Paxson Lim, Author at Electric Skateboard HQ

October 27, 2022November 12, 2022 by Paxson Lim

All-new Eovan GTO Silo – All-Terrain Electric Skateboard with Gear Drive!

After a year of hiatus, Eovan is putting out a new board to the market – The Eovan GTO Silo.

TLDR: Eovan GTO Silo is a gear-drive all-terrain electric longboard starting at $1,349(belt drive) & $1,549(gear drive). It has a carbon fiber double-drop deck, uses DKP trucks that can be converted to RKP, and support both 150mm pneumatic wheels and 125mm airless wheels.

For those who are unfamiliar with Eovan, the brand made its name a few years ago with Eovan GTS Carbon Pro. This all-terrain electric skateboard quickly gained popularity amongst eskate enthusiasts for its beefy specs, carbon fiber deck, and for its relatively wallet-friendly price. Evidently, this formula had served Eovan well, as Eovan had stuck with it with the subsequent release – Eovan Carbon Super last year, and the new Eovan GTO Silo today.

Check out Eovan GTO Silo by clicking here.

A sporty look – with a carbon fiber deck

Eovan has always been very good at designing boards that look sleek and sporty. But of course, any electric skateboard will look good with a carbon fiber deck. For the new GTO Silo, Eovan claims they’ve used better carbon fiber for the deck at a higher cost to further improve its toughness and durability. The deck is 39 inches (100cm) in length and 11 inches (28cm) in width, and have a comfortable concave to help rider secure their feet.

The deck was designed to be stiff hence prioritizing stability and control. On the flip side, road vibration on the GTO Silo would be worse as compared to boards with flexible wooden decks, and that’s probably why Eovan put a lot of hexagon foam grips on the deck.

Very beefy specs – 12s5p molicels

As per tradition, Eovan tried to pack as much into the GTO Silo as possible.

For battery, it went with a gigantic pack of Molicel P42 battery(21700 cells) in 12s5p configuration. This 21AH battery pack promised up to 31miles (50km) of range, which is higher than most electric skateboards in this category.

For context, Evolve Carbon Hadean, Exway Atlas and Meepo Hurricane all come with a smaller 12s4p battery pack. Besides, Molicel are great battery cells, so this wasn’t the case of ‘using cheap cells to pad up the specs’.

Gear Drive debut

While the carbon fiber deck is cool and the battery is great, what interested us the most about the Eovan GTO Silo is the gear drive.

This is the first time Eovan put a gear drive into any of its boards.

The previous Eovan boards were all runs on belt drives, which were good in providing torque and power but weren’t as ‘fuel efficient’ as hubs or gear drives. (Also, belts needed to be changed from time to time.)

You do get different motor noises with gear drives (which often are higher pitched), but Eovan claims this gear drive they are using is quieter than its belt predecessor. Anyways, hardly anyone cares about motor noise unless it is annoyingly loud and from the looks of it, the gear drives on GTO Silo won’t be.

With 2 x 3500W motor (6374, 170kv) driving it, the board has plenty of power, with a marketed top speed of 36mph+ (58kmh+). Not many people feel comfortable riding that fast, but having this much power means no hill is too steep, and quicker take-off from traffic stops.

For those who don’t buy into the gear drive hype, going with the belt version ($1,349) will save you $200 bucks.

Hobbywing ESC – industry standard

It’s important to have smooth and intuitive speed control to pair with a high top speed, and Hobbywing ESC will definitely give you that.

The previous Eovans’ has been using VESC with proprietary settings, while VESC sounds better on paper, many riders find fault with how Eovan had the setting configured right out of the box.

While eskate enthusiasts might prefer a VESC as it allows user customization, we think most eskater will prefer not to go through the trouble and instead, get a well-tuned ESC right out of the box, and that’s exactly what Hobbywing ESC is going to get you.

Hobbywing ESC has more than proven itself and is almost universally loved, so going with it makes perfect sense in our mind.

Trucks – to DKP or not to DKP

Double Kingpin Trucks (DKP) are a common choice for big heavy all-terrain electric skateboards in order to make turning easier and the turning radius smaller. However, many DKP critics had argued that, for a board that’s clearly designed to go fast (which GTO Silo clearly was), going with a more turn-y and less stable DKP doesn’t make sense.

