Author: Paxson Lim

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Backfire G2 Black Review – Is this the best budget board right now?

UPDATE!
Backfire has refreshed the G2 Black, there is a 2020 version now. To read it, please click here!

Backfire released Backfire G2 Black as their latest iteration of its budget line-up for the second half of 2019. When it comes to entry-level electric skateboards, Backfire has always opted out of the race to the bottom. Instead of trying to be the cheapest board on the market, Backfire had always chosen to focus on quality and maintaining a definitely level of polish with high standards. When comparing two boards with the same specs, it is often worth paying a bit extra for a Backfire. 

This year, while the company has been keeping busy with their premium offerings, such as the G3 Plus and new Ranger X2, they also decided to return to their roots, with a refresh of their entry-level board – the Backfire G2 Black. 

Unboxing

Backfire G2 Black is double boxed as per usual.
Neatly packaged.
Per usual Backfire style.

Specs

While Backfire emphasizes that the board is suitable for beginners, the G2 Black is not in any way weaker than your standard $400 board. With it 5AH, 180wh Samsung 25R battery, I still hit the standard top speed of 24mph(39kmh), and I found myself able to go at least 12miles(19km) in a single charge.

Riding Experiences:

The G2 Black does, however, show off a few unique features that set it apart from the rest of the entry-level boards on the market. 

Vibration Dampening

For one, it is equipped with 96mm 83A wheels when other entry level boards feature 90mm wheels as standard. I like this move, as bigger wheels mean thicker urethane, leading in turn to better vibration dampening and better grip on the road surface. Beginners will especially appreciate the larger wheels, as it allows them to roll over rough patches without worry. With that said, however, the Backfire G2 Black still wasn’t exactly exceptionally good on poorly paved roads. It’s okay, but not awesome, as the other parts of the board don’t really come together to soften road vibration. For that, I give it a solid B.

Deck

Other than the wheels, the G2 Black is going to be familiar to those who have ridden a Blackfire. G2 Black uses the familiar 8 ply Maple deck, with a subtle concave and a little bit of flex. They are pretty comfortable.

Trucks

The trucks on the G2 Black aren’t Caliber II, but they aren’t generic trucks either. This set of proprietary trucks and bushings are very turn-y, but they have zero return to center. I can turn with ease and can handle top speeds with it, but it definitely isn’t fun to carve in without the rebound to center. The G2 needs a bushing change, I would suggest putting a set of orangatang nipples on it, and it will be much better.

Controls

Talking about control, the Backfire G2 Black shipped with the Hobbywing ESC but only allows 2 modes. Backfire followed the traditional naming convention, labeling them Economic and Standard modes.

As expected from the Hobbywing ESC, both modes are very smooth. The Economic mode is tame and beginner-friendly, while standard mode is exactly that… standard. The brakes are traditional Hobbywing brakes, which are smooth, gentle and tame. Basically, this is the widely popular Hobbywing ESC ride feel that is the industry standard as of 2019.

So what changed?

As I’m sure you can tell, at its core the Backfire G2 Black is pretty much the old Galaxy 2 with some small incremental updates and a change in wheel size. And just like the old Galaxy 2, Backfire uses quality parts for everything, including high-quality wheels and good bearings. The 350W motors were made by Hobbywing and are both stronger and quieter now. The 180WH battery pack doesn’t have significant sag to it and only slows down minutes before it completely drains.

Verdict:

In conclusion, the Backfire G2 Black is a pretty well-rounded entry-level board. For $400, you get the complete package. A comfortable riding experience, good specs, and a polished look; if I had to say anything bad about G2 Black, it would be that the board can be pretty boring. But hey, boring is relaxing; boring is good.

If you are interested in buying a Backfire board, be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and uses code: “ESKATEHQ” during check out.
It will help you get a small monetary discount and helps us out too. On top of that, you’ll be tagged as an Electric Skateboard HQ customer and probably be treated better. 

Visit Backfire official website.

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Lycaon GR – Incredible range. and…?

