Marbel vs. Boosted vs. Evolve

[JJ2525]

So I'm considering the Evolve board. I don't mind 18lb vs 10lb of the Marbel, and I do appreciate the increased range. Plus, the Marbel guys were supposed to be shipping boards already and no one has even gotten a comment from them anywhere, which concerns me.

A question I have re: Evolve carbon. The marbel board is waterproof enough where it's fine if you go through a puddle and even light rain. I know you shouldn't ride the evolve carbon board when it's raining even the slightest bit, but if I accidentally ride through a puddle, am I going to damage the electrics somehow?

 

[torqueboards]

Water's fine... I even have a semi open enclosure and it gets wet from time to time. Water is harmless

I've actually ridden in rain which was pretty fun. Just as long as the connectors and batteries aren't drenched or sitting in water. You should be perfectly fine.

Dunking your entire board or throwing it in a lake and expecting it to run perfectly fine afterwards is another story

Be sure to post some photos of the Evolve. Most of us never have bought a production board because we haven't needed too.

I do try to stay away from small puddles and water in general. It just ends up making the board nasty and dirty. All grime will end up sticking onto it.

 

[profspicy]

Any reason the Yuneec E-go isn't on the list? I've used mine to commute to and from work and run errands for months now and love it. It doesn't have the performance of Boosted, but it's about 1/3 the price. Yuneec's customer service is fantastic as well.

 

[Wolfspass]

Hello,

Although this is my first post, i followed these forum since 2012. So I decided to share my opinion since i own the E-GO and the Boosted and a friend of mine has the Evolve.

The E-GO has by far the best range of them all and that's beside the price the only plus that i found in owning it. The first board was delivered by Yunnec in March this year and since then i changed 4 boards (the last one being delivered in August and is still with me) because of technical issues. So the quality of the board is not as good as it should be. On this last one I've done approx. 300 km by now and every thing seams OK. It's a fun board but the limitation in speed and the quality it's something that they should still work on.

The Boosted is a beast. In my opinion if you have the money for it this is a really fun board to have. I don't think i have to say much more about the range since it's were they say it is. But the power, quality and the overall feeling is the best. I think I've managed approx 600 km on it and i still love every moment.

The Evolve Board is a little strange in my opinion. Every time i did try the board after riding one of my one, i got the the strange feeling of being a very loose, shaky or unsecured board. I thing this is because of the trucks design that they use. The feel is different from a normal longboard (and i do ride a longboard for more the 5 years now). The quality is between the E-GO and the Boosted.

The Marbel - i'm still waiting for the board (no news yet)

Anyway, that is my personal opinion of the boards and if anyone has some questions i'll be happy to answer.

 

[JJ2525]

Any reason the Yuneec E-go isn't on the list? I've used mine to commute to and from work and run errands for months now and love it. It doesn't have the performance of Boosted, but it's about 1/3 the price. Yuneec's customer service is fantastic as well.

I've considered it, and it undoubtedly is a great value at $699 with an 18mi range. But I'm looking for something with a higher top speed and higher build quality, preferably with electrics built into the deck (or elegantly stored if not). I clearly see the appeal as a lower-cost option, but I don't think it's the right board for me personally.

 

[profspicy]

Hi JJ2525,
That all makes sense. Similar to Wolfspass I've had some technical issues with my board, which is one reason I know their customer service is good. A little more speed, like the Boosted, would be nice! Regardless of which board you choose you'll have a great time riding.

 

[JJ2525]

Marbel just posted a long-awaited update on Kickstarter, but unfortunately, only the Kickstarter buyers are privy to it. They've released no info to their non-Kickstarter buyers, to my knowledge.

 

[skdoo]

Happy to answer any questions, JJ2525 or anyone else, on here or via PM.

 

[JJ2525]

Marbel just posted an updated picture of their board.


...Looks awesome.

 

[torqueboards]

Looks great. Wish they had more details on components though.

I assume - A single 50mm. 37v / 5ah? 166.5Wh capable of 25mph.

 

[voodoojar]

Looks really good.

 

[drmacgyver]

@skdoo: Are you guys still working on the "ring" style transmitter? That's one of the most elegant pieces of tech I've seen and would love to see you make it happen. I do like your current transmitter too, but I still prefer a trigger throttle.

 

[skdoo]

@skdoo: Are you guys still working on the "ring" style transmitter? That's one of the most elegant pieces of tech I've seen and would love to see you make it happen. I do like your current transmitter too, but I still prefer a trigger throttle.

We built it, and it was not very good. It was one of those designs that seemed like it would be a great idea, but when we rode with prototypes, it was worse than the remote we currently ship with. All of us and our test riders preferred a remote that was sturdy, slim but not so small you'd lose it, and that fit different hands.

I'll write another (overdue) technical post soon about remote design and what we learned.