Plus, not all double kingpin trucks are created equal, and the previous trucks that Eovan uses were reported to be, well..,bad. (A lot of slopes, poor return to center.)

So, it is good news that the trucks on the GTO Silo have been reworked, and it’s not the same double kingpin trucks from the older Eovans.

On top of that, the new trucks are designed to allow conversion between DKP set-up and regular reversed kingpin set-up, giving DKP haters an easy way to convert back into good ol’ RKP trucks.

So…
Will the new redesigned DKP trucks be good?
Will the reversed kingpin set-up please DKP-haters?
Or will this feature be a terrible gimmick, resulting in a truck that can neither turn well nor remain stable?

We are looking forward to finding out!

Wheels – big AT and smaller AT wheels

Eovan GTO Silo comes with two wheel options. A 155mm AT pneumatic wheel, and a 125mm airless rubber wheel for semi-AT uses. The board has a 3.9-inch (10cm) clearance from the floor, so street wheels are definitely out of the question.

Eovan GTO Silo – Specification at a glance:

Deck: 39 inch x11 inch (100CM x 28.8CM)
Electronic Speed Controller: 12s Hobbywing ESC; 4-speed modes, smart turn-on, in-app customization feature
Battery: 21AH; 12S5P; 907.2 Wh Molicel P42 (21700)
Marketed Range: 31-37miles (50~60 km)
Motors: Gear Drive, 2 x 3500W motor (6374, 170kv)
Marketed Top Speed: 36mph+ (58kmh+)
Trucks: Double Kingpin Truck (convertible to RKP)
Wheels: 155mm AT pneumatic wheel/125mm airless rubber wheel
Weight: 35.2lbs (16kg)
Price: $1,349(belt drive) & $1,549(gear drive)

Check out our infographics and comparison chart to visualize how Eovan GTO Silo stacks up

Final words – Eovan GTO Silo:

For the starting price of $1,349, Eovan GTO Silo tops the competition with its specs. It has a bigger battery than the also-recently-released Meepo Hurricane Ultra, and is much cheaper than the $1,599 Exway Atlas Pro.

With that said, it is still quite hard to predict how well the Eovan GTO Silo will be received, as anything short of an amazing riding experience will be a huge disappointment for boards at this price. However, with everything we already know about the board, from the battery to the ESC, GTO Silo looks promising, lets’s just hope the new truck rides well.

Definitely a board worth keeping an eye out for.

Check out Eovan GTO Silo by clicking here.

May 27, 2022May 31, 2022 by Paxson Lim

Possway T3 Review – more range and comfort

Possway has been around for a while and we’ve been ignoring it as long as we could. You see, as new affordable electric skateboard brands from China are dime a dozen, it takes a lot of work for smaller new brands to stand a chance. After all, existing big players have the advantage of mass production for low costs.

It’s a good thing that Possway fought long enough and now has a board we can’t ignore—the Possway T3.

Possway T3 offers a big 7.8 Ah battery and 105 mm Cloudwheels Donut clones right off the box for $499. The board also has dual 500W hub motors, which is above average for boards under $500.

So, if the big battery, big motor, and big wheels perform as well as they should on paper, Possway T3 could be one of the top choices for affordable electric skateboards. Let’s go step by step and run through the specs.

Possway T3 Build and Specs

Electronic Speed Control: LingYi ESC
Deck: 37” inch drop deck, W concave, 1-ply bamboo, 8-ply maple, medium flex
Battery: 7.8 Ah, 10s3p
Marketed Range: 17 miles / 28 km
Motors: 500 W * 2 dual hub
Marketed Top Speed: 32 mph or 52 km/h
Trucks: Non-branded, 45° Caliber clone
Wheels: 105 mm Cloudwheel Donuts clone

Possway T3 uses a 37” drop deck with a nice W-concave to keep your feet comfortable. The deck is made out of 1-ply bamboo and 8-ply maple with a medium flex. Flip it over and you’ll see a dual plastic enclosure housing a LingYi electronic speed controller and the big 7.8 Ah 10s3p configured battery.

