Evolve “Pintail” Electric Skateboard Review
I recently purchased an Evolve “Pintail” electric skateboard from Evolve Asia. This is the third electric skateboard I’ve bought so far. The first was the Altered Electric M6 800 which I got from Robert at Blue Planet Surf. I actually got 2 of those because I thought it would be fun for two people to ride together. Unfortunately, that never happened. I ended up using it a lot for a while but a few things prevented me from making it a part of my routine. The m6 was great in that it could go on road and off road. The all terrain tires rode over just about anything and the low end torque made it awesome to get up steep hills. The brakes were also really good and I could descend steep hills at a speed which was comfortable to me. The drawbacks to the board were the weight and range. It weighed over 60 lbs because of the lead acid batteries and it also only lasted around 30-40 minutes or so. I think it was rated at 8 miles but it seemed like less. These are great for off road and I used to ride tandem with my son. I ended up selling these a while ago and never thought I’d get another electric skateboard.
Altered M6 800 Electric Skateboard
My interest in electric skateboards got renewed when I saw the kickstarter campaign for Boosted Boards on facebook. I ended up getting to demo the prototype and posted that review here. I really liked riding the boosted board and ordered one via kickstarter last October 2012 scheduled for the 2nd production batch to be shipped in June 2103. Due to unforseen delays, boosted now has no eta and gives no insight into this. They can’t even tell us a date range. The board looks sexy in the marketing pictures but it would be nice to have a real shipping date range. I would have been happy with the prototype. I got tired of waiting and researched the Evolve for a couple weeks before deciding to buy.
Boosted Boards Electric Skateboard Prototype
In the research process I also tested out a metroboard gravity midsize. I contacted the owner Ilan and he put me in touch with one of his customers on Oahu. That customer was super cool to let me try his board to see if I wanted to get one. The metroboard was a little heavier than 20 lbs and was setup to go fast so the trucks were a bit stiff. It had abec 11 90mm flywheels so it sat pretty high off the ground. I liked it but only got to test it in a parking area of a condo complex. I’m not sure how it performs on steep hills. The controller was a Wii nunchak and felt really good in my hand. The acceleration, brake, etc were a little confusing because you need to hold the top button down with your index finger and then move the throttle with your thumb in increments. Each push forward on the throttle would increase the speed incrementally. The bottom button was the brake and the speed would drop back down to the lowest speed setting once I used the brake. I think it would take a while to get used to the remote functions. It wasn’t very intuitive. The owner, Ilan was super responsive and obviously cares a lot about customer service. This board may also be a good option for those who can use it to commute.
When I finally decided to order, the Evolve Australian HQ ran out of stock so I had to contact their Asia distributor. Both were really helpful and straight forward. Jeff is the owner and the Aussie guy you see in the videos on youtube. His Malaysian distributor is Brian and also has a lot of videos on youtube. I know because I spent hours over a couple weeks watching them and trying to decide whether or not to buy. I ended up buying from Brian in Malaysia on a Friday in the USA. I got the shipment the following Wednesday. That was faster transit than from the east coast of the USA. I was super impressed. I topped off the charge for the board and then tested it. As of this post, I’ve put in probably about 3 hours of riding on the board and here are my observations.
Shipping time was very fast
Packaging was very good
Pros:
The boards looks slick
It’s under 20 lbs which means I can easily carry and transport it
It can go fast if I want and is stable when going fast
The trigger on the remote is very sensitive and precise making it easy to control
The double trucks allow very tight turns
The carving closely mimics surfing and snowboarding
It’s way more fun than riding a bike
I can now keep up with my kids on their bikes and scooters
The board has been tested extensively and is available for purchase now
The range is 15 miles or roughly 2 hours of riding
Customer service is very responsive and helpful
Abec 11 wheels provide a very smooth ride
Cons:
Weak on steep hills
Brakes are ok only on non steep hills
There’s a lot more pros than cons. I think the Abec 11 Evolve boards run around $1200-1250 delivered to your door. That’s about the same as a SUP board. If you’re looking for more adult toys, you won’t be sorry.
Check out the video below where I share a detailed look at the Evolve “Pintail” electric skateboard.
(click thumbnail to launch video)
Thanks for the review Evan. One question, why did you choose the Pintail above the Snubnose? Design? Length?
The pintail carves more like surfing. It’s awesome. I use it almost everyday.
I also chose the pintail because I have a boosted board on preorder and the length of the snub is the same as the boosted. I didn’t want 2 almost identical boards.
evan, i was thinking about buying the pintail for city use. is it nimble enough to get around the city, can it turn reasonably tight? thanks in advance. would like to go with the pintail as im not too experienced on longboards and added stability would help? also how are you finding the length and weight after a few days use for portability?