 

[EwanG]

I will be getting my bonus in two weeks, and am looking for a board that can handle a 200 lb adult with a 20 lb backpack while going at least 12 miles (range not speed) reliably. It appears that either the Street Carbon Evolve or the Yuneec E-Go would work, but would love to hear from someone doing a similar commute with either.

The Evolve claims to have a much longer range, which would make the higher price somewhat worth it. That and the E-Go is claiming both to be in-stock, and requiring 1-2 weeks to ship (two statements that don't seem to go together).

Suggestions on which way to go?

 

[okp]

I would say : go DIY.

Otherwise, I got a DIY and a Carbon Street Evolve (Street & AT kit) for my girlfriend; but I am used to ride both. You can check my detailed (and kinda objective) review on my blog (http://fun.gamani.org) or on my post here at ES.

If you had to choose... and got the money : go for Evolve Carbon Street - way way better than yuneec

 

[torqueboards]

I will be getting my bonus in two weeks, and am looking for a board that can handle a 200 lb adult with a 20 lb backpack while going at least 12 miles (range not speed) reliably. It appears that either the Street Carbon Evolve or the Yuneec E-Go would work, but would love to hear from someone doing a similar commute with either.

The Evolve claims to have a much longer range, which would make the higher price somewhat worth it. That and the E-Go is claiming both to be in-stock, and requiring 1-2 weeks to ship (two statements that don't seem to go together).

Suggestions on which way to go?

If you don't mind fidgeting with your board and want more power. I'd opt for DIY. If you want something easy to use and not really mess with much a production board is ideal.

There still are some issues with DIY boards such as not main cover or enclosure options available. Not many on-board battery options. If the benefits out weigh the cons then a DIY board is definitely the route.

 

[JJ2525]

I will be getting my bonus in two weeks, and am looking for a board that can handle a 200 lb adult with a 20 lb backpack while going at least 12 miles (range not speed) reliably. It appears that either the Street Carbon Evolve or the Yuneec E-Go would work, but would love to hear from someone doing a similar commute with either.

The Evolve claims to have a much longer range, which would make the higher price somewhat worth it. That and the E-Go is claiming both to be in-stock, and requiring 1-2 weeks to ship (two statements that don't seem to go together).

Suggestions on which way to go?

After doing much of the same research/riding many different boards, my thoughts:

If money is a concern- Yuneec (It's a decent quality board you can get for ~$600 on eBay. Not even close to the most powerful but if transportation is your chief concern, it will get you from A to B.)
If money is no concern- Evolve Bamboo (I say Bamboo because the US distributor of Evolve seems to have severe QC issues with the Carbon from what I've read/heard from owners. The Carbon is also a 43" deck which is too long for my liking, though I'm only 5'10.)
If money is no concern and you don't mind waiting a few months- Marbel (I really like what they're doing, but want to see some tangible progress, like backers finally receiving their boards, soon.)

 

[torqueboards]

Should actually look into the Jaccobbloy's hub motors. I honestly think it will change the game. For eboarders who don't need as much torque should be pretty nice. Guess we'll see once I try my set uphill.

 

[JJ2525]

Should actually look into the Jaccobbloy's hub motors. I honestly think it will change the game. For eboarders who don't need as much torque should be pretty nice. Guess we'll see once I try my set uphill.

I'm eagerly awaiting people trying those motors on longboard builds. Are they still on track to ship in a couple weeks? I agree, if all goes to plan it could change things considerably.

 

[Hummina Shadeeba]

I will be getting my bonus in two weeks, and am looking for a board that can handle a 200 lb adult with a 20 lb backpack while going at least 12 miles (range not speed) reliably. It appears that either the Street Carbon Evolve or the Yuneec E-Go would work, but would love to hear from someone doing a similar commute with either.

The Evolve claims to have a much longer range, which would make the higher price somewhat worth it. That and the E-Go is claiming both to be in-stock, and requiring 1-2 weeks to ship (two statements that don't seem to go together).

Suggestions on which way to go?

You should look at how many watt hours those board's batteries are ( volts x amp hours), they all exaggerate. Seems to be 40 watt hours:mile roughly in the real world. ThInk that maths right.
Boosted has new models out too now. I'd make ur own and get something much better. If ur looking to be cheap I have an 8s 120 alien esc (two actually), a tacon 160 motor, nunchuck n receiver parts, and 6s 5amphour battery, nboard, wheels, pulleys,..all new..all u need is a motor mount and belt...for 300. Way stronger than any of those and it'll be half the price.

Also have a hobby wing 150 esc barely used

 

[EwanG]

Boosted has new models out too now.

Longest quoted range on any of their new ones is 7 miles, and so wouldn't work in my case.

