When comparing Evolve Carbon GT Street vs Halo Board, the Slant community recommends Halo Board for most people. In the question“What are the best electric skateboards?” Halo Board is ranked 6th while Evolve Carbon GT Street is ranked 12th. The most important reason people chose Halo Board is:
Weighing 14.75lbs, this board is lightweight enough to carry along. It also has a handle in the back that makes it more convenient to pick up and hold.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Very impressive performace, suitable for pros
Being so powerful, this board will most likely appeal to experienced riders. It has a max range that's nearly three times more than what you'd get from the vast majority of boards out there. It's also faster, with a 26 MPH top speed, slightly beating the quickest competitors (such as Inboard M1 with 24 MPH top speed).
Pro Gorgeous design
The minimalist carbon color scheme and understated branding make this board a showstopper. A clean look that does not look like a hobbyist board, but something professionally manufactured with a touch of class.
Pro Suitable for city and off-road
This board comes with street wheels, but the all-terrain can be purchased separately. If you have both, the wheels can be swapped in and out fairly easily.
Pro Great stability at higher speeds
While the flex of a board like the Boosted can be great, It is not the best at speeds such as 42km/h, the GT's top speed with 97mm wheels. It can also be seen as a con for some people who just want to ride a board at decent speeds. Mainly the rigidity helps when going fast, as there will be less wobble or flex, which can easily throw the rider off their board, something no one wants at high speeds.
Pro Easily readable remote LCD screen
The remote is equipped with an LCD screen that feels much more advanced than your standard interface. You can get information, such as battery life or speed, from a quick glance.
Pro Great range
You can ride for up to 31 miles on the Street GT on just one charge. That's 2-3 times more than most boards.
Pro One of the highest-performing boards available
With a top speed of 26 mph and a 15- 31-mile range, this board is among the most powerful on the market. It can handle steep hills (up to a 25 percent grade) with ease.
Pro Solidly built
A 40" long board created out of custom molded carbon fiber and kevlar. This makes for a light but very strong deck that doesn't snap or break easily. Fastened underneath the deck is the battery, which has its own custom casing that doesn't add too much thickness to the board, though it does add considerable weight (as all batteries do). The casing allows the rider to feel confident that water and debris won't affect the battery.
Overall, a well thought out design with craftsmanship to match, that exudes toughness and reliability in its construction.
Pro You can ride it as a regular skateboard
The rider can just push kick the board when the batteries are dead, as the motor was designed to allow free spinning of the wheels when not in use. This is great for when the rider is out and about and the batteries die or a belt breaks.
Pro Huge selection of spare parts
Conversion kits, wheels, bearings, belts, chargers, hubcaps, inter tubes, battery casing, all parts for trucks (including bushings), are all parts you can order from their site, covering just about everything other than the motor itself. This is great for anyone who may lose or break any part of the board, as the spare parts are available and easily ordered.
Pro Easily maintained
Evolve offers a multitude of videos on how to change out parts on their boards, providing an easy way to learn how to properly maintain it. Coupled with the fact that plenty of spare parts are sold, it should be easy enough for any rider to obtain needed parts and fix their own boards when parts wear out.
Pro You can track ride stats in the free app
There are two companion apps, one for Android and one for iOS. You can use them to link on social media with friends who also have an Evolve board, as well as track riding stats, including GPS.
Pro Responsive customer service
The customer service tends to be pretty responsive and work with the customer when there are issues. Compared to some other popular brands that still have problems in this area, Evolve is a good choice for those who want to make sure to avoid that.
Pro Quickly charge the board (optional accessory)
A quick charger is available for purchase as an optional accessory that charges the board in 3 hours. This is 1-2 hours faster than the stock charger.
Pro Good warranty
The warranty lasts for six months from the time of purchase. While not the longest warranty, there have been very few complaints about the company not fulfilling their responsibilities. The warranty is listed on their site as covering "all defects in material and workmanship" for that six-month period.
Pro Fantastic turning radius
The turning radius of Evolve boards is quite good. Just lean into a turn and the board will follow with no issue. Some other high end boards have issue with this, Evolve does not. Definitely a perk for those that need to ride in areas with a lot of turns.
Pro Convenient to take along
Weighing 14.75lbs, this board is lightweight enough to carry along. It also has a handle in the back that makes it more convenient to pick up and hold.
Pro The design is unique and attractive
You have to be prepared to be stopped by people asking what kind of board it is. It's common for people to stare at the Halo because of the unique, futuristic design.
Pro It's fairly resistant to weather
The hub motors on this board are hidden inside the wheels, so they won't be affected by water as you're riding in the rain or over puddles. Halo Board states the wheels are 100% waterproof and the rest of the board is water resistant.
Pro It's a reliable, well-rounded board
While the Halo doesn't show outstanding performance, it offers a combo of decent range and speed, perfectly sufficient for commuting and casual riding. Both 22 MPH top speed and 14-mile range are above what you'd expect from an average e-board. The Halo can also handle 25% steep inclines, while most mid-level boards don't go above 20%.
Pro It's more durable than the average board
The Halo's deck is stronger than what you get from a typical wooden board. It's made from 100% T700 carbon fiber which doesn't crack or deform as wooden decks sometimes do. In general, the Halo will likely last for a long time.
Pro You can use it as a regular skateboard
Unlike belted motor boards, you can ride the Halo like a normal skateboard when the battery is drained.
