From a 62-Year-Old’s Point of View!
When you are 62, the concept of an Electric Scooter is a normally a “Chair” on a platform. It is usually the color bright red. If you own one, it is because you can’t walk very well anymore. Usually they are supplied by your insurance company. The notion of a TWO-wheeled electric scooter, just does not come to mind for most 60 + year old’s. What does come to mind is we REFUSE to use one of those seated, red scooters, EVER. Yet we do have some mobility issues. Just getting older due to back, knee and hip issues is enough not to go out on a Saturday night.
Then, one day, you see a special news report on one of those 24-hour news channels. A major metropolitan area in the United States, is being littered with electric two-wheeled scooters. The darn things are left all over the place. You find out this is both a not a new issue and not only in the United States. It is worldwide. Then you ask yourself, “where have I been the last few years”. At the same time, you think, “That darn thing looks fun and I bet It would allow my wife and I to get around our city better?” The problem is, you DON’T live in one of the major metropolitan area’s. You live downtown, Birmingham, Alabama. Great city, not New York, LA or Chicago. Currently, no rentals here!
My background is writing professional training curriculum for fortune 100 companies, on the topics of sales, management, leadership and mentoring. Before I or anyone else takes a notion foreign to us to heart, we must develop a need in our mind. I had a need, mobility. It was not big enough for me to look at the option too seriously. That is until I booked a four-day music festival my wife and I were about to attend.
The Music Festival that Changed it all.
The Hangout Music Festival is located on the most beautiful beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The festival is huge, with more than 60,000 fans attending. My wife and I have gone to the festival the last two years and the year of 2019 will be our third year. Usually we would stay in a RV park, .4 miles from the festivals entrance. Even then, we would bring our bikes to get back and forth. My wife’s hips were her issue and my excess weight, plus lack of wind, was mine. This year I had sold my RV and we got a Condo on the Beach. The bad part was the Condo location .8 miles away from the festival entrance. We no longer had a bike rack since, the RV was now sold. “That dog won’t hunt”. We needed a solution. Now we had a huge NEED.
The idea of one of these two-wheel electric scooter, came back to me. I instantly knew I had the perfect solution to our mobility issue. How to sell it to my wife, was a completely different thing. Only one way to find out, buy one and see how it goes. I went on an expedition of research, in this new product that seemed to be taking over the world. Many of you have done the same research. It is very similar to finding out everything about an RV, prior to buying. Let me say it another way, it is time consuming and not all the information you get, is even close to accurate. You just don’t know that, up front.
And the Scooter Survey Says….
After an exhausting effort of due diligence, I came up with what I thought was the top rated electric scooter, available in today’s market. The name of it was a Glion Dolly (https://glion-scooter.com/dolly/ ). It was a well build, $500.00 electric scooter. It folded down for easy transportation, weighed 27 lbs. and had little wheels that allowed it to be pulled like a piece of luggage. Hence the name, Dolly. Like most things I buy, I purchased it directly from the company. It was also available on Amazon. As a side note, I love Amazon. I just would prefer buying directly from the manufacturer if the price is the same. My history shows, better service that way.
The Dolly was straight forward. Accelerator with regenerative brake. One motor in the back wheel that was if I am not mistaken, a 250-watt brushless hub motor. The scooter was rated for a maximum weight of 220 lbs. I weighed, at the time, 271 lbs. When received, it was as advertised. It took me two days to get my wife to even attempt to ride it. This was critical to my strategic plan. We both had to have a scooter for this upcoming music festival to workout well.
Finally, my wife Tami unwillingly, agrees to go to our local parking lot to try this new scooter. She went around the lot two times, gave the scooter back to me and said, “It was fun, I have to make dinner.” I was completely screwed. The only strategy was to let her sleep on it and that was the right approach as history will show. The very next day, Tami says, “I am taking MY scooter for a drive around town.” “MY” scooter she said, perfect! When she came back with a smile on her face, I immediately bought our second scooter. “Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”
The next scooter was not, a Glion Dolly. I wanted a scooter with more curb appeal. Stylish and cool looking if possible. I found it in the Segway Ninebot ES2 (https://store.segway.com/kickscooter-compare-list ). Now this scooter was not as recommended online at all. Yet at the same price point of $500.00, and based on the cool factor it had, I bought it anyway. When both scooters were at my home, I let Tami try each and select the one that suited her needs best. She chooses the Glion, which was good because I like the cooler ES2. This should be the end of this story, but it is not, by a long bit.
And Now for the Rest of the Story!
