Verreal has recently released a new electric shortboard, the Verreal ACE, priced at $599. This board is considered a mid-tier shortboard, with a price tag that is $200 more than your typical entry-level electric shortboard. So, what makes the Verreal ACE stand out and deserve that higher price? Let’s dive into the specs and features to find out.
Verreal ACE – Key Specifications
Deck: 29″ (75 cm) deck – maple + fiberglass
Truck: Generic RKP trucks
Wheels: 90mm with 105mm Grey Cloudwheels option (+$100)
ESC: 12s Hobbywing ESC, 3-speed mode, with OLED remote
Motor: 1500W x2 Hobbywing 5255 motors,
Top speed – 30 mph (50 km/h)
Battery: 12S2P 8Ah 345.6Wh with Samsung 40T 21700,
Range: 15.5 miles -18.5 miles (25km – 30km)
Weight: 17.6 lbs (8 kg)
Verreal ACE has No IP rating, but it has water-resistant. The board’s enclosure was sealed off with a silicone gasket, and there was a silicone O-ring pad for the charge port and power button.
However, I wouldn’t ride it on wet roads anyways, as battery durability suffers when wet, and skateboard wheels don’t grip well on wet roads. (Don’t ask me how I found out about that).
Motor and Battery
After examining the specs, it’s clear that a significant portion of the budget has gone into the large, powerful motors and the high-quality Samsung 40T battery. Verreal always prioritizes specs over styles and did the same with the Verreal ACE. This board has a look of an entry-level electric shortboard but has a lot of battery and an outrageously powerful motor for the $599 price tag.
Speed Control and Performance
The Verreal ACE uses the familiar 12s Hobbywing ESC, which provides smooth and intuitive speed controls. However, the powerful acceleration can be tricky to handle on a shortboard. The board tends to do a wheelie when the throttle is pulled. We have to really brace ourselves and make sure we didn’t put weights on the kicktail, or else the strong acceleration will put weight on the back foot, engaging the kicktail, raising the nose of the deck, and throw us off the board.
This may scare inexperienced riders, but experienced riders who love power and are comfortable with shortboards will likely appreciate this feature.
The kicktail is easy to use (when intended to), and the board turns easily, as most shortboards do. The trucks are relatively stable, which we are comfortable pushing to around 20mph(30km/h). Once passed that speed, it became quite scary. That said, we did not and are not planning to verify the marketed top speed of 30 mph (50 km/h). The board is faster than it needs to be, really.
We do know, however, that Verreal did not overstate the range. Our 220 lbs (100 kg) test rider achieved the promised 15 miles (24 km) in a single charge.
Deck and Ride Comfort
The deck is 11.8 inches (30 cm) wide, providing enough room for even new riders to feel comfortable. As with most shortboards, the stiff deck can make for a less comfortable ride on rough roads due to road vibrations.
We were blessed with super rough road.
However, the belt-driven Verreal ACE performs better in this regard than hub-driven shortboards. Switching to cloud wheels can improve ride comfort on rough roads without sacrificing torque, as the Verreal ACE has plenty of power to spare.
Comparison with Competitors
When compared to competitors like the Tynee Mini 2 and the Exway Wave, the Verreal ACE excels in stability, has a more useful kicktail, and offers superior power. The Tynee Mini 2 is more stable at high speeds but is heavier to kick the tail. The Exway Wave is more maneuverable, fun to carve, and easy to kick-turn but less stable.
The Verreal ACE is a mini powerhouse with incredible torque and power. For beginners looking for a fun electric shortboard to ride around, the power may be overkill and make the board less relaxing to ride.
However, seasoned skateboarders who want a shortboard with ridiculous power, or heavier riders who need every bit of power for uphill rides, will find that the Verreal ACE is tailor-made for them.
If you are interested in buying the Vokboard be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and use code: “ESKATEHQ23” to receive $5 off during checkout. 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!
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.
It was over a year ago when I wrote about my findings after diving deep into the realm of Chinese Electric Skateboards. A lot has changed since then, and yet a lot also remains the same.
In 2019, anyone who is looking for a sub $500 entry level electric skateboard will find that segment of the market being dominated by new Chinese brands which provide the best value to money preposition.
Just to prove my point, try naming to me an electric skateboard under $500 that’s not made from a Chinese company.
… Acton Blink S?
Okay fine, maybe one. But Acton Blink S is just another Chinese manufactured product behind an American logo that has customer service that isn’t significantly better than that of established Chinese brands.
But where should you look? There are so many of them on the market. Anyone who is not already in the loop might find trouble separating the rubbish from the legit and the gem.
