Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

*****3rd Update 10/04/16***** The Amazon reseller has just corrected the product description from the 17 miles claim to 5-15 miles on a charge. The battery is supposed to last over 500 discharge cycles. It is confirmed the battery is replaceable albeit a very complex process, but if you disassemble the scooter yourself, it'll void any remaining warranty. See the comments for more detail, but I'm very pleased to see the more realistic specifications update. Consider this scooter if you're looking for a last-mile solution or short distance recreational rides. *****2nd Update 9/25/16***** I considered lowering the rating of this scooter further to 3 stars after running more tests. I ran the scooter at the slowest Gear 1 setting and rode it on mostly level terrains with no more than 4-5 degrees short inclines. I used minimal throttle through the declines along with minimal braking to compensate for the slight hills. My odometer showed 8.6 miles traveled since the last charge, while my GPS app registered 9.75 miles total for my four dog exercise runs doing lots of back/forth averaging about 7mph. I am concerned the battery capacity is declining quicker than I'd like and also noticing an overall decline in the power from the first charge. However, I'm not entirely sure if other scooters with more costly batteries would fare much better to take a chance with offshore sellers with more limited warranty. Since I'm fairly lightweight at only 110lbs, you should suspect the 17 miles distance is a major stretch for normal average adults on normal terrains. I'm keeping the rating at 4 stars for now since the scooter works well when fully charged and I still enjoy using it for my short rides. I plan to charge it as soon as the battery bars reach the half point (more than half drained actual) since the 18650 Li-Ion batteries prefer shallow discharges over fuller drains. It's a fun scooter, but it's a shame that Swagtron isn't more forthcoming nor trying harder to earn our trust. *****1st Update: Although I can get a hold of a live phone support relatively easily, they seem restricted on the information they're allowed to share. I've sent repeat emails to Swagtron but they failed to respond at all, so I'm lowering my review rating from 5 to 4 stars to apprise prospective buyers. The manufacturer unfortunately seems to be hiding the crucial information related to the battery while buyers should be able to access the information transparently to make the best informed decision. However, I still love the scooter for my own purpose for the relatively lower cost compared to its competitions****** ---------Original review---------- I did an extensive research before deciding to try this scooter in defeat. The thorough research only left me confused and drained, and while my husband wanted me to get a higher end scooter over a thousand in price, I really didn't want to spend so much money for something that I just blurted out that I wanted for my birthday when asked. The thing is, I've been wanting a motorized scooter for decades, but never seriously thought about getting one until I recently fell off my bike when my tethered dog that I was exercising suddenly went around a post...Ouch. I initially thought to get the popular Razor brand scooter, but the battery requires exceptionally long hours to charge along with only 40 minutes operation time. After almost ordering a very expensive scooter, I said s* that, I'll just try this scooter instead on a sale and see how it works out. My husband and I both have never done so much research that left us without a clear victor, but in the scooter arena, the feature range is extensive and full of compromises. My husband wanted to explore a gas powered scooter to extend the range and usage, but I didn't want the noise nor the maintenance, and we can't seem to find any quieter 4-stroke engine scooter with decent reviews. Ultimately, I'm quite happy with this lightweight electric scooter purchase: Pros -------------------- - This scooter is very light with a carbon-fiber frame. I weighed it at just above 17 lbs, and I have no problem lifting it up the stairs. I feel like I'm in control of the scooter, not the other way around. - It has two brakes - an electric E-ABS handbrake, and the rear fender footbrake. The rear brake works manually by pressing down on the wheel, so you could use it even when the scooter is turned off. Many electric scooters only have electric brake only that won't function while turned off. - The battery is fully UL 2272 compliant for safety and charges quickly in only 1.5 hrs. Most scooters require over 4hrs of charge. - The scooter arrived almost fully assembled. I only needed to screw in the handles and attach the kickstand with the provided Allen wrench. It also comes with a well-diagramed 27 pages manual with decent English. - It goes up steep hills much better than I expected! I was shocked when I first tried the scooter because all my research indicated it probably wouldn't be able to handle inclines well while its motor power is capped at 250 W. I only weigh 110lbs, but I still expected to manually assist the scooter on the steepest hills that require effort inclining with my 10 speed mountain bike, but the scooter handled it on its own although the speed crawled down. When the scooter was running lower on the battery power, it did struggle much more noticeably and I had to assist the scooter. You should assume that most electric scooters can't handle steep inclines, especially with heavier weight. Swagtron claims that the scooter will handle up to 250lbs up to 20 degrees incline, but that'll probably depend on the battery charge state. - It claims to go up to 17 miles on a charge. On a level road, that may be possible with a lighter load. However, the motor definitely drains the battery quickly while going on steep inclines, and my odometer showed 6.9 miles total traveled when the battery first drained down to about 10% level (1 bar). My neighborhood is full of series of steep hills, so the scooter did much better than I expected while more powerful 500W scooters also would've struggled over 12 degrees incline. The scooter has 3 speed settings as well as cruise control. Gear 1 allows an approximate speed range from zero to 9mph, Gear 2 up to 13 mph, and Gear 3 up to 16mph. You can easily achieve even higher speed over 20 mph through downhills. The motor operates in the range of 