This battery adds up to 280.8 watt-hours and has a marketed range of 17 miles or 28 km. We put it to the test and our 210 lbs or 95 kg riders only got 11 miles or 18 km out of riding it at full speed.

As for the trucks, Possway T3 uses non-branded ones that look like a Caliber clone. These are 45-degree trucks that come in tight. The wheels are 105 mm Cloudwheels Donut clones. These wheels are great for absorbing road vibrations.

The dual 500W motors, on the other hand, advertise 32 mph or 52 km/h top speed. Sadly, we only got 28.5 mph or 46 km/h from it.

To know more about dual hub motors, click here.

So, while both the top speed and range are pretty great, they did not rise to the marketing figures. Next, let’s talk about the riding experience.

Riding Experience

Overall, we would describe the riding experience of the Possway T3 as comfortable and relaxing but unexciting. Here are our thoughts on the ‘unexciting’ part.

The Possway T3 is not powerful and there isn’t much thrill from it. The dual 500W motors looked powerful on paper but were merely decent on the streets.

The accelerations are pretty meek and for heavy riders, it might struggle on uphill roads. Still, the board is gentle and relaxing to ride. The LingYi ESC on this Possway T3 is perfectly smooth and intuitive in all 4 accelerations and brake modes.

Similar to the speed control, the board is equally comfortable and relaxing to maneuver.

The deck of the T3 is definitely the highlight of the board. Its drop-down design allows great stability with a lower riding height. Although, the low ground clearance might limit your choices for ride locations.

To check out other boards under $500, click here.

The concave of the deck was also a huge help for controlling the board better. The deck is wider at both ends which allows better foot placement. This is perfect for those with large shoe sizes.

The trucks also add to the stable and relaxing nature of the Possway T3. These trucks are geared towards stability over responsiveness. The Possway T3 will feel very stable and relaxing even at top speed.

Another strong point for the T3 would be its ride comfort on rough pavements. The 105 mm wheels combined with a flexible deck made the T3 one of the more comfortable boards for excruciatingly poor road conditions.

To check out our review on Cloudwheel Donuts, click here.

The VERDICT

All in all, the nice numbers on paper only told us little about the Possway T3. In fact, the dual hub motors with big wattage don’t give the equivalent power it should. This has to be the biggest weakness of the board.

However, Possway T3 did a lot of things better than its competition. Namely, better range, bigger 105 mm wheels for those who prefer it, and a pretty nice deck and truck combination for a relaxing, stable, and comfortable ride.

Even though the board did not perform up to our initial expectation (which was very high), the Possway T3 is still objectively a good board providing good value for money.

Beginners will appreciate it for maximizing ride comfort and stability. It’s also a great choice for eskate commuters who want more range and stability on poorly paved roads.

Nice one, Possway. We’ll keep tabs on the next one.

If you are interested in buying the Possway, be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and use code: “ESKATEHQ” to receive $15 off during check out.
It will help you get a small monetary discount and help us out too. On top of that, you’ll be tagged as an Electric Skateboard HQ customer and probably be treated better. Cheers!

May 2, 2022May 21, 2022 by Paxson Lim

Tynee Board Classic Review – ‘safest choice’ under $500?

There are a lot of options for budget electric skateboards for less than $500. You’ll be spoiled with different combinations of specs, and it’ll be up to you which eskates match your style. The top pick at this time would no doubt be the WowGo 2s Max and the Meepo V4, but we’re not at the finish line yet. Say hello to the Tynee Board Classic, competing for the third spot. And who knows, for some rider it might even be THE board to get.

How good is the Tynee Board Classic? Well, spoiler alert, we think it is the boring safe choice for anyone looking for a comfortable budget electric skateboard. It also embodies the current standard for entry-level electric skateboards. First, let’s go through the specs.

