When comparing Elwing Boards E1-500 vs Airwheel M3, the Slant community recommends Airwheel M3 for most people. In the question“What are the best electric skateboards?” Airwheel M3 is ranked 17th while Elwing Boards E1-500 is ranked 24th. The most important reason people chose Airwheel M3 is:
The electrical components are secured from the elements, and the board can be used even in wet conditions.
Specs
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Pros
Pro It's very compact and portable
31 inches long, it's the size of a regular skateboard. It's easy to carry or put it in your backpack. It's light enough to carry it effortlessly. The handle on the top makes it even easier.
Pro Good for commuting
That speed is more than enough for urban use and for this skateboard size. You can commute faster than most city bicycles.
Pro Customer support is amazing
You can DM the Elwing team if you have any issues. You will receive spare parts and individual support quickly.
Pro It has two modes for fast and comfortable riding
The modes are distinguished by the top speeds: 10km/h and 27km/h.
Pro Comfortable riding experience
The wheels provide good rebound and make the board very comfortable to ride by absorbing the vibrations and impact from surface imperfections.
Pro Good for tricks
Great for ollies, short turns, and endless manuals.
Pro You can use it as a regular skateboard
Because of the in-wheel motor, you can kick-push it like a regular skateboard, which is convenient for when the battery dies.
If you kick-push twice before starting to use the throttle to accelerate, you can save a lot of energy and extend the range.
Pro Affordable
It costs much less than high-end boards, yet offers similar top speed and range as the Boosted Single ($999), for example.
Pro Can operate in very wet conditions
The electrical components are secured from the elements, and the board can be used even in wet conditions.
Pro Can mount setup on any board imaginable, even on a snowboard
The motor setup can be mounted on any number of decks, including decks not originally intended to serve as skateboards. This gives a great deal of flexibility in customizing your ride.
Pro App for tracking statistics and tweaking available on both Android and iOS
A chip inside the board tracks stats and wirelessly relays them to the app, enabling the user to check them in real time. This leads to better decision making while riding the board.
Pro No external motor
The motor is encased inside the wheel (instead of an external motor and belt drive), which keeps it protected and offers a good, high-powered experience.
Pro Awesome design
The board has a striking design with one tail and large wheels fastened to backward-facing trucks.
Pro Smooth ride
The trucks and bushings have a dampening effect on vibration and bumps making for a smooth ride. The large wheels and cushioning risers used above the trucks enhance this effect.
Pro It's fairly cheap
This setup cots 2-3 less than that what you'd expect to pay for a high-quality e-board, making it a very accessible option.
Pro Good warranties
The board comes with a 1-month warranty on the wheels, a 6-month warranty on the battery, and a 1-year warranty on the rest of the components.
Pro Able to ride on medium rough terrain
The large wheels allow the board to traverse rough terrain easily. This makes it a good board to use in off-road conditions, including forested terrain and parks.
Pro Feels really durable
The components are strong and stand up well to wipeouts and poor weather.
Cons
Con No lights
The board has no lights though you can use the USB port to install a light.
Con Limited range
If you need a long range electric skateboard, this is not the appropriate choice.
Con Poor stability at high speed
Being a rather short deck, it is not as stable as a longboard when you ride at high speeds. However you can tighten the trucks to improve stability.
Con Quite heavy
The 25 lbs weight needs to be taken into account. It is not the easiest to carry around if that’s something you’ll need to do.
Con People can see it's motorized quite easily
Thanks to the very large battery box attached under the board, it’s quite obvious that the board is motorized.
Con Bulky battery pack isn’t great to look at
The battery pack is quite large and really stands out – but not in a good way. Its size also adds weight to the board, which is the tradeoff you make for a more powerful battery that lasts longer.
Con The range is unimpressive
When ridden by a 65 kg (140 lb) rider at full speed at 14 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit), the board only has a range of 10 km (6 miles). When it’s colder than this, the batteries will offer even less power. This is true of all batteries, so if you live in a cold environment be sure to consider the impact weather may have on performance.
Con One-wheel drive
Only one wheel has a motor, which can lead to too much torque on one side.
Con Dishonest advertising of specs
Airwheel is advertised with a top speed of 20 kph and a 20-km range (12 mph and 12 miles). The company also claims it can be fully charged in 60 minutes and that it will alert the rider when they reach 12 kph (7.5 mph). In reality, there is no alert at 12 kph, the board only charges to 55 percent capacity in an hour, and listed the top speed can only be reached if you weigh less then 60 kg (130 lb) or are going downhill. It’s possible that a 20 km range could be achieved in first gear, but in the top gear you will only be able to travel half that distance.
Con Miserable top speed
Even with a fairly light, 150 lb rider, the board will only reach a top speed of 11 mph. Obviously this speed will only decrease as the rider weight increases.
Con Doesn’t charge very quickly
The board takes three hours to fully charge. It will only reach 55 percent charge after the first hour. This makes it difficult to quickly top off the battery.