Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Bought specifically for short commutes to and from work (4.5 miles each way) and ease of bringing up 3 flights of stairs to my walk up apartment or up/down subway stairs, and for those two requirements of mine this Segway is best. I have lighter scooters, but they can’t take the pounding of the potholes and atrocious road conditions of Brooklyn, NY (or rather, they pass on every jarring impact on to my bones) as well as this one does. I bought a heavier scooter that could, but at 40 lbs it was too heavy and punishing to transport for my 150 lb 5’2” frame. The ES1L is the perfect compromise. On standard mode a full charge will get me about 9 miles, and a bit less if the weather is cold (i guess the battery uses up more energy to keep itself humming). I have to charge it daily to have enough juice for the day. It does have the sport mode that supposedly can speed you up to 24 kmh but I haven’t used it other than to go up steeper hills on my commute, but even then I find the standard mode sufficient for that. I am not a speedster on roads so I find the 20 kmh speed at standard mode quick enough (the