Build and Specs

ESC: 10s Hobbywing ESC with smart power-on
Batteries: 5 Ah – 10s2p Samsung 25R; 8.7 Ah – 10s3p DMEGC 29E cell
Marketed range: 5 Ah – 12 miles or 19 km; 8.7 Ah – 22 miles or 35 km
Motors: 350W Hobbywing
Marketed top speed: 23 mph or 38 kph
Trucks: Tynee PE Trucks; upgraded from Paris V3
Wheels: 90mm street wheels; Cloudwheel Donuts compatible

Let’s begin with the electronic speed controller. Tynee Board Classic uses 10s Hobbywing ESC with smart power-on. For those who don’t know, Hobbywing ESC is now the most common choice and safe choice for speed control. It has always provided smooth and intuitive speed control.

As for the battery, there are two options. The Tynee Board Classic at $449 uses a 5 Ah Samsung 25R. This is a fairly common and good choice. The battery configuration is 10s2p, meaning it has a 180wh pack. Pull up the bubble chart, and you can see that 180wh is the median battery size you can expect from a sub-$500 board.

Good Deal for DMEGC 313wh Battery Pack

The other option at $509 is a bigger 313wh pack, configured at 10s3p with DMEGC 29E cell. While DMEGC cells are not well-known, a 313wh battery pack for $500 is a good deal.

The review unit we received at the headquarters is the 5AH Tynee Board Classic. This version has a marketed range of 12 miles or 19 km. When we tested it out, our 210lbs/95kg test rider managed to get 7.5 miles or 12 km out of it.

Both the marketed range and the tested range are typical for electric skateboards under $500. We weren’t able to test out the 8.7AH version, but it has a marketed range of 22 miles or 35 km.

To check out our review on the Tynee Board Mini, click here.

Cloudwheels Donut Compatible

Next, let’s talk about the motors. The Tynee Board Classic uses a set of 350W motors from Hobbywing. These are pretty average motors for this price range. The top speed is 23mph or 38km/h, which is again, typical.

As for the wheels, Tynee Board Classic has an option for 90mm street wheels and is also compatible with Cloudwheel Donuts.

The deck uses authentic Canadian maple with medium flex and mild concave. This is great news for those who enjoy a flexible deck for its smoother ride and better carving feel. Major competitors in the sub-$500 category chose stiffer decks.

Now, let’s go to the trucks. The Tynee Board Classic uses its proprietary Tynee PE trucks. From our previous reviews, these trucks have been fairly decent and consistent with stability. The Tynee PE trucks are also upgraded from the Paris V3.

The $449 and $509 versions of Tynee Board Classic weigh 15.4 lbs or 7.0 kg and are rated to be IP54 waterproof. Again, a waterproof rating doesn’t mean much in the electric skateboarding world. Perhaps the Tynee Classic is a tad bit more waterproof than its competitors, but we would never recommend riding the board when it’s wet outside.

Classic Specs for a Classic Ride

At this point, you might notice that the Tynee Board Classic has simply gone with what’s known to work. Besides offering an 8.7 Ah version, which is a great value for the price, both the motor and ESC are just typical choices that are common for the board’s price.

What sets Tynee Board Classic from its competitors would be its choice of electronic parts. We bet seasoned eskaters can already imagine what kind of ride profile the board has just by going through the specs on paper.

To check out our review on the Tynee Board Ultra, click here.

Riding Experience

Unsurprisingly, the Tynee Board Classic has super smooth acceleration and brakes thanks to Hobbywing ESC. Both acceleration and brakes are nice and strong. The 350W hub motors are quiet and competent. Although they are not the most powerful or thrilling motors, inclines are handled pretty well.

The board is quite nice for carving. The Tynee PE trucks, while inferior to branded premium trucks in responsiveness, are still nice and responsive with a good return to center. The trucks provide a stable ride even when going at full speed. I think most casual or beginner riders would appreciate Tynee going with a stable truck that allows an easy and relaxing ride.

What the Tynee Board Classic is bad at would be what all dual-hub boards are bad at—fighting road vibrations on rough pavements. Still, the Tynee Board Classic does a better job at it than most other dual hub boards thanks to the flexible deck. The flexible deck absorbs part of the shock, but it’s still very uncomfortable and will convince you to spend on Cloudwheel Donuts.

To check out our review on Cloudwheel Donuts, click here.

THE VERDICT

All in all, the Tynee Board Classic has competitive specs, adequate power, smooth acceleration, and stable rides, but is not exactly the most exciting board in town. It is, however, an affordable, comfortable, and competent electric longboard that suits someone who just wants a relaxing ride.

