to post the same thing. I am on the hunt for one as well. A friend told me a local pawn shop in her area had 4 brand new in the box scooters and someone snatched them up for....$75.00 a piece!!! Oh how I wish I could have gotten one at that price. We were hoping for a BF sale with Amazon for them since they seem to be the only place outside of ebay to get one. Fingers crossed I score one since they seem to be a hot item this year.

Edited by Dyva247
julieb

julieb

Posted
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THIS is on our list too for my son! I think that Amazon is going to be the best bet as I've yet to see them in the big box stores.

 

My goal is to get it for under $200!

  • Like 1
Dylansmommy

Dylansmommy

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My boys love skateboards and scooters, but so far haven't shown much of an interest in these.  Fingers crossed that they won't! 

 

I would probably pull the trigger now if I was going to buy one.  If the availability is limited to only a couple of venues and the demand keeps increasing, so will the price! 

cd_stl

cd_stl

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We saw these in Indiana at the covered bridge festival this year with a kid riding one. They were $399 there. I would not expect them to be a reasonable price this year but it was really cool. Good Luck on the hunt

nini

nini

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These have been all over YouTube lately. My nephew would love one (& I'd love to test it out too). I wish I would have made it to that covered bridge festival to see them up close.
onemill

onemill

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I need two of these!!! And it would be great to get them for $250-ish not $299.  I like that WOOT has them...but I am going to wait and see if I can get a better deal.  Makes me nervous to wait though...

Deal Grabber

Deal Grabber

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I thought about getting these for my kids but a few things are stopping me, they dont go well on sidewalks due to cracks, if you hit a rock in the road your gonna go flying, and if your thinking about riding it through stores or in the malls, the are banned here. Just a few things to keep in mind :)

mcwalker

mcwalker

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  • Author
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The Kohls Black Friday ad has a self-balancing board marketed by Sharper Image at $369.99, which is not a good price.

 

I see that the red one that magicalight posted above from Amazon has actually dropped to $255 with free shipping, which is a good deal.  That may be as good as we get this year.

wittenlover

wittenlover

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A teenager was on one of these things in Meijer the other day and about ran me over on it because he wasn't really paying attention... First time I'd seen one up close. They look cool but folks *have* to pay attention if they're going to ride them, especially in relatively tight and/or crowded areas. Good luck on your hunt!

swamperjmb

swamperjmb

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I saw one of these at the KC Royals parade and wondered what it was. Never even heard of them. I work at Kohl's, so it will be interesting to see if we sell any. I am sure we will only get a very small quantity.
mcwalker

mcwalker

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I mentioned above that the Kohl's Black Friday ad has a Sharper Image-branded self-balancing board for $369.99, and that does not look like a very good price.  But actually, when you consider the Kohls Cash that you get on Black Friday, it is not a bad deal.

 

With the $369.99 purchase (assuming you make other purchases) you will get $111 back in Kohls Cash ($15 for each $50), so the net total is $259.

 

That is a pretty good price for these.  Moreover, since you are buying from a U.S. store and the reputable Sharper Image brand name, the warranty and opportunity to return it if there is a problem is much better than if you buy from an Amazon Marketplace seller, most of which are based in China for these self balancing boards.

 

You will pay sales tax on the higher amount, but the Kohls Cash and more reliable warranty might make this a worthwhile route for some.

Edited by mcwalker
  • Like 1
ckmommy

ckmommy

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My neighbor is selling them--I'm not sure where or how...My kids were at his house playing with this "toy."  His is called a swagway. My kids loved it, but I think he is selling them for over $300--way too much money for my pocketbook at Christmas.  Maybe the kids will get their fix and not want one anymore after playing with it all the time--doubt it though.

Dyva247

Dyva247

Posted
Posted

I mentioned above that the Kohl's Black Friday ad has a Sharper Image-branded self-balancing board for $369.99, and that does not look like a very good price. But actually, when you consider the Kohls Cash that you get on Black Friday, it is not a bad deal.

 

With the $369.99 purchase (assuming you make other purchases) you will get $111 back in Kohls Cash ($15 for each $50), so the net total is $259.

 

That is a pretty good price for these. Moreover, since you are buying from a U.S. store and the reputable Sharper Image brand name, the warranty and opportunity to return it if there is a problem is much better than if you buy from an Amazon Marketplace seller, most of which are based in China for these self balancing boards.

 

You will pay sales tax on the higher amount, but the Kohls Cash and more reliable warranty might make this a worthwhile route for some.

They are higher on the Sharper Image site. This is a decent price wish I knew more about all the models that are out there. Do they all hold the same charge time? Do they all go the same speed etc...

Pnambic

Pnambic

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The self-balancing aspect of these is not as good as we've seen on Segways.

I saw these all over SEMA last week and watched 4 different people fall off of them at different times.

 

If you're good on a skateboard or on roller blades, you'll likely have no problem.  But if you're not, you may want to get a helmet and pads.  Just saying.  The falls I saw were painful.

 

As mentioned above, the wheels are small enough to be hindered by cracks on pavement and rocks and even transitions from tile/linoleum to carpet or through doorways.

Kandy

Kandy

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I've been looking at these too for my so n for college going between classes.   He wants a Segway that can even be used through the snow... but they are a over priced.  Looking at one place its $230 / month for 60 months... okay can you say car payment  http://shop.segwayofalabama.com/

 

Ive been watching the swagways on tv, thinking this may be an alternative.

Edited by Kandy
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