Lots of options for example, on Aliexpress.
Inclusion Criteria and Method
It’s a long process trying to get a grip on this market. I’ve reached out to all of the more reputable players in this market to request review units.
The criteria to be included is quite simple:
Is an electric longboard
Priced under $500
Can be trusted in Post-sales services
The brands that look to fulfil that criteria are:
Meepo Classic
Backfire G2 2019
Wowgo 2s
Ownboard W1s
Verreal F1
Teamgee H5, H6 and H9 (often under $500 after discount)
Yeeplay M2S, H2B
AEBoard AE1
Teemo boards
Jackzoom
Panther x3s
Harvoo
Notable exclusions of this criteria:
Backfire G2 (Because it has been discontinued, and the G2s and G2T are above the cut off price) (Andddd it’s back!)
Koowheels (Although I don’t have a high opinion of the Koowheels, but the reason of exclusion is the cut off price)
I-Wonder – More of a manufacturer, I am unsure of it’s 1 to 1 post-sales service quality.
Winboard’s- Big OEM manufacturer attempted to get into retail. Their retail line-ups are all priced above the cut-off $500 price tag.
Maxfinds – not a brand that’s known for quality. Performance is pretty lacking.
How did it go? Well, most of the included brands agreed to have their boards reviewed.
Teemo stopped replying to emails after a few to and fro, which is fair.
Jackzoom, Panther x3s and Harvoo never replied to my initial and the follow-up ‘hellos’. I think it’s pretty safe to say that if they don’t even bother to reply to a blogger, they won’t reply to regular customers – and hence failed criteria number 3.
So here is the summary of the selection:
Before we began
It is helpful to recognize that most of the Chinese vendors at this segment are aggregators who assembles parts available in the market to build their own product.
This results in many of these boards riding or even looking very similar.
This is not any more obvious and impactful than the choice of ESC. As this directly effects how the board controls.
At this point in time, all the boards in this list use one of these two: ESC -‘LingYi’ ESC or Hobbywing ESC.
LingYi ESC vs Hobbywing ESC
LiYing ESC
Hobbywing ESC
LingYi ESC has the biggest market share at this point in time.
A lot of big manufacturers will have LingYi in its ESC, tuned and tinkered to their liking of course.
Generally speaking, the profile of the LingYi ESC is a harsher acceleration and stronger braking. But it is very difficult to assume a boards behavior just by knowing it’s using the LingYi ESC, as brands do tinker it to suit their idea of good speed control. In doing so, this will change them quite a bit.
Eg, Winboards introduces an aggressive speed ramp in the control, making it less difficult for absolute beginners, but may frustrate those who like a precise control. Meepo use of LingYi is mainly to maximise on the acceleration and braking, in order to make a more aggressive and thrilling ride.
For the last year, many brands have moved away from LingYi ESC to the HobbyWing ESC.
The notable brands that use a variation of LingYi ESC currently are: Meepo NLS, Yeeplay M2s, Original Backfire G2, Winboard, Teamgee.
Some will tell you the rise of HobbyWing ESC is the best thing that has happened to budget electric skateboards.
HobbyWing ESC saw its first international debut when Wowgo 2s started using it. (Or did Ownboard do it first? Man… these things are hard to keep track of.)
If a board uses this remote… then you know you have Hobbywing ESC.
Hobbywing ESC gains a quick popularity for its amazing performance. It’s smooth in both acceleration and braking, the control is precise, there are no latency issues and the control behavior is consistent throughout different speeds.
Some say it is even better than the Boosted board… that’s how good it is.
Some companies tune the Hobbywing ESC to get the most out of their board, but we generally can expect similar behavior on the Hobbywing ESC.
The notable brands that use a variation of Hobbywing ESC currently are – Meepo Classic, Backfire G2s, Wowgo, Ownboard, Verreal, AEBoards and higher end stuff like Exway X1 are using a custom version of it too.
But I digress, now the boards.
I’ve reviewed most of the boards. Now this will be the summarized thoughts about them and how well they fare against each other.
If you would like to learn more about them, there are always the in-depth full reviews that I’ve published.
Obviously the newer stuff is going to fare better than a dated product.
For those who don’t know, Meepo is the current leading budget brand that pioneered the Chinese budget board movement. Since its debut in 2017, MeepoBoard is now a mature brand that has refined its product. Their customer service, though not award winning, is reasonably good and serviceable.
Meepo Classic just came out in early 2019, it aims to replace the last gen Meepo V2, and it’s my favorite budget electric skateboard right now.
I think Meepo picked all the right parts when putting together the Meepo Classic.