While the same praise could be sung louder for its competitor, WowGo 2s Max AKA our pick for the best budget electric skateboard at the moment, Tynee Board Classic offers a different ride taste with a flexible deck instead of WowGo’s stiff deck. Another flex the Tynee Board Classic has would be its bigger battery if you choose the 8.7 AH version.

If you’re the type to prefer a classic approach on eskate parts that have worked throughout the years, then the Tynee Board Classic is definitely a good choice for a good price.

RIDE SAFE, GUYS.

For more reviews, news, and discussions on electric skateboards, visit Electric Skateboard HQ!

April 11, 2022October 17, 2023 by Paxson Lim

Meepo Hurricane Review – Great board, where does it stand?

For the review of the 2023 Meepo Hurricane Vader, click here.

Meepo Board is traditionally known to make powerful boards at the best “price-performance” ratio. The brand is always your go-to choice for eskates in the sub-$500 segment. Although, they’re having less recognition for higher-priced boards. Meepo Board changes the game in 2021 with Meepo Hurricane. This $1699 board has been overwhelmingly popular in the eskate community. So, what sets this all-terrain carbon fiber board apart from its peers? How is it different from other 2-in-1 boards that use the Evolve formula? Let’s find out.

Build and specs of Meepo Hurricane

Deck: T700 carbon fiber, double-drop, wide concave, stiff deck, top-access electronic compartment
ESC: LingYi FOC ESC 70 Belt, 4-speed modes, push-to-start feature
Marketed Top Speed: 35mph or 56km/h
Motors: 3500 W * 2
Batteries: 12s4p Molicel P42A
Marketed Range: 31miles or 50km
Trucks: Double Kingpin Truck
Wheels: 155mm pneumatic wheels; 90mm street wheels
Board Weight: 34 lbs or 15.4 kg
Warranty: 1-year guarantee

Meepo Hurricane uses a T700 Carbon Fiber double-drop deck with a built-in, top-access electronic compartment. We didn’t really know what T700 carbon fiber is until we were researching for this review and apparently, it’s commonly used in drone cameras. This type of carbon fiber reduces the probability of cracks.

The deck is also wide and has a full concave. There’s no flex on the board. The carbon fiber is stiff and it’s designed with wave lines that look sleek yet adds a military theme.

Top-access electronic compartment

Inside the carbon fiber deck, you’ll find a giant battery with a 12s4p configuration using Molicel P42A. This is considered a great cell in the market. It adds up to 725.8 watt-hours, which is the third biggest battery pack you can find on any 2-in-1 board. In terms of specs, it’s behind by only a few watts than the Ownboard Zeus’s 13s4p 899wh and Eovan GTS Carbon’s 12s4p 852Wh pack. Okay maybe not ‘a few’, but you get the point.

Big bubble (high top speed) third highest on the chart

This 725.8wh battery pack gave Meepo a marketed range of 31miles or 50km on all-terrain wheels, and 44 miles or 70km range on street wheels.

Our 210lbs or 95kg test rider put the numbers to the test and got 18.5miles or 30km out of the AT set up. With street wheels, we got 31 miles or 50km.

In our range test, we tried as much as possible to ride. You could probably get the higher advertised range with lighter weight or by riding conservatively.

Electronic Speed control – Hello again, LingYi ESC

For the electronic speed controller, Meepo uses their usual LingYi ESC and they got the latest and greatest version, as always. Hurricane is installed with LingYi FOC 70 Belt with a push-to-start feature. It has 4-speed modes and 4 brake modes that can be set independently of each other.

Meepo Hurricane also uses Double Kingpin Trucks. In the riding experience, we’ll see if these trucks blend well with 155mm pneumatic wheels. Purchasing Meepo Hurricane also comes with 90mm street wheels if it matches your preferences better. You can also swap these wheels for other semi-AT wheels like Cloudwheels or Meepo’s 110mm Cyclone wheels.

To check out our Meepo NLS Belt Review, click here.