We went to the four-day Hangout Music Festival with our brand-new scooters. They worked perfectly. All the young folks seeing these 60-year-old people, passing them by on the streets, were all smiles. Every time we stopped, folks asked us questions about the scooters. Tami and I were a big hit at the Hangout. Then on the second night, I was riding back the .8 miles to my condo and my battery ran out completely. That happens when you are 271 lbs. on a scooter that is rated for 220 lbs. Weight of the rider matters to any scooters battery life. I manually scootered it .5 miles to my condo to see my wife smiling from the balcony with a glass of wine in hand and a shit eating grin on her face. I made my mind up that moment, this situation will never happen to me again.
Time to Stop Fouling Around and Buy A Better Scooter.
My efforts to find a more suitable electric scooter began. It took several months and now my research went right to the company and brand selling the scooters. It is important to mention, at 62, I was not held to any price point. As a matter of fact, I wanted a great scooter this time. I realized that at $500.00, you are not going to get the power, build quality and high level of material that you would get at $1,500.00 to $2,000.00. As nice as the Glion Dolly and Segway Ninebot ES2 are, they are low-end scooters for those on a budget. I mean no offence here, you just get a different quality when you triple your price point. Simple fact, “you get what you pay for”.
My research started with the most expensive electric scooter I could find, then went down in price from there. The highest price scooter was called a, Hollyburn SS made by Works Electric (https://www.works-electric.com/hollyburn-ss ). It was a handmade beast, that you had to wait several months to get built. I emailed the company and the owner called me back. What a great guy. This scooter is big, heavy, powerful and in the truest sense of the word, a tank. It is also more than $6,700.00. Funny thing, Hollyburn also does not have suspension. That seems to be a huge thing on all the social media boards. Then again, everything is an emotional big thing on social media boards. Yet those that own them, love them dearly. They better at that price.
Next on the list was what seemed to be every Reddit ElectricScooter sub-directory members dream brand, the Dualtron. This brand was put out by Mini Motors USA. There is one Mini Motors in California and a new one in New York. Dualtron, in my opinion, is the gold standard for today’s electric scooter. My issue was, even at the lower priced model, the Spider; it was way too much power for my wife and myself. These scooters fly more than 40 mph. What I loved the most about the Dualtron was John, the owner of Mini Motors USA in California (https://minimotorsusa.com/ ). This guy is a true business man, professional and gentlemen. I also spoke with John on the phone, as I did with the owner of Hollyburn.
Other honorable mention scooter brands and models I looked at were: Speedway; Ninebot MAX; Zero 10X; Rion; Fluid Widewheel; and the list goes on. What I was not looking at was the cheap China knock off’s, because I wanted a serious scooter this time, with serious quality. Customer service was also a consideration. A human to talk too that responded to my needs within 48 hours. I did not think I was asking too much, if I was willing to pay for it, customer service was important.
This brought me to the Boosted company and their soon to be introduced, Boosted REV scooter (https://www.boostedboards.com/vehicles/scooters/boosted-rev/ ). At the time, they were in pre-production. All you could do was reserve one for $100.00, which was fully refundable. Here I found my middle ground. The scooter was not perfect, it really needed suspension. It was the build quality that I wanted with the power to do almost anything. Not 40 mph, 24 mph; which was a speed that my old body would most likely never hit (I was wrong). I admired this was a scooter that was developed from a white paper approach. I liked the feeling of the Boosted company and the reputation it had for customer service, after purchase. I did not like waiting for my scooter to be delivered. I wanted it like most folks, NOW!
This brings me to my review of the Boosted REV. It was important you fully understood the journey in case you want to follow the same path. You needed to know I initially paid $1,000.00 for two scooters, to realize that I had to up my price point, to get close to what I wanted and needed. This was not an easy decision. It was not an easy to wait, which I will explain below. Allow me to lay out the review in sections based solely on MY personal wants, needs and motives.
I can’t start this review without mentioning social media. I below to lots of social media apps. Most people do. The difference on this situation is how specialized the websites are that focus on electric scooters. I have never found more opinionated people on any product of any kind as I have with electric scooters. God help you if you complement a brand you invested in. The folks come out of the woodworks and often time are flat out rude and hateful. I have found a lot of the haters have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. The facts they provide are debunked on the brand or product’s website. As much as I love Reddit and the many interesting subdirectories, the ElectricScooter sub is a try piece of work. Rule #1, NEVER ever post anything on this subdirector with the name, “Boosted”. It is if the brand is a dirty word. Just had to say this. Rude, is simply RUDE.