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I especially love the gorgeous double-drop deck which allows a very comfortable, stable low ride. Meepo’s shredder truck provides a good balance between maneuvrebility and stability and is another strong point for the board too.
With all of that said, the best move the Classic made undoubtedly is the switch to HobbyWing ESC. Though some people will miss the aggressive ride of the old LingYi ESC, most people will find a relaxing, smooth ride of HobbyWing ESC. This is a welcoming change – especially for beginners who are looking for their first board.
While I was working on this post, Backfire updated the Backfire G2.
While I never tried the newer version of the G2, I do have the G2T and the original G2. And I would say the updated Backfire G2 2019 is probably one of the best budget board money can buy.
Compare to most budget boards, the new Backfire G2 has the advantage of having bigger 5AH battery, and much better polish. The deck Backfire uses, in my opinion, are inferior to Meepo V2/ Meepo Classics but much better than the flat deck that Wowgo 2S and Ownboard W1S uses.
It also uses the Hobbywing which promises smooth acceleration and braking. Sadly, unlike its pricier siblings, G2 won’t come with the caliber trucks.
Smaller 83mm wheels might be a deal-breaker for those who have to dealt with poor and bumpy road. Although you can technically put on the bigger 96mm hub sleeve on G2’s hubs, the width of its truck wasn’t long enough and you will risk wheel bites. You can solve that by swapping in the longer Caliber II trucks, but at that point, you would be better off by paying extra 200$ and go for the G2T.
Verreal is one of the newer brands that tried to mimic the success of MeepoBoard, and it is doing quite well at that.
Verreal has a good track record in customer service and continue to offergood price to value.
Its latest product and current flagship, Verreal F1, is one of the better takes on a budget board.
Its use of a micro-drop deck and Hobbywing ESC results in a very responsive, agile, and zippy ride. It’s a lot of people’s favorite budget board and after putting it through the paces myself, it’s easy to understand why.
The low-light of the Verreal F1 is that the board’s polish and finishing is still leaving a lot to be desired. F1 also does cheap out a little bit on small parts, such as the bearings.
Though in exchange, the board usually is asking a bit less… especially after discounts as compared to other boards on the list!
As an OEM manufacturer that joined the retail game, Ownboard has a huge advantage right from the get go.
Almost from the get go, Ownboard built with higher quality parts and used good polish. Its customer service is generally considered good.
Ownboard W1S is one of the better iterations of the ‘typical’ budget board. It uses Hobbywing ESC which allows great control and it uses Paris-cloned trucks that offer great maneuverability. Ceramic bearings and its special foam-padded ‘EVA grip tape’ are the other highlights of the board.
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The only weak point of this board would probably be the flat deck. The 6 ply maple +2 ply bamboo deck offer a fair amount of flex, but a little bit of concave would make it a lot better.
What makes Ownboard W1S a good deal is the option to go with 6AH Samsung 30Q battery – for just US$457.00. If by any chance a flat deck is what you are looking for (wut?), or you are going to deck swap any time down the line, Ownboard W1s is a very good choice.
Wowgo is the first competitor of Meepo and made Chinese budget brands a thing.
It has successfully shook the earlier image of a scrappy brand with weird taste in marketing and established itself as a major player in the budget board segment.
Product quality, polish and customer service of Wowgo are all good now.
The Wowgo 2S is especially significant, being the product that elevated the budget segment to another level. Being the first to make the Hobbywing ESC famous, Wowgo 2s was dubbed the Boosted killer for its comfortable control that rivals the top brands.
Today, it is still among the best budget boards on the market. But unfortunately, one-upped by its doppleganger Ownboard W1s that uses slightly better parts in the deck, bearings and trucks.
The differences are not all that significant and Wowgo 2S is still a good choice if you can get it at a better price.
Yeeplay M2S is another new brand coming out from the same mold of Meepo, Wowgo andOwnboard. Heck, even its products look like it came out of the same mold as the original Meepo, Wowgo and Ownboards.
The company is still very young, and there is still much speculation as to how it will handle post-sale service. The good thing is – there aren’t any complaints heard about this brand so far – and as usual, the earlier customers would usually be treated royally.
Yeeplay M2S itself is a valid option of a budget board. It uses one of the broader decks with good concave, making it a very comfortable ride. The use of Paris-cloned trucks allow the board to be maneuvreble and turny.
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However it opted for ‘LiYing’ ESC, which has a more aggressive control. This caters better to specific crowds, but beginners are unlikely to favor it much. And hence making other boards on this list better alternatives.
Yeeplay recently released a belt drive ‘H2B’, which could be the only option for someone looking for a budget belt drive board.