Dual Belt drive – 3500W belt motor

Powering these wheels is a set of 3500W belt motors. Motor wattage means little at this price range, but just for those who are interested, these numbers are the highest out of all belt-driven boards in our database.

With these motors, the Meepo Hurricane has a top speed of 35mph or 56km/h and we managed to only hit 31mph or 50km/h. Although the 35mph was not met, 31mph is still very fast.

The board weighs in at 34 lbs or 15.4 kg and comes with a 1-year warranty.

As you can see, Meepo does what they do best with the Meepo Hurricane – offering beefy specs for its asking price. What’s unexpected for me is how well built and well polished the board is.

If Meepo Hurricane is the first Meepo, you might have no idea that the company has its roots as an affordable brand. While looks can be subjective, I think everyone will agree that this is the best-looking Meepo ever seen.

Riding experience of Meepo Hurricane

Now, let’s move off the specs on paper and onto the road.

The highlight of the Meepo Hurricane is its power. Meepo loves injecting loads of power into their boards and that’s definitely what happened here.

Out of all 2-in-1 boards in the market, the Meepo Hurricane ranks high on the list, beating any other board that isn’t a 4-wheel drive.

Power: Meepo Hurricane VS Exway Atlas

Comparing its acceleration or power against Exway Atlas, Meepo Hurricane is way stronger than the 2-wheel drive version of Atlas and almost as strong as Atlas’ 4-wheel drive.

However, the Atlas 4-wheel drive has better torque than Hurricane and can start from a complete stop even on thick grass. Hurricane struggles with this acceleration feature. The 4-wheel drive Exway Atlas also has more grip in offroading and when going up very steep hills, more so when the roads are slippery.

LingYi catches up with Hobbywing ESC

With all that power on the board, it’s no surprise that the Meepo Hurricane also has good speed control. We can finally say that the control smoothness of the latest LingYi ESC is now indistinguishable from the gold-standard set by Hobbywing ESC.

Meepo Hurricane has 4-speed modes, and all are smooth and intuitive. Mode 1 and 2 are tame, probably intended for casual riding, while mode 3 and mode 4 are thrillingly powerful. Having 4 different modes for braking also allows you to choose between gentler braking to having a very strong brake on the 4th brake mode. Those who love strong brakes would be really happy with the brakes here.

To check out our Meepo V4 Review, click here.

Double Kingpin trucks geared towards stability

Meepo clearly wants Hurricane to be ridden fast, as even the double kingpin truck on Hurricane is geared towards stability rather than for fun carving. The trucks are not the most agile and the board remains comfortably stable at high speed.

However, this also means that the Hurricane is not your best option for carving. Stiff deck, big wheels, and tight trucks are all minus points for fun carving, and we don’t feel much temptation to carve around when we are on the Hurricane.

This is in contrast to the Exway Atlas, which is geared towards responsive trucks that are more fun to carve with, but less stable at high speed.

Built for speed and stability

Besides the trucks, the rest of Hurricane’s built speaks stability, too. The carbon fiber deck is wide and has a nice concave to it. It feels nice and stable underneath the feet. The double-drop deck also allows a low to ground ride feel, further adding to the stability. Stiff decks don’t bounce, which is yet another point for a stable high-speed ride.

With all that said, designing a board this way has a few trade-offs. For starters, a low ride height also means low ground clearance, and your beautiful carbon fiber deck is just one tall bumper away from becoming less beautiful.

The stiff deck and relatively smaller 155mm pneumatic wheels mean going off-road on gravel, and small rocks aren’t as comfortable as other 2-in-1 boards with bigger wheels and flexible decks.

Going with street wheels further exacerbates both of these problems, where the board bottoms out on each bumper and becomes unbearable when riding on poorly paved roads.

To avoid feeling every small crack and bump, we would recommend skipping the 90mm street and going for semi-AT wheels like the 105mm cloud wheels, or anything bigger. The safest bet is to stick to the AT set-up.

THE VERDICT- Should you buy Meepo Hurricane?

You see, it has been more than half a year since the initial launch of the Meepo Hurricane and even as the hype cooled, the board remains wildly popular. We think all this love is well-deserved, as Meepo Hurricane not only hit it out of the park when it comes to delivering maximum value for the price, it also has an amazing look and amazing polish to go with it.