Important: This is the review is written when the Lycaon GR was still selling at $599, and was still using LingYi ESC. Lycaon GR is now $399 (OMG), and is using Hobbywing ESC, which means the control now is perfectly smooth and silky.

Foreword/Introduction

For something new that piques the interest of electric skateboarders everywhere, we were recently approached to review the Lycaon GR, a newcomer brand in the market. 

While we have rejected a few review requests for budget boards as they literally look like cookie-cutter molds of each other, the Lycaon GR caught our attention as it offers a really good battery life without asking a lot in price ($549). 

Will it measure up and prove itself worthy? Here’s what we uncovered.

Unboxing

Straight off the bat, the Lycaon GR came in a cleanly packaged double box that served well to protect the board while in transit. The phrase “Helmet when skating [,] Lycaon when getting board” is written on the packaging and at first glance I didn’t understand it — eventually, I understood its pun as board = bored.

Riding Experience

Update: As mentioned, Lycaon GR is no longer using Winboard Panther like LingYi ESC. It now using Hobbywing ESC means perfectly smooth acceleration and braking.

In terms of control, the Lycaon GR uses ESC and remote settings that are similar to the ones on the Winboard Panther. I already liked the control on Winboard Panther and it seems that with time, it has been further improved to what we now have on the Lycaon GR.

The one on the Lycaon GR came with 4 speed modes and 4 brake modes; the usual stuff. When I reached out to the Lycaon team, they said they were aiming for a thrilling and punchy ride. “Wild like Lycaon.” Honestly, that description wasn’t accurate at all – and that’s not necessarily a bad result,
hear me out:

On the fastest acceleration mode — H+ mode — the Lycaon GR accelerates abruptly if you pushed on the throttle, resulting in a small jolt and giving you a sensation of being ‘fast’. But it wasn’t. It’s been tested time and time again in drag races that an abrupt jolt during acceleration doesn’t make the board go any faster than it really is but just adds to the sense of thrill. 

The H mode on the Lycaon GR is just as smooth as Hobbywing’s and comfortable to ride on. However, it’s fairly noticeable that the board is hurting for torque when you try to accelerate uphill. It happens to the H+ mode too, only that it’s less noticeable.

On the other hand, the L mode and M mode are both pretty tame and gentle. I would go as far as saying that this type of ESC and remote pairing has the easiest control for newbies to try on, as the L mode accelerates so gently that I feel it’s literally kid-safe/kid-proof.

With that being said, most riders might find themselves using exclusively the H mode for relaxed riding and the H+ mode for a little bit more thrill.

Braking comes in 4 modes as well. The lowest brake mode is pretty sufficient for most whereas the highest brake mode is very tight. All in all, they’re all relatively smooth but on the tighter side. In terms of comparison, it’s tighter than your traditional Hobbywing brakes, making it very LingYi ESC-like here.

On the skateboard part of things, the Lycaon GR does a pretty okay job. The 8 ply Canadian maple deck is very similar to the one on the Backfire Galaxy series. It has a subtle concave and rocker to it which I like. It also has a fair amount of flex. 

The not so great part about the Lycaon GR is definitely the trucks. The use of generic trucks plus subpar barrel and cones bushing is not a really good combination in my book. The truck is either too loose to be stable or if you tighten it up too much, it becomes difficult to turn. 

I eventually relented and put my Orangatang purple nipples on it and it felt much, much better. As expected, this is a value for money product and besides the bushing, the other smaller parts such as the bearing, riser, and wheels are not top-quality, to say the least. 

The not-soft 90mm wheels, rigid riser, and hub motor make the Lycaon GR a little under average in vibration handling, so we’ll award it a B- or C+ here really.

Specs

It appears to be that numbers is what the Lycaon GR tries to be good at.

Range

Hands down, the biggest highlight of the Lycaon GR would be the range. It has a pack of 10S3P (270wh) batteries. It’s marketed to have a range of 23miles (37km), which is obviously an overstatement unless you are planning to ride on M mode throughout. 