One thing I haven't seen is anyone who is actually doing a longer daily commute on one of these. Some problem I'm missing, or just that I'm a bit "long in the tooth" compared to the average rider? IOW, market for these seems to mainly be folks doing very short rides and happy to get a bit more speed because the distance isn't that important. Not looking for a 100 mile range (though wouldn't that be something?), but one of the reasons I stopped riding my ebike was I couldn't make any detours if I wanted to get home without a lot of peddling - that and the fact the bike was making my wrists sore. Trying to make sure I am not exchanging one set of issues for another

 

[torqueboards]

Boosted has new models out too now.

Longest quoted range on any of their new ones is 7 miles, and so wouldn't work in my case.

One thing I haven't seen is anyone who is actually doing a longer daily commute on one of these. Some problem I'm missing, or just that I'm a bit "long in the tooth" compared to the average rider? IOW, market for these seems to mainly be folks doing very short rides and happy to get a bit more speed because the distance isn't that important. Not looking for a 100 mile range (though wouldn't that be something?), but one of the reasons I stopped riding my ebike was I couldn't make any detours if I wanted to get home without a lot of peddling - that and the fact the bike was making my wrists sore. Trying to make sure I am not exchanging one set of issues for another

You would be.. your legs will be sore from riding long distance even though your not kicking. I would imagine on an ebike, you would have a lot more suspension due to the bigger wheels as well as get to your destination faster since it is safer to reach higher speeds.

IMO An eboard is great if you need portability. Batteries will be quite heavy if you need to travel about 10-15 miles.

For example, on my own commute which isn't that far about 2-3 miles one way - 6 miles/day. I would like an ebike to have an ebike but during traffic time. It is almost literally impossible to get it on the train and/or take up more time waiting for people to walk/move faster. With an eBoard, It's much easier to get around people.

 

[whitepony]

hey there, this is one of the threads i looked at when i decided to buy an electric skateboard - just wanted to throw in some minor comparison between boosted and evolve carbon (i tested boosted this year at the CES in las vegas and actually bought the evolve carbon 2in1 after long consideration and was test driving it today for maybe 1 hour).

boosted dual+:
+ very high torque (highest torque felt nearly too extreme for me, braking was very hard, acceleration kicked you off the board without being used to it)
+ super high brake power which can be well controlled
+ double rear wheel drive (symmetric acceleration and braking)
o low range
o i couldnt carve that well on it, maybe due to the extreme flex (gotta say, im a 20year raceboard veteran, i like stiff precise machines in the snow)
- quite noisy with the 2 small engines, felt their rpm was pretty high too
- extreme flex (didnt like that, coming from raceboarding)
- didnt like the thumb controller at all
- in neutral is was braking still quite strongly, didnt feel like you could just carve downhill in neutral


evolve carbon:
+ the street version carves so well omg i really loved it coming from snowboarding and i got used to it within just 10minutes!! (AT version is not that great in that regard, but it has other strengths, most of all its very comfy)
+ medium torque compared to boosted, but felt very balanced
+ very silent (i was reading that it will become even more silent after the belt breaks in)
+ very balanced acceleration
+ really nice braking behavior overall - its braking quite strongly at high speeds and fades out towards walking speed
+ great controller - if you have ever driven a professional RC car you will instantly feel at home
+ street/AT flexibility.
+ engine brakes the board very little, i was carving downhill without any power consumption and it felt pretty good
+ its supposed to have up to 40km range as street - couldnt test that yet
o braking with the controller feels a little binary - there is hardly any middleground between braking and not braking
- 1 wheel drive (when you brake hard, you will feel the asymmetric drive by small steering impulses which you dont have with dbl rear wheel drive like boosted)
-- the speed recharger is absolutely horrible - it has a small fan attached and sounds like a hair-dryer. basically you need to recharge your board in a room where you can close the door, preferably in the cellar somewhere. this is really quite a let down

overall the evolve feels like the board is made for me - its very precise and feels great when you carve, especially the street version. its very silent too and has a great touring range, even when you go for the all terrain setup (which alone is already a very good argument to buy that board). i wouldnt mind a double rear wheel drive to get rid of the steering impulses when you accelerate & brake hard but thats about the only criticism i got about the driving performance.

the boosted board is made for san francisco with its steep hills. its has immense torque, but i just couldnt get used to thumb control, it was considerably more noisy and the extreme flex is something I really didnt like either (probably others will love just that about the boosted). the touring range is really bad imo, isnt even enough for me to get to work. with the evolve i get to work and back without recharging!


hope this review will help potential buyers to find the right board for their needs.