Pro Very good remote connectivity
There are no issues with the connection between the board and its remote, which is a pretty common problem with electric boards.
Pro Good option for heavier riders
This board can be used by heavier people without much concern. The max weight capacity of the deck is 286 lbs.
Pro Excellent customer support
You can contact the customer support team and get all your questions resolved, whether you own the board or are only thinking about getting one.
Pro You can track the travel distance
You can check how many miles you've traveled on the screen of the remote.
Pro The braking is very smooth
The braking hits the sweet spot where it isn't so sudden that it launches you forward, but neither so soft that it takes forever to stop.
Pro Very little maintenance is needed
The Halo is a simple and fly-looking board. Unlike many alternatives, it doesn't require a lot of attention in terms of maintenance to work smoothly.
Pro Regenerative braking saves some battery charge
The built-in regenerative brakes convert some of the mechanical energy back to electricity as you're slowing down.
Pro Easy to purchase replacement parts
The Halo website offers replacement parts such as front and rear wheels, the charger, and the remote control. The customer service offers more options if you call.
Pro You can follow the battery status
You don't have to worry that the battery might suddenly die on you, mid-way home from work for example. You can always check the battery level of the board on the remote's screen.
Pro Okay warranty
Halo provides a six month warranty that covers manufacturer defects. However, after having the board for 6 months, things really start falling off at that mark.
Pro Small light weight remote
The remote is small and weighs half of the average cellphone.
Pro Remote has reverse mode
Remote has a reverse option. That's just awesome.
Cons
Con It's expensive
The price of this board is very expensive. $2K for a skateboard for most people is just not worth the money. There are good options available for much less.
Con Not easy to carry around
The board is quite heavy at 17-21 pounds, making for something that is not going to be the easiest to carry around when it is not being ridden. The large battery built into the device most likely adds to this issue.
Con Not waterproof
Water can get into the top deck of the board through the grip tape and damage the electronics.
Con The small motor pulley may wear out prematurely with aggresive riding, which requires you to replace the whole motor
You are obligated to get a whole new motor when your $3 gear wears out. Expect it to wear out quickly if you ride aggressively.
Con May be too rigid for some riders
For long-boarders who prefer a flexible board, the rigidity of the Evolve Carbon can be an issue. A flexible board offers a smoother ride at slow speeds, but the stiffer board offers more stability riding at higher speeds and carving around sharp turns.
Con GT remotes can control more than one board at a time
Some remotes may be tuned to the same frequency, allowing two or more boards to be controlled by one remote. While this will not happen to every board, the potential is there if many boards are around.
Con Carbon fiber deck has been known to crack
There may be issues if a crack develops in the carbon fiber deck. You can read more here.
Con Slow charging
It can take 4-6 hours to fully charge the board, which may be too long for some users. There is an optional fast charger cutting the charge time to 3 hours, but it does cost extra $89, which some people may not want to spend.
Con Resistance while not powered
For those that would like to push kick there will be a slight resistance to moving the board due to the belt drive train. This is something to consider for those that wish to use the board non-powered a lot. This is an inherent problem with all belt drive systems.
Con Optional all terrain wheels are unbalance and wobble at high speed
The all-terrain wheels are heavier on the nozzle size and unbalanced when spinning at high speeds, thus they can feel unstable. Luckily there is an easy fix of using car tire weights to balance the wheels.
Con Easy to move the board on accident
There is no dead-man switch on the controller, which could make for a potentially dangerous situation. This can lead to runaways when you accidentally bump the throttle on the remote.
Con May be unsafe on wet surfaces
This board goes pretty fast at 31 miles an hour, if you hydroplane or slip on a wet surface, there is a good chance you can get hurt falling off the board at that speed. This is why the manufacturer recommends not riding the board when it is wet outside.
Con No swappable batteries
There is no way to swap out the battery pack on this board. This means that there is no way to extend ones ride with a hot swappable extra battery pack. This also means the board will need to be sent in for service when the original batteries in the board will no longer hold a charge, as there are no replacement batteries sold to the consumer.
Con App feels like an afterthought
The companion app available (for iOS and Android) seems to be more an afterthought, as it does not really connect to the board in any functional way. It does not receive data from the board and it does not allow for changing of settings or upgrading of firmware. Mainly it is an app meant for tracking your usage, such a distances gone or areas ridden (which is recorded through GPS on ones phone, which isn’t always super accurate on speeds and mileage).
There has also been a lot of reports of the Android app crashing constantly, so for Android users, better apps are out there for tracking of the users rides.
Con No aftermarket replacement parts
No option to get things like orangatang wheels or roughstuff wheels for this board. That's a trade-off you will be making with most hub motor wheels.
Con Customer support leaves much to be desired
Slow response times and you will need to constantly follow-up to get any kind of update or ETA.
Con Not water-resistant
Additionally, water damage voids any repair normally covered by the warranty.
Con It's not the best option for long rides
The stiff carbon fiber deck will isn't very comfortable for longer rides. More flexible wooden decks do a better job of absorbing the impact from the imperfections on the road, and as a result, your legs aren't as tired as after riding a carbon board.
Con It's not suited for riding off-road
There's only one set of wheels that comes with the board and their diameter is too small to handle rough terrain. If you often find yourself off-road you could look into models like Evolve GTX 2-in-1 that comes with an additional, larger set of rims.