For little ol’ 145lbs (66kg) me, it gave me a ride of 19.5miles (31.5km) in H and H+ mode before completely draining the battery, which is impressive. The voltage sag also sets in pretty late.

Top speed

On top speed, I’m able to hit around 25mph (40kmh) which is pretty standard for e-skates nowadays. Not so sure if 26mph can be achieved though but it never fails to try.

Conclusion

It turns out that the Lycaon GR is everything we expected it to be: a decent board with a very big battery pack. However, there are a few things that you have to be completely sure and okay with before deciding to purchase the Lycaon GR.

1) You have to be okay with the fact that Lycaon is a pretty new company with no previous track record, and the performance of their post-sale service is pretty unknown. From my few interactions with them, they seem like good people though so there’s that.

2) Although they offer free shipping to most countries, Lycaon doesn’t cover custom duty so it’s up to you to take the risk of paying extra for customs.
(They now have warehouse in US, so no shipping or custom issue for US buyers.)

If you are interested in buying a Lycaon board, be sure to check out our affiliated discount code here. It will help you get a small monetary discount and helps us out too. And you will be tagged as an Electric Skateboard HQ customer and probably be treated better. =)

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Backfire releases Ranger X2

On 9th August 2019, Backfire releases Ranger X2, a new iteration of their successful all-terrain lineup – Ranger X1. At this point in time, X2 is already available in stock and early buyers has begun to receive their X2.

The new Ranger X2 has a higher price tag at $1199, a $200 price bump from the Ranger X1 which is still available for $999. It looks like the increase in price is very justified as the new Ranger X2 came with a number of improvements. Just look at Daniel Kwan’s introduction of the Ranger X2, he would know, the man travels across the silk road on the Ranger X1!

A short introduction to the Backfire Ranger series

For those who aren’t in the loop, Backfire Rangers is an affordable priced all-terrain electric skateboard. While a 4 digit price isn’t exactly affordable in the strictest sense, this is almost the minimum entry price for an AT board with good performance.

Ranger X1 garnered a lot of praises and for all intent and purposes, it was the best off-road electric skateboard at its price segment. Backfire obviously learned a lot from user feedbacks and not resting on their laurels, the new Ranger X2 is set to smoothen out some of the rough edges of the X1.

Improvement list:

  • Shaved 8.8lbs(4kg) off! Wow, what kind of sorcery is this!
  • Change of battery from 10S4P to 12S3P.
  • New Hobbywing ESC
  • Turbo mode is now available in Ranger X2.
  • Leaner yet stronger motor 900W -> 1200W
  • Wheels are 0.78in (2cm) thicker!

Bigger Battery with 12s configuration

The premium line up of Backfire (G3 Plus and Ranger X2) will go with 12s configuration. For Ranger X2, Backfire actually went with a smaller pack of Sanyo NCR18650GA battery in 12s3p configuration. (454WH). The idea is that a higher voltage will increase the efficiency and hence provide the same range while reducing the weight of the pack. However, I will repeat myself here: not many production boards had gone with the 12s setting as higher voltage might cause a higher components failure rate (if those component are not up to par), and it remains to see if the new Backfires can handle this configuration.

New 12S Hobbywing ESC

The new 12S Hobbywing ESC is 2 iterations ahead of the original ESC on Ranger X1 and should provide a significant improvement over the last-gen. Expect both acceleration and braking to be stronger while being just as smooth. The new ESC also means Ranger X2 will be getting the Turbo mode, a 30-second increase of power that comes with a 30-second cooldown. I ain’t a big fan of the Turbo mode when it debuted on Backfire G2T (due to the sudden jolt when it transition into cooldown) but who knows, it might have been improved on this new iteration?

Stronger yet leaner Hub Motor

Ranger X1 (left) vs X2(right)

Hub motor and airless wheel usually don’t make the smoothest off-road ride as Rigid hub + Tires without air cushion = the board will bob and bounce with every bump in the road. Ranger X1 still performs fairly well off the road, but X2 improves on that by using smaller yet stronger hub motors, which saw the increases of power from 900W to 1200W per motor. More importantly, smaller hubs mean room for thicker rubber, 0.78in (2cm) thicker in fact. This is going to significantly improve the smoothness of rides and allows the wheels to grip to the floor better.