The Boosted REV Review
The Boosted Company Reservation Process: Since this is a review, it also has to do with the entire purchase and ownership experience. Boosted missed the boat completely on their reservation process. It was completely frustrating and lacked a customer-centered approach. Where the concept of “Under promise and over deliver” should have been their mantra. What it felt like to me was a social media blitz with paid influencers. This was well before the production units were even produced. Any effort to get a clear read from the Boosted Customer Service Department, led to a politically correct answer that never gave you any firm guidance. In several calls and emails to Boosted, it became clear that the Engineering, Marketing and Customer Service Department teams, never talked to each other. In fact, they were at odds with each other. The entire process was intolerable, unprofessional and unacceptable. It seems, this was not the first-time new product launches, that went this route. That fact was even more troublesome to me during this wait time.
- RATING: I rate the Boosted Corporate Reservation Process a 2 out of 10.
The Boosted Company Full Payment Process: Finally, I got the email asking for the full balance. I paid it instantly. In the context of the email was the words, “Will ship in ABOUT 3-weeks.” Again, the message here is, hold your breath. Just because the shipping was in ABOUT 3-week, it did not mean it would be delivered in three weeks. That would end up taking ABOUT another week. With delays, full payment to receiving the unit was almost 5 weeks. Another example of bad communication and expectation setting from a company that should know better yet remember, has done this in the past.
- RATING: I rate the Full Payment Process a 5 out of 10.
Boosted REV Unboxing & Setup Process: Although gaining an actual email notice that your Boosted REV was on the way was always delayed, the email did finally come. Now finally the Boosted company and the REV started to shine. When you finally got the shipping notice that your REV had shipped, the email came with a linked YouTube™ video on how to unbox and setup your new Boosted REV. Great video and very easy to follow. In the actual box was a written instruction manual, which was also very well written. I came to find out that many Americans refuse, to watch these videos or read the instructions fully. This is a huge mistake with new products like this.
The initial setup was crucial for proper handle bars setup. The information provided insured the REV would fold properly and safely in the future. In addition, the manual clearly described what would happen if a full charged REV battery was pushed manually, while in the on position. To be clearer, the REV would not run if you pushed it fully charged and turned it on. It was a protection issue, so the battery would never over charge. All the consumer had to do was read the manual. I read it from cover-to-cover, with the intent to understand. If you get a REV, while it is charging the first time, read the owners-manual, it will serve you well. Setup was less than two (2) minutes and everything I expected it to be.
- RATING: I rate the Unboxing and Setup Process a 9 out of 10.
Initial Issues, Concerns and Maintenance: There were three (3) Boosted REV items in question. First was checking and adjusting the tire pressure. The second was the Boosted Mobile Phone Application. The final concern was how the Boosted REV folded seamlessly.
- Tire Pressure: The REV comes with two (2) tire air valve extenders. The actual tire pressure value is in an awkward spot on the wheel and you need the valve extender to do the job. Getting the initial valve in position to carefully twist the extender, on took some frustrating time. The secret was using a very strong paper clip to pull the valve out a bit, then the extender could easily, as well as, smoothly be put on. The second wheel was much easier then the first. I now have the hang of it. Not intuitive, at all.
- Mobile Application: The mobile application was another story. Lots of complaints online about this application. Then again as I stated before, online social media is one big group of complainers. I downloaded the Boosted application on my iPhone. I followed the instructions. I clicked the On/Off button five times on the REV to sync as instructed. The REV computer then connect to the Bluetooth on my phone, just fine. I figured out fast, that I could care less about this mobile application if, the scooter worked properly, which it did. After owning the REV for a couple of weeks, it seems Boosted updated the issues with their application. I did use it on my last ride and it worked perfectly.
- Boosted REV Folding Seamlessly: Let me start by saying, in over 45 days, I have had NO issues with the folding of my REV, NONE. The key was following the setup instructions exactly as given. Each instance I hear online about issues had to do with releasing the handle bars with the hex tool and reinstalling. The other issue was the plastic piece that clicks the handlebars in place. Again, no issues for me at all. However, you must know that my background is with RV’s. You learn very quickly that custom parts are made of plastic and you can’t slam them. Just a word of advice here.
There were a couple of other minor things. A sound from the back fender when I hit hard bumps. I had to adjust the back-brake line like I would on any nice bike. All in all, little to no issues.
- RATING: I would rate the Initial Issue and Maintenance as an 8 out of 10.
First Ride & Initial Opinion: Before I begin this, please remember what my preferences were for my needs, NOT yours. My comparisons were based on my scooters owned. As mentioned prior, I had two lower-end $500.00 electric scooters. Those items both with hard rubber wheels. From the start, they were under-powered for my needs and usage. The suspension on the Segway Ninebot ES2 was awful as was the build quality was completely sub-par. The Glion Dolly was boring as hell and most importantly under powered.