 

[agraham]

Hey JJ did you get a board yet? I used your thread to help me decide which board to get. I got the Boosted dual+. Here's my review.
This is coming from someone who is a decent but not great longboarder: I don't really like hills as I don't have the skills to burn off speed by carving and I hate grinding down my shoes or slapping a foot the whole way down, so mostly I just toodle around downtown Vancouver where I live and work. I'd never been on an electric longboard till 24 hours ago so this is from the perspective of someone who didn't know what to expect.
Whitepony's excellent post above hit the important points so here's my take on his review (Boosted Dual+):

Torque: the above post says this board has very high torque but I would say (having nothing to compare it to) that the torque is "adequate". I'm very glad I didn't get the less expensive model. It would be awesome to have a board with literally twice as much torque, but it suffices. You can accelerate about as fast as a bicycle would if pedaling with moderate effort.

Speed: nice and fast once it gets going, but it does take a little while to reach top speed - eight or ten seconds maybe? It's fast enough that it had me thinking "whoa maybe this is a bit fast" but actually 23mph (if that is indeed the speed I was going) is not at all as fast I was expecting. Honestly I thought 23mph was twice as fast as that. In the end I think the top speed is probably perfect for me since if there was more speed available I would use it and would wind up injuring myself. I can't be trusted with things that go too fast as the goddamn Vancouver Police keep reminding me.

Brakes: feel very natural and strong - they could be about 10%-20% stronger though - there's been a couple times where I've thought "ut oh are we gonna stop in time for this stop sign?" You couldn't go much stronger than they are without skidding tho. I think this thing might already have ABS because I feel some strong pulsing when braking hard.

Noise: I was afraid it would make obnoxious noises based on whitepony's review so I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet it is. It's quieter than a conversational voice and the noise is a bit high pitched but not annoyingly so. Quieter is always better but it's not too bad. If the Evolve is a lot quieter then good job them.

Feel: The feel of this board to me is absolutely perfect. I feels overly flexy if you stand in the middle but of course you would never ride like that. With your feet in a natural stance it has just the right amount of flex to add some bump absorption and soften the steering and eliminate any wobble. My previous board is a high and stiff one and I've always felt I made a mistake and wished I had a more flexible one. If you want a laser-focused rigid board this is not the one for you but for me it's perfect in feel and also size. The height is unfortunately too high - the top of the board is almost five inches high so that would be annoying if you wanted to push - but of course you won't.

Weight: just barely acceptable - feels like it weighs about twice what a regular board does - wouldn't want to carry it for long. If was even one pound heavier that would be too much so I guess they hit the right balance between portability and...

Range: crap as we already know but actually crappier than I was expecting - I took it over the bridge home and then around the neighborhood for what felt like 30 minutes and that was it - I was stranded a short way from home. It ran for a little more than half the time I was expecting/hoping. I did manage to crawl along for a couple blocks towards home at walking pace. Once dead you can't really push home on flat sections like a regular board because the friction of the dead motors makes it feel like your riding into a moderate headwind all the time - I'd rather just walk - but then I have to carry it. I just bought a backpack with snowboard straps so I can put it on my back next time that happens. Of course if I didn't rocket from stop sign to stop sign it would have lasted a lot longer but for me speed is what it's all about - I'd rather go half as far twice as fast. Luckily for me I live only 2km from work so I can get there and back with about half a charge so I don't need to take my charger to work. I've heard that you can push manually and then boost once you're going in order the get more range. That would take some practice since you'd have to engage the trigger with the wheel set at a speed just faster than you are going, otherwise you'd engage braking mode at first. One thing you definately cannot do is be boosting and pushing at the same time. The wheel position seems to set not the desired motor power, but the desired speed, so if you push as well the engines fight against you thinking that you are now going downhill. Or something - I don't really have the skills to pump while boosting but in my few tries that was the feeling I was getting.

Whitepony didn't like the thumb controller. He's probably used to the trigger controller from RC cars. I've used the those controllers, but not much so I've never developed the trigger finger dexterity RC guys have. The thumb controller is, I think, the perfect compromise. It's simple and intuitive and compact without giving up too much of the precision of a trigger controller. I like how if I panic my thumb naturally does the right thing whereas with a trigger I would probably pull it all the way in in a panic situation and not have the presence of mind to push the trigger _out_ to get the correct amount of braking. I wouldn't change it except to make it slightly more ergonomic.

I wish they'd spent an extra five bucks on the charger. It's a fairly large heavy laptop brick. Since the range is not great you will probably be taking the charger places and I feel like a 42V 7A charger could have been half the size and weight. At least it's silent and charges fast.

In short even though this board has problems I absolutely love it. I love flying up the hills and almost equally great is being able to cruise _down_ hills without having to worry the whole way about how and where I'm going to burn off speed.

Hopefully in a few years we'll have a board with the same capabilities but three times the range and half the weight and four in-wheel motors and drop through trucks and... yeah maybe not but things will get better and this board will fit the bill in the meantime.

 

[skdoo]

Thanks for the review! Which mode are you riding in? The torque and speed you describe sound more like beginner mode than what the board's limits are.