Hub VS Belt has always been the argument, more so in the AT realm. Belts have the torque that Hub simply couldn’t match; while Hubs have better protection against the elements. Backfire took advantage of this property and the Ranger’s motors have always been fully water-resistant and dustproof.

And the deck is now a little bit more flexible.

Same shape, same design, but more flexible.

What stayed the same?

Well, the double kingpin truck that was proven to be very good stayed the same.

Final Word:

We thought the Ranger X1 was the best affordable AT, and Ranger X2 is obviously gonna be a pricier but better version of it. However, unlike a year ago, Ranger is no longer the only player in the thousand dollars AT market with the likes of Ownboard Carbon AT, Radley Carbon AT and Miles Rampage crashing the party. What’s more, with a heftier price tag ($1199) Ranger X2 no longer has the price advantage, especially when you consider Meepo City Rider, a semi-AT is priced only at $719.

With that said, seeing how good the Ranger X1 is, Ranger X2 will likely rise to the top as the best AT option amongst its peers.

Ranger X2 is now available in stock and will only take 7-15 business day to arrive at different countries.

Interested in a Backfire? Click our affiliate discount link here and use ESKATEHQ during check out to receive $10 off.

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Verreal releases Verreal RS

On 21st August 2019, Verreal releases a new line of electric skateboard, Verreal RS.

With a preorder price starting on $749 (and a regular price of $800+), Verreal RS does not try to hide where they get its design inspiration from – the Evolve Bamboo series. Looks like every brand came to the idea that they should do an Evolve clone with the recent availability of double kingpin trucks on the electric skateboard market.

Taking a few pages from Evolve

I always like the riding experience of Verreal boards and thought their ‘looks’ or the lack there-of was what holding them back. This time around, by following the template of Evolve Bamboo, Verreal RS sure has gotten the looks right.

To truly match up to Evolve, Verreal is also looking to develop off-road tires for RS. And for that, they emphasized that all their DKP trucks will come from a new mold, leaving no doubt that they are going to be strong for AT uses.

  • Double kingpin for maneuverability,
  • future AT conversion kit,
  • drop-through deck

Better than Evolve?

There are a few things that I really like about Verreal RS:

  • Verreal RS uses 10s4p cells and you can get Samsung 30Q battery for $799 (preorder price).
    • Wheres the earlier version of Evolve Bamboo GT is using prismatic packs that are notorious for the sag, and the newer GTR is using Samsung 35E which on paper aren’t as good as 30Q.
  • Verreal RS uses Hobbywing ESC, which is perfectly smooth, albeit some may think that the brakes could be stronger.
  • It uses big 6368 motors (Dual 6368 Belt Motor 1500 Watt*2 170KV)

It is not without concerns, though.

However, there are a few things that I have doubts on:

  • The enclosure is a full-length aluminum enclosure, this is going to make the deck stiff with zero flex. And nothing pass-on vibrations as bad as metals.
    • Verreal justifies this by saying stiffer deck helps with stability in top speed, but why the emphasis on stability when you already went for DKP? Might as well as maximize on the riding fun by allowing the deck to flex.
  • I wonder if this set up translates well to All Terrain uses.
    • 20R battery pack gives you 88A continuous discharge and 30Q 60A continuous if the settings aren’t right, there might be a noticeable voltage sag here.
I’m expecting this enclosure to have zero gives.

TL;DR

Verreal RS looks to be the board to get for those who like the idea of an Evolve Bamboo but doesn’t like the idea of shelling out almost $2,000 for it.
However, only a test ride can tell if the deck is not too stiff to enjoy.

Stay tuned for our future review!

It is now available for pre-order with a pre-order price of $749 ($100 off). Verreal RS is set to ship on 20th September.
Use our affiliate discount link here and use ESKATEHQ during check out to receive $99 off.