50-250W, so I assume the Gear 1 will probably extend the battery charge the most. - Swagtron manufacturer has a US office based in Indiana. There's actually a customer support line that I can call and speak to live English speaking CSRs. I gave up ordering a few other similar scooters with more reviews at higher prices while this scooter had no reviews because I couldn't get a hold of a live contact and I was concerned for possible warranty shipping offshore. - It can be operated manually as a kick scooter if you run out of battery. I don't notice any discernable magnetic drag whether it's turned on or off. - The scooter folds down easily. It takes literally seconds with the folding latch. - It comes with a LED headlight. Cons -------------------- - I needed to find out if the battery is replaceable before ordering the scooter. Most electric scooters are offered with Lithium Ion batteries with finite discharge cycles before going bad. Most with decent brand batteries are good for up to 500 discharges while a few higher-end claim 2000 cycles. This "Swagger" is one of many carbon fiber scooters out there with different brand names on the same body, but with some differences, especially with the batteries. This scooter says it has a "built-in battery," but I was told mixed responses by multiple CSRs as to whether a bad battery could be replaced, and they wouldn't provide the detail as to which brand battery is used. The 1-year manufacturer's warranty will cover and replace a bad battery, but I wasn't offered a definite answer as to whether it would be user-replaceable outside the warranty period. I was advised to send an email to Swagton for a more technical response along with more detailed info for the battery, but I never received the email response yet...Boohoo. Worst comes to worst, there are myriad scooters out there with the same exact body, so I may be able to find an after-market battery replacement for the 24v Li-Ion battery for probably less than $100 one day since I was told, "Yes, it is possible to replace the battery." The Amazon reseller responded the battery is "3800 mAh, 98.42Wh Cell 18650 manufactured by BMTpow" so the battery pack is probably built with multiple cells of the cylindrical batteries. BTW, when comparing batteries be careful not to confuse the actual capacity simply by the stated Ah, such as 3.8Ah vs 8.6Ah. As of 2016, the most reliable and stable 3.7v individual 18650 batteries are in the 3000's range in mAh. Any higher density may be more hazardous or simply don't perform as claimed. A reliable branded 8.8Ah pack may be composed of 4x2200mAh cells, 6.6Ah composed of 2x3300mAh cells in series for the nominal volt, etc. This scooter doesn't utilize the well respected LG/Panasonic/Samsung brand batteries which explains the lower price, but it's one of the few UL 2272 certified which allowed me to take a chance. However, while the 98.42Wh may allow this scooter to be Airline TSA compliant by staying under 100Wh, some branded batteries could allow over 200Wh with higher discharge cycles for longer operation for you to consider paying a higher price for other scooters in the same body. The short Li-Ion battery life is the reason why I held off ordering other higher end scooters - one brand I almost ordered said a replacement battery would cost $325! Yikes, no thank you for only around 2 years lifespan. Be sure to research the battery lifespan along with the replacement cost to factor in your decision. - The handbrake requires getting some used to. It's too responsive and I initially kept using the rear fender brake because I felt like the sudden handbraking was going to launch me off the scooter especially at higher speed. I eventually learned to put my left thumb as close to the base of the handbrake as possible as if I'm pressing on the handlebar and not on the outer red brake lever and my braking improved significantly. During my initial research, I wanted a mechanical disc brake even at a higher price because of the sensitive EBS braking issue while I have to use brake often on many downhills with my dogs, but I'm over that now that I'm more used it. During high speed, I still start with the footbrake before activating the handbrake to reduce the jerky motion, but the EBS braking allows me for more sustained braking during downhills with less wear on the tires. - This scooter doesn't come with spring suspension nor cushioning by air inflated tires. The scooter comes with hard rubber tires, so while the plus side is that you'll never get a flat, you'll feel all the bumps and pebbles on the road. After my first ride, my legs literally felt oxygenated numb and tingly, but I didn't mind a bit of vibration and got more used to it by my second ride. The carbon fiber deck has a bit of bounce that helps absorb some shock, and the manual mentions a front wheel fork "sealed suspension" part with no other detail as to whether it's a torsion/leaf type or otherwise that I could confirm. I considered purchasing a scooter with full front and rear spring suspension, but that also means more parts to break besides much higher cost along with heavier weight. - You should be mindful not to overcharge this scooter. The manual is full of the warnings, so be sure to charge it for around 1.5 hrs with an alarm reminder and don't leave it plugged in overnight. Although the manual specification states the battery includes a BMS system, it may not have adequate overcharge nor over-discharge protections. When I received the scooter, the display showed full bars as if fully charged, but I charged it nevertheless for 1 hr 15 minutes until the charger indicator light turned from red to green. Storage temperature requirement is between -10F to 113F, so avoid storing in a very cold/hot garage. - I don't like the gratuitous brand display on the vertical frame. I hesitated to order this scooter because of it, and I would've paid more for the absence of it. Since I couldn't scrape it off, I've placed a reflective tape over the logo. The electric scooter market is pretty nascent so I'm hoping to see better designs and offerings along with reasonable cost in the near future. I have no clue why no one has yet made available batteries that you can swap out and charge externally and have as a backup/replacement as in my vacuums and power tools, but I hope that'll become available in the future. Until then, I'm super excited about my new scooter and it's the best birthday gift I had in years.