While the similarly priced Exway Atlas 2-wheel-drive is a better carving board and has some fun features such as having a smartphone app, Meepo Hurricane has a much better range and better power. So, whether you are looking for an all-terrain board that speaks power and stability, or simply want a polished AT board that tops the competition with specs, Meepo Hurricane is the board for you. Do look elsewhere, if you want a board that has maximum carving fun, or looking to do hardcore off-roading.

RIDE SAFE, GUYS!

If you are interested in buying the Meepo, be sure to check out our affiliate link here.
You’ll be tagged as an Electric Skateboard HQ customer and probably be treated better. Cheers!

March 10, 2022July 27, 2023 by Paxson Lim

Wowgo 2S Max Review – The best budget electric skateboard.

Not too long ago, we crowned the Wowgo 2S Pro as the best budget electric skateboard under $500. So imagine our surprise that just after 7 months, Wowgo find the need to one-up themselves and released Wowgo 2S Max as an update for the 2s Pro.

From Wowgo 2s Pro to 2s Max:

The obvious key changes are

slight upgrade in motor wattage (500W -> 550W) and top speed (25mph ->28mph),
giving the option of 105mm Honeycomb wheels for an extra $120.
update in ESC

Unfortunately, the improvement doesn’t come free, as the $479 Wowgo 2S Max also saw a small price bump from $429 of the 2S Pro to $479.99 for the 2S Max. While it is a pretty foregone conclusion that the 2S Max will inherit the throne of being the best budget electric skateboard, we will have to examine if there is any flaw to the package.

As usual, let’s run through the specs to be clear about those theoretical upgrades…

Build and specs – Wowgo 2s Max

Deck: Canadian Maple, bamboo, and fiberglass; subtle concave with no camber/rocker
ESC: Hobbywing ESC; 4-speed modes, smart power-on
Marketed Top Speed: 28 mph / 45 kph
Motors: 550 W * 2 hub motors
Batteries: 12s2p, 5.0Ah, 50.4V
Marketed Range: 14.3 miles / 23 km (90mm wheels)
Trucks: Poseidon Trucks
Wheels: 90mm street wheels / 105mm honeycomb wheels
Board Weight: 18lbs / 8.2kg

Design & Deck – Wowgo 2s Max

The WowGo 2S Max’s deck is a combination of Canadian Maple, bamboo, and fiberglass. It only has a mild flex to it, and it’s even slightly stiffer than the 2S Pro. It also has a wide but subtle concave and is flat without any camber or rocker. As an upgrade, Wowgo put on a foam grip tape to improve vibration absorption for the 2S Max. However, this made the concave of the deck less prominent and our feet felt less secure during carving and rides.

The design on the grip tapes and the backside of the deck is pretty nice, too. The trident graphic gets to stay, and there’s another option of a new black design which looks pretty cool as well.

Trident underneath the deck (photo of 2s Pro)

For the electronic speed controller, the WowGo 2S Max used the 12s Hobbywing ESC which received minor updates from the one on 2S Pro. It also has the smart power-on feature, of course.

Hobbywing ESC Turbo

It is a given that speed control with the 12s Hobbywing ESC is going to be strong, silky smooth, and intuitive, but we are still looking to see if the “minor update” did anything to improve on that.

There are 4-speed modes, with the highest speed mode named Turbo.

And per usual, it uses the elegant remote that comes with telemetry.

Now, let’s look at the trucks. These are the same Poseidon trucks that Wowgo developed for the Wowgo 2S Pro. The trucks look to be Caliber II clones, are 8- inches 50° with 85 A bushing. From our previous review, we know it is a truck that prioritizes stability over maneuverability.

To check out our Wowgo 2S Pro review, click here.

Wowgo 2s Max have one of the strongest hubs

As for the motors, the 2S Max received a 50W boost per motor and now uses 550W dual hub motors. Judging by the numbers on paper, 550W motors will be amongst the strongest hub motors of all entry-level hub boards, with only the Meepo V4 Shuffle beating it at 620W x 2. To give you more context, most entry-level eskates use 400-450W hubs.