Please be aware that pre-orders in the Eskate world are more often than not ends in delay. Shit happens, even for an established brand like Verreal.

Only pre-order a product if you can afford the wait.

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Backfire releases Backfire G3 Plus

Update: We’ve reviewed the G3 Plus, read our Full Review of Backfire G3 Plus here!

On 16th August 2019, Backfire releases a new line of electric skateboard, Backfire G3 Plus.

Priced at $999, Backfire G3 Plus ventures into the premium segment, a move that not many Chinese brands had attempted. From the teaser video and the details announced, G3 Plus actually wears that price tag well.

Just a quick glance at it and I think we will all agree that G3 Plus is a gorgeous looking board. The familiar black and gold color scheme, the new red plates and the build-in LED ambient light all comes together to give a really stylish look.

New Carbon Fiber Deck

Backfire G3 Plus move away from the maple galaxy deck that we were familiar with to a longer 39 inch(99cm) carbon fiber deck that promises lots of flex. This is also perhaps where the weight reduction came from, despite using in a bigger battery pack as compare to the G2T, Backfire G3 Plus is actually a little bit lighter at 16lb (7.3kg).

Bigger Battery with 12s configuration

Backfire G3 Plus is going with a very large pack of Samsung 21700 40T battery in 12s2p configuration. (346WH). From my experience with Meepo’s ER battery, Samsung 40T is pretty great, and this big pack on the G3 Plus promises good thing. However, not much production board had gone with the 12s setting as higher voltage might cause a higher components failure rate (if those component are not up to par), and it remains to see if a new Hobbywing ESC can handle this configuration.

New 12S Hobbywing ESC

The previous version of Hobbywing ESC could not handle 12S, and hence G3 Plus will debut with a new version of Hobbywing ESC that can do 12s.

On one hand, higher voltage is more efficient; on the other hand, as just mentioned: weak components(if there is any) + higher voltage = high failure rate. I don’t know any production board has done 12S and I am interested to see if Backfire G3 Plus is going to wear this configuration well.

Unfortunately, we will be seeing the return of the Turbo mode. For those who don’t know, G2T has a turbo mode that allows a temporary increase in power and top speed. It lasted for 30second and has a 30-second cooldown. As I said in our Backfire G2T review, I wasn’t a fan of the Turbo mode due to the inevitable jolt when the effect wears off – and my opinion hasn’t changed since then. I hope turbo mode will be implemented better on the G3 Plus, no big deal though, can always just don’t use it.

Stronger Hub Motor

I don’t know how much impact the upgrade from G2T’s 2X 350W hubs to G3 Plus’s 2 x 600W is going to have in term of riding experience, but bigger is better right? The wheels size option is now 85mm & 96mm as opposed to 83mm and 96mm. I expect lots of people switching the front wheels to Caguama now that it is 85mm by default, not that the 2mm different have stopped anyone anyways.

The back truck is now also Caliber II

Instead of just having a front Caliber II truck, Backfire G3 Plus brought Caliber II trucks to the back truck too.

Further, Faster, Lighter.

  • Range = 20-25miles (32-40km)
  • Top speed= 28.5mph (46kmh)
  • Weight = 16lb (7.3kg)

TL;DR

Backfire G3 Plus promises:
1) A lot of range without a lot of weight.
2) A lot of power without compromising the smoothness.
3) A refined look and an even more refined riding experience.

We are going to review it, and I would like to find out if:
1) Is this Carbon Fiber deck any fun to ride?
2) Is this 12S Hobbywing ESC going to hold up?
3) Is there an improvement in the Turbo mode?

Stay tuned!

It is now available for pre-order with a pre-order price of $899 ($100 off).
Click our affiliate discount link here and use ESKATEHQ during check out to receive $10 off.

Please be aware that pre-orders in the Eskate world are more often than not ends in delay. Shit happens, even for a seasoned brand like Backfire.

Only pre-order a product if you can afford the wait.