I did not review the board, but performance could be postulated through the part used. LiYing ESC promised a more aggressive acceleration and braking. Using the same deck as Ownboard W1S means enough flex, but too bad no concave.
If you are planning to buy a Yeeplay, perhaps you are digging that exotic grip tape. Just be informed that the priced listed on the website at this point in time is not inclusive of a delivery fee.
AEBoard made a splash entry in to the market with boards that offer a lot of batteries for the price that it’s asking.
As it is the case for Yeeplay, AEBoard too is very new to the scene. No precedent can be known on how they handle customer complaints. Recently, however, I was able to help an unhappy customer get his purchase refunded, so I at least know my readers will be taken care of.
AEBoard AE1
The AE1 basically tries to offer as much value as possible while asking for as little as possible. The biggest ‘Wow’ factor here is the use of 10s3p battery while only asking for the entry level $430.
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The use of broad micro-drop deck with good concave – plus the use of Hobbywing ESC – makes AE1 a very comfortable ride.
The base level 10s3p 20R Samsung battery is less impressive as initially assumed though. Basically, it’s performance is only equal to the $457 Ownboard W1S with a 10S2p Samsung 30Q battery – same performance with the extra weight of 10 batteries.
However, the biggest downside of all would definitely be the stiffness of the deck reinforced by the board length aluminium enclosure below the deck. It has zero gives. You know you are stepping on steel immediately as you step onto the board. This result in god-awful vibration when riding on a less than perfect road.
And, being a new company, the packaging and finishing of AEBoard is pretty raw.
All in all, AE1 has the most amount of battery to for the price it’s asking and is definitely a good base for future DIY tinkering. For someone who doesn’t mind extra-steel-like-stiff deck (it’s REALLY STIFF), and is looking for range, AE1 should be the board to check out. You can even upgrade the battery to a Panasonic 9.6AH battery for 25mile (40km) range (or Sanyo for even more range.)
While I was working on this piece, AEBoard launched a few new boards which is creatively named AE2 and AF. (Chinese market move so fast, I can barely catch up).
While AE2 seems to be a Wowgo 2S/ Ownboard W1S clone, AF is worth paying attention to as it has some very practical features
AE2, tell me if it doesn’t look like Wowgo 2s or Ownboard W1S
AEBoard AF
While I have not personally reviewed AF, I certain would suggest anyone looking for a budget board to consider it.
Reason? While most of the parts used in AF are old news, it is the only budget board in this list that allows hot swappable battery. On top of that, the battery that it’s carrying has the standard 4AH, 144wh capacity.
The advantage of hot swappable battery over bigger battery pack is, obviously, is the weight – You don’t need to carry the batteries that you don’t plan to use.
Hot swappable battery
Plus, this definitely solves the ultra-super-stiff deck complaints that I have on the AE1. Basically, I think of it as Wowgo 2s with concave deck plus hot-swappable battery. AF is definitely worth considering over AE2, Wowgo 2s, and the W1s.
Similar to Ownboard, Teamgee is another manufacturer turned retailer.
Just like the Ownboard, Teamgee maintains a certain standard in their products and customers care since day 1. That said, Teamgee is still young in the international scene and though there has been no bad news about the customer service so far, we are yet to see how well its’ post-sale service stands when some serious complaint comes in.
Unlike Ownboard however, Teamgee is not a follower of the generic Chinese budget board trend. It has a slim body design that hides all of the electronics inside the decks.
As a result, the board looks very much like a regular long board to non-prying eyes.
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To cater to beginners, Teamgee also introduced heavy filtering to control input. This is done to soften the speed changes, however it also causes a noticeable delay between control input and the boards reactions.
This is done to cater to beginner crowd, who might find precise or zappy control intimidating. Many people will, however, be frustrated with the lag and the weaker acceleration.
Both the H5 and H6 are beautifully designed and give a reasonably good skating experience. H6 with the pintail deck has a very surfy feel and H5 with the broad dropdown deck has a stable ride.
Just be informed that stiff deck, relatively weak performance and voltage sags are what you have to be able to put up with when dropping $500 on these boards.
Even after trying the boards back to back to back, it is sometimes hard to tell the differences between two boards.
As a reviewer, my recommendations are based on the average taste of an average eskater but as any other personal purchase, personal preference often trumps everything else.
Hopefully with all of the information provided here, and the vetting done to screen out questionable brands, this can help you with your purchasing decision.
For those who are from a European country, you can choose to shop from a local dealer – Speedio. Speedio is an Electric Skateboard re-seller based in the Czech Republic. While you do pay a little premium, they offer a 2-year warranty, local support, and fast 2-5 days shipping.