As a result, this 550W gave an improved marketed top speed of 28 mph (45 kph) and it did exactly that on our top-speed test.

There are also 105mm hub-sleeves and semi-all terrain wheels available. We will talk about how they perform later.

For the standard wheels, WowGo 2S Max is using 78A soft PU wheels, which is pretty usual for entry-level boards.

And when it comes to power, Wowgo 2S Max uses a 12S2P 5.0 AH battery. This gave a battery pack of 216wh in size and had a marketed range of 14.3miles (23km).

With regular street wheels, our 200lbs (90kg) test rider managed to get only 10miles(16km).
With the 105mm honeycomb wheels installed, our test rider got 8.6miles (14km) out of a full charge.

The range is exactly the same as what we get from the previous Wowgo 2S Pro which has very similar battery stats at 5.2AH. Although Wowgo kind of overstated the range, 10miles is the usual range for boards below $500, so we weren’t exactly disappointed or surprised here.

Battery size vs price, you can see that everybody <$500 has a similar battery size.
(Bubble size = motor wattage, bigger is more powerful)

The board weighed in at 18 lbs (8.2kg) and comes with a 6-month warranty.

Riding Experience of Wowgo 2s Max

Now that we know the build and specs, it’s time to ride!

First, let’s talk about speed control. Wowgo 2S Max’s speed and speed control are perfect as expected of the 12s Hobbywing ESC. Both acceleration and braking of the 2S Max are buttery smooth and intuitive. The brake strength is very strong, even stronger than the previous 2S Pro. This is great news as most riders eventually learn to love and prefer strong brakes, especially when the brakes are smooth and intuitive like they always are with Hobbywing ESC.

To know more about electronic speed controllers (ESCs), click here.

Powerful Even With Semi-AT Wheels

When it comes to the torque, the 550W hub motors perform incredibly well. By using one of the strongest hub motors amongst the entry-level hub boards, Wowgo 2S Max is powerful enough for any hills on your path. Although the torque and thrill are still a step behind what a set of powerful belt motors could offer, the Wowgo 2S Max is still one of the strongest hub boards amongst all the entry-level boards we’ve tested.

Having a powerful motor is important especially when you plan to put on the bigger 105mm wheels. With the semi-AT wheels, torque, and braking from Wowgo 2s Max goes from quite strong to just “strong”. A board with lesser power would have a ride feel of “no power” at all if installed with semi-AT wheels.

Stability over responsiveness

When it comes to maneuvering the board, it was, unsurprisingly, the same as it was with the older 2S Pro. Carving is fairly fun but more on the tight side, as the Poseidon trucks prioritized stability over maneuverability. The board has a good return to center and feels very stable at high speed.

Honeycomb Wheels Reduces Around 20% of Road Vibrations

The honeycomb wheels are alright, too. On smooth roads, it’s less fun to carve with the 105mm honeycomb wheels as it takes away the silky smoothness of soft urethane wheels. On rough pavement, however, the honeycomb wheels definitely had an impact in reducing vibration at around 20%, in our opinion. This, plus the foam grip tape makes Wowgo 2S Max a good board for those who have the unfortunate fate of living where roads are terrible.

However, if we were to compare these Honeycomb wheels with the Cloudwheels Donut, we would prefer the Donuts over this ‘Cloudwheel-clone’, as Donuts are better in vibration dampening.

The VERDICT – Wowgo 2s Max

So, the verdict seems like the brand with the funny name has done it again. Wowgo is going to retain its throne three times in a row for making the best affordable electric skateboard (first, the Wowgo Knight, then the 2S Pro, now 2s Max.)

Wowgo 2S Max has the performance that either matched or outmatched its competitors, the ride feels that leads the affordable segment and the polish that is much beyond the asking price.

Simply put, for any rider who wants an entry-level affordable hub board, Wowgo 2S Max (for now) should be the first consideration.

Oh! and the board is now available on Amazon -> https://amzn.to/3MRyli8

If you are interested in buying the Wowgo, be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and use code: “ESKATEHQ” to receive 5% off during check out.
It will help you get a small monetary discount and help us out too. On top of that, you’ll be tagged as an Electric Skateboard HQ customer and probably be treated better. Cheers!