Cam – The double truck on the pintail allows for it to make a pretty tight turn. You can see in the video I uploaded that on a 2 lane street it can easily turn 180 and go the other direction. I can make 90 degree turns at the sidewalk corners. I think the snub nose may be a bit easier in the city though because it’s shorter and I think the wheel base is shorter which will allow for tighter turns. I got the pintail because I wanted to improve on my surfing cutback without having to kick. I didn’t try them side by side but one reason I got the pintail is because I also have a boosted board on order and it’s about the same outline as the snub. Both seemed stable to me. I think the Evolve can make a tigher turn due to the double truck though. I also think Evolve has a smoother ride due to the larger ABEC wheels. The boosted was lighter and that was really nice but we’ll see when their final production board comes out…if it ever comes out. If I had to carry the pintail everyday a significant distance that may be irritating. It’s about 20 lbs which isn’t super heavy but it’s also not super light. The range is really nice though. I can go a few days without having to recharge it.
Hi Evan,
I am torn right now between waiting for the Boosted Board or buying the eVolve snub-nose. If you had to pick one board, would you prefer the eVolve or would you wait for the Boosted Board? I also am not good at stopping on a skateboard so I’m concerned about the mediocre braking you mentioned for the eVolve. Are the brakes relaible enough to stop when I need to?
Thanks!
Ken
Ken – I think it depends on what you plan to use it for. I got the evolved in the summer but would rather have paid a little more for the carbon series they have now. It has more power and range. I find that the evolve is really good on flatter terrain like when I have to park far away from my destination. I can skate faster than I can drive on some of those occasions. The biggest thing I don’t like about my pintail is the size and weight. It’s not that easy to stash at a meeting. The brake is pretty weak. It will slow you down but don’t expect it to stop you. I jump off a lot to stop.
It’s hard to estimate what Boosted will end up riding like. I can’t remember how the brakes performed and they have taken over a year since I tried it so your guess is as good as mine. Boosted went radio silent for the last month and finally re-emerged saying that they have a big update next week. If I get mine before the end of the year I’ll be super surprised.
FYI – I ended up getting the Snub Nose and I am pretty impressed by it. I’m reserving judgement until I see how the battery holds up after at least a year. The brakes, in my opinion, work as they should. Any harder of a brake I feel would throw me off the board. Going downhill can be challenging though when trying to stop.
You’re right, it is a heavier board than I anticipated (even at 19 lbs) as well but it’s still the lightest one out there available. And to think I almost bought a board that weighed 28 lbs! The carbon series is even heavier. But I think the all terrain carbon board is most ideal for me since the streets of San Francisco are full of cracks and uneven pavement. It’s a bummer it’s over 23 lbs.
I’ve given up on Boosted. I think their silence has a lot of potential customers, like myself, asking if we really want to give them our business anymore.
Ken
I too ended up ordering an Evolve board, the lack of information from Boosted has been disappointing to say the least. If anybody is interested in meeting up for a group ride in the bay area, let me know.
Update: I finally got in touch w/ Sanjay at Boosted via Facebook message. Now I’m getting info and will hopefully get my board in February. Sanjay assured me that the hill climbing and brakes will be impressive. We’ll see once I get it.
I guess no Boosted Board yet?
Ken – Yup, still waiting. Boosted said they are shipping to the kickstarter backers now but for boards like mine that need to ship via air, they now need to get the batteries checked by a third party tester before they can ship. I’m still trying to work this out. Hopefully the board is good up hills so it can be worth the wait.
Ken – Finally got the Boosted Board a couple weeks ago. Post coming soon.
Even – thanks for the review, found your YT video when researching this board. I live in Singapore currently and want to get one. I longboard skate but years ago my ankle was injured snoboarding so kicking off on my skateboard aggravates that, so looking into a boosted board.
What is that great music on your YT clip?
Also you mentioned about longboard surfing, which I (only) do and how you talked about the back of the board, it seems narrow and short for longboard surfing moves like getting back far enough for a drop-knee.
Hope they make a longer board someday.
Evan…
My Evolve motor recently became warped for no apparent reason after riding it for 6 months and I was forced to buy another motor from them for $112.
What do you think of thwe Boosted Board? I didn’t see a YouTube review. Boosted’s new price of $2k plus tax and shipping was just too much for me to shell out.
Ken
Ken – That’s a bummer. Here’s the quick review http://www.standuppaddlesurf.net/2014/04/23/my-boosted-boards-electric-skateboard-is-finally-here/. At $2k it becomes an even more pricey luxury item. I wouldn’t have paid $2k. I like it but don’t use it enough to justify $2k. I’m sure some others will say otherwise.
Evan,
Have you had a problem with your motor on the eVolve at all? My motor crapped out 6 months into owning it. I had to buy another one for $112.
Thanks,
Ken
Ken – I haven’t had any issues with the motor. I also don’t ride it much these days because I’ve been busy.
Hey Evan, I also used m6 electric skateboard before. I had some bad experiences with this skateboard. after then, I bought a new sector 9 skateboard that was not electric. Now I’feel good to ride with this skateboard. I think normal longboard is better than electric longboard. Thanks for sharing pintail electric skateboard review. I’m planning to buy one to give it a try. Thanks
Mary – if you’re thinking the Evolve, they don’t make the Pintail anymore. I’ve asked them if they would consider it, and, a longer board, but that would be quite unlikely.
I think this is a market waiting for a manufacturer.
Maybe Hamboard will make one……