When comparing ZBoard 2 Blue vs Boosted Dual+ (2nd Gen.), the Slant community recommends Boosted Dual+ (2nd Gen.) for most people. In the question“What are the best electric skateboards?” Boosted Dual+ (2nd Gen.) is ranked 3rd while ZBoard 2 Blue is ranked 11th. The most important reason people chose Boosted Dual+ (2nd Gen.) is:
The Boosted Dual+ offers a combination of great specs, practical design, and good build quality. It will be suitable for a wide range of riders, from complete beginners to pros who are looking for a fast ride. The flexible bamboo deck offers a pleasant riding experience and helps reduce muscle fatigue at the end of a long ride. All of the components are high-quality to make sure that the board serves you for years (though belted motors require some additional maintenance).
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro It offers a unique riding experience
The Zboard Blue is controlled by two pressure pads instead of a handheld remote. Pressing on the front pad increases forward speed; pressing on the back brakes or sends you in reverse. Having controls different from the majority of alternatives makes this board more fun but also more challenging to ride, even for those who have experience with electric skateboards.
Pro Low battery warning lights
In order to keep users from being surprised by a dead battery, the ZBoard 2 now comes with LED indicators that keep you apprised of the remaining battery life.
Pro You can use it as a regular skateboard
When the battery is completely drained, the brushless motor allows ZBoard to be pushed like a regular skateboard.
Pro Customer support is amazing
Direct contact with owners and operators happens at all times.
Pro Front and back lights enable riding at night
There is a headlight and taillight for riding in the dark. These lights allow the rider to see the road and be clearly seen by other people.
Pro Comfortable to carry around
With ZBoard 2, the handle and lightweight design make it convenient to carry the board around when not in use.
Pro It's a very good everyday board
The Boosted Dual+ offers a combination of great specs, practical design, and good build quality. It will be suitable for a wide range of riders, from complete beginners to pros who are looking for a fast ride. The flexible bamboo deck offers a pleasant riding experience and helps reduce muscle fatigue at the end of a long ride. All of the components are high-quality to make sure that the board serves you for years (though belted motors require some additional maintenance).
Pro Quick charge time
The board can be fully charged in 90-120 minutes. This is pretty quick for the amount of power it offers and pretty convenient for those who use the board regularly, say for commuting.
It's even faster if you purchase the fast charger. It can fully recharge the board in an hour.
Pro Informative iOS companion app
Boosted has released a companion app for their boards on iOS. It allows the user to track stats, such as battery level and miles traveled. There is also a feature that allows upgrading the boards' firmware, supplying patches and fixes as well as new features. Lastly, there is a user manual in case there are any questions.
Pro its the future of urban transport
Pro High-quality components
While the price of the Boosted Dual+ is quite high, you’re paying for high-quality components that are meant to last. It comes with a loaded Vanguard deck, Caliber trucks, and Orangatang wheels, as well as two brushless motors.
Pro Tastefull and unassuming design
The Boosted Board looks very similar to a regular longboard, as opposed to many alternatives that try to stand out with bright colors or unusual shapes. It's a more traditional board that doesn't draw too much unwanted attention.
Pro Sales are not limited to the US
The majority of boards are sold exclusively in the US because of the regulations that prohibit large battery packs on a plane for shipping. Boosted is just below the size limitation, so it can be shipped internationally.
Countries currently supported: Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Pro You can track the battery level
The controller and the board itself have built-in LED indicators that show battery charge level at a press of a button. This is convenient for checking the battery level on the fly.
Pro Can handle huge inclines
Riders can climb hills up to a 25% grade, which is great for those who ride in hilly areas. Most boards don't go higher than 20%.
Pro The connection with the remote is very reliable
The Bluetooth remote for the Gen 2 provides a very reliable connection, even in a compact wireless signal area (such as a packed residential city block). This used to be an issue that would cause the remote to quit working, but luckily this has been addressed and is no longer a worry.
Pro Good warranty
There is a six-month warranty on the board that covers manufacturer defects. While not the longest warranty in the industry, it is still decent.