I initially put my new Boosted REV in mode “1”, slowest speed (REV has three (3) driving modes) and it took off. I simply could not believe it. No push off needed, good torque compared to what I was used too. I immediately became familiar with the rather unique throttle/brake wheel. It was even more intuitive then I expected. The handling was so much easier then anything I had driven before. The feel of complete control was apparent from the very first ride. I also got the feeling that the quality of the build was far superior to all past scooters I rented or utilized.
Ride after ride, it also became apparent that the lack of suspension was indeed noticeable. Let me be clear, the ES2 had suspension but it was insignificant. The Boosted REV with the air-filled tires was hands down much better. When you hit cobble stones, pot holes and unpaved roads, you think “I need” suspension. I also noted the acceleration was just a bit choppy from time to time. Not an issue but was noticed. Seems this issue resolved itself which could have been due to a firmware update.
I eventually got the nerve to move to mode 2 then finally mode 3. It just took some getting used too. Not scary after a few times. You always should remember to wear a helmet. I also have gloves and respect the speed. I know this is not the 40 mph you can go on a Dualtron. For my usage, it is way fast enough. By the way, I love Dualtron’s also. How can you not, great unit.
- RATING: I rate the First Ride and Initial Opinion as a 9 out of 10.
Miles Per Charge: This seems to be the area that so many people, again especially on social media are calling out Boosted. The pre-advertisements on the Boosted REV claimed, 22 miles per charge. I was one of those consumers that wanted to know what the testing was, to get that 22-mile result. I asked that question before I gave Boosted one dime. That is what research is all about. Others did not do their due diligence and became social media trolls. Darn shame. To give you accurate information here, you must have some information. If any part of this information is different for you, your expected miles per charge will be different.
My Information: I weigh now 230 lbs. The scooter is rated for 220, I am slightly over. I am working on that, by the way. I live downtown Birmingham, AL, a metro area. The roads are paved well with bike lanes most of the time. The sidewalks are OK, however have cracks. There are some inclines, so the surface is not perfectly flat all the time. I use my regenerative brake as my main braking system. I do not stay at one speed all the time. I look for areas to take the speed up to the max for that mode. There is nothing seamless about the way I ride.
- Mode “1”: Max speed is about 12 mph. Lowest torque. I have gotten 17.5 miles per charge.
- Mode “2”: Max speed is about 18 mph. Medium torque. I have gotten 12.5 miles per charge.
- Mode “3”: Max speed is about 25 mph. Highest torque. I have gotten 9 miles per charge.
Based on the size of the battery (small), my needs and expectations. The range is more then adequate. I purchased a REV also for my wife. She never goes out of Mode “1”. She never exceeds 9 mph. She weighs 160 lbs. She gets 20 +.
- RATING: I rate the Miles Per Charge as a 7 out of 10.
Overall Final Impression:
- Pros: I am completely thrilled with both the Boosted REV’s. No electric scooter is perfect. When you own this brand and model, you instantly know why it cost $1,599.00. If I have not made it clear, I own two (2) Boosted REV’s. One for my wife and one for me. I rarely go to 24 mph and when I do, I back off it quick. The range is so much better then I am used too. Hills are super easy even at my weight. The off the start torque is mighty fine. The folding mechanism I found to be easy to use and worked well. The key here was finesse and follow the setup instructions as indicated in my review.
- Cons: The Boosted company needs to consider suspension for future models. It would make a huge different. The battery size should be improved in the future to get a higher range per charge. The tire valve system is a pain in the ass. The LCD front headlight is ok but with very little expense could be GREAT. The iPhone App is complete garbage. It adds a level of frustration that takes away from the product itself.
Final Comment: The Boosted corporation has a lot to learn about really being customer-centered during their pre-sale. That pre-order and delivery process was appalling. If you buy a Boosted REV today, you will get it shipped in two-days or so. This issue will not affect you now. The call center and emails to the Boosted Customer service is very good after the sale, which is what they are known for.
I absolutely hate the trolls on social media especially in the ElectricScooter sub-Reddit, when you bring up Boosted REV. They don’t own one, they usually have a low-end electric scooter. They want folks to buy in to their negativity. Sorry but these folks bother me.
On to a more positive note, I would 100% recommend Boosted REV to anyone whom has the same needs as I outlined. If you go off road or the roads you go on are rough, you need to get a scooter with great suspension and the REV won’t do for you. I hope this review has helped everyone but especially those in my age group. We have a mobility aide, it is fun, affordable and green if that is important to you. Be well and drive safe.