When comparing Inboard M1 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 Inboard M1 is ranked 5th. 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
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Pros
Pro You can use it as a regular skateboard
The wheels of M1 rotate freely, so you can ride it as a traditional skateboard when the battery is dead. A lot of boards, such as Boosted, have a belted drive which is much harder to push forward, making them a chore to ride without the motor.
Pro It's quiter than many other boards
Inboard has a hub motor, which means it's inside the wheel. It's quieter compared to boards with belt drives.
Pro Unique and convenient remote
The RFLX remote has a unique design that doesn’t rely on a lanyard or wristband. You can hold it and control the board with your palm open without worrying about dropping the controller.
Pro It's fairly weather-resistant
The in-wheel motor is coated and laminated, making it water-resistant. You don't have to worry much about riding during the rain. Still, it's best to avoid water as much as possible to prevent the wheel bearings from rusting.
Pro LED lights make riding safer
Headlights and taillights help with visibility on the road – not only for yourself but also for others who may not have otherwise seen you coming.
Pro Strong, flexible board
This board is made with a wood core and a composite overlay, similar to the materials used in skis and snowboards. This combination of materials allows for both strength and flexibility.
Pro It's a great option for pros
The majority of electric skateboards go as fast as 20 MPH, while the M1 can reach up to 24 MPH. It also has a rather stiff deck that greatly increases stability and makes the board easier to maneuver at higher speeds, which will appeal to pros.
Pro 1-year warranty protects your investment
A 1-year warranty is fairly long for an e-board. Warranties are especially important since most of the companies making electric skateboards are new. Also, most new companies offer only 3-month warranty, making this a great deal by comparison.
Pro Regenerative brakes that work at full charge
When the brakes are applied, the captured energy is used to provide extra charge to the battery. Applying the breaks on a downhill can refill around 30 to 40 percent of the energy required to get you back up.
It's worth noting that when the battery is at full charge, braking will cause the battery to spend energy to slow down. Once the battery is drained to about 95% of the charge, the regenerative breaking will again start working to fill up the battery.
Pro You can quickly swap batteries
You can easily replace Inboard's battery for a fresh one once it runs out of charge. This is convenient if you don't have the time or patience or a source of power to charge your board. Also, once you notice that the battery doesn't hold charge as well as it used to, you can simply replace it with a new one, instead of getting a whole new board. Not many other boards currently have the option to replace the battery pack so easily.
Pro Dual wheel drive
The motor is housed inside both of the back wheels. This gives the board much more power on inclines as well as stability while turning or shifting weight on the board.
Pro Accessories available within 2 weeks
All accessories (chargers, batteries, wheels, remotes) are ready for purchase on the Inboard website and ship out within 2 weeks.
Pro Can be controlled using your iPhone
The Inboard iOS app allows you to control your board with a smartphone, so there's no need to carry the remote around. There's an Android version as well, but it's still behind in terms of development. Currently, you can only use it for firmware updates.
Pro Battery charges quickly
A full charge takes about 90 minutes and lasts for 10 miles. This is good for those that commute less than 10 miles as they can charge quickly at work and still use the board by lunch.
Pro Comes with a travel bag
The Inboard comes with a travel bag (it is packaged inside of it for shipping). A lot of other companies offer bags that cost up to $100.
Pro You can carry it around fairly comfortably
At 14 lbs, M1 is lighter than the Boosted but heavier than the Marbel. While not the lightest board out there, it is still manageable if you need to carry it around.
Pro Maintenance-free hub motors
The hub motors mean that there are no belts to replace. Saves you money, time, and frustration in the long run. There are also no skid plates to replace.
Pro It has a good battery life
The range is up to 10 miles. Although this is not as good as Zboard 2, it is better than Boosted, which is around 7 to 8 miles. Still, it is quite a bit less than Marbel's 16-mile range. But with the option to swap in a spare battery to double your range to a full 20 miles, Inboard really stands out from the crowd.
Pro Release of new software every 4-5 month
Last software update was a 40% increase in torque. It made a huge difference and they will have more updates like that.
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 Battery range less than 5 miles
If you are over 200 lbs, expect to get less then a 5-mile range, not the 10-mile range as advertised.
Con Low torque
One downside to using a hub drive motor over a belt driven board is that the hub drive offers less torque for things like going up hills and may not have enough power for very large riders.
Con Bankrupt
The company has gone bankrupt, and no longer provides suport.
Con It’s a brand new company with no track record
The company does not have much experience in this market and has already begun to experience delays due to manufacturing. As with all startups, there’s the potential that the company will not exist in a year’s time, rendering warranties useless. Much of the technology is new and unproven.
Con Rather heavy
The M1 production board ended up being heavier than expected.
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.