Pro You can quickly swap the battery for a full one
The battery on this board is replaceable, meaning you can carry extra batteries in case there's no time for recharging. It also means that once the original battery stops working as well as it used to, you can replace it with a new one for good, as opposed to having to get a whole new board. Though it should be noted that to change the battery will take a couple of minutes.
Pro You can install accessories, such as tail lights
A 30W 15V accessory port connected to the device's battery is offered for expandability. If you want to install tail lights or a charging cable, this extra port allows adding that kind of accessories.
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 Replacement parts are easily accessible
You can purchase replacement parts for the board, a new charger, and a remote from the official Boosted website. Other accessories, like helmets and backpacks, are also available.
Pro You can select from two battery packs
Upon checkout, you can pick the standard battery pack or the extended pack. The extended pack holds more charge (adds approx. 5 miles to the range) but costs extra $100 and makes it impossible to take the board on a plane due to regulations.
Pro Quieter ride than gear drive motors
The belt drive, while not completely silent, offers a quieter ride than boards with direct drive. So not a completely silent ride, but less noise than some competitors.
Pro It's fairly convenient to carry around
At 14.7-15.5 pounds (depending on the battery pack you get), this board is practical enough to carry in a bag or strapped to a backpack.
Cons
Con Steep learning curve
ZBoard has a unique design. While it is similar to other skateboards in many ways, riding ZBoard doesn't come naturally, even for experienced skaters. Controlling the board's speed and direction using the pressure pads can be difficult to accomplish while remaining balanced, so lots of practice is necessary before riding this in a crowded environment.
Con Weak drivetrain
Doesn't have enough force to go up steep hills.
Con Not upholding warranty
Con No customer support
Con It's quite expensive
While some boards can get as expensive as $2000, the price of Boosted Dual+ is still quite high. Not everyone will be prepared to pay around $1500 for a skateboard, though arguably you do get your money's worth out of it.
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.
Con You'll have to regularly adjust the motor belts
You need to regularly adjust the belts of the motors, or the board starts making loud noises while riding.
Con It's not the best option if you need to carry it around a lot
The board is 38 inches long and 8.5 inches wide, with 5.2 inches of height, so it's not the most portable electric skateboard out there. At 15.5 pounds, it's not too heavy, but being so bulky it's not very convenient to carry in arms. A bag or a backpack may be a better way to transport the board when not riding it.
If you're looking for a board that you can carry around, there are more compact options available. For example, Acton Blink Lite, which is 27 inches in length and weighs under 8 pounds.
Con Sometimes there are glitches with the battery
Lately people have been reporting an error light, likely associated with a battery error which leaves your board dead. To fix it you need to ship the board back to the company. Luckily, it appears that only a small fraction of boards is affected.
Con It's not that easy to replace the battery
Unlike with other boards where the battery can pop in and out with a latch, with Boosted you will need tools to unscrew the whole battery pack and replace it. Reviews state that it takes about a minute and a half to unscrew the old battery and screw in a new one, which is not bad, but still requires more effort than many other boards.
Con Not waterproof, only water-resistant
While the motor is advertised as water-resistant, the bearings and the bamboo deck can be adversely affected by water. This means that your board will probably survive small puddles and light rain, but you should still try to avoid water.
Con There's very little ground clearance
There is only about 3/8" clearance between the wheel gear and the ground. That's the thickness of three 25 cents coins. This is even less than in the previous model, making it more likely to damage the belt gear or the plastic guard while riding.
Con The accessory port is placed inconveniently
The accessory port is hidden under the rear trucks. It's not too much of a problem if you want to install something once and for all, say, tail lights. But if you want the ability to quickly add and remove different accessories, it's going to be inconvenient to have to remove the trucks every time.
Con Poor turning radius
It can be difficult to do turns and roundabouts on the Boosted board, as it is more in tune with going straight than making sharp turns. This can be an issue for riders that need to turn often on their regular routes.
Con No controls in companion app
While it is nice that you can get stats and firmware upgrades from the app, there is no way to control the board from your smartphone. Many other companies already have this feature, so it would be great to see this from Boosted as well.
Con V2 battery has been known to catch fire
There have been two occasions where the battery cell has caught on fire. You can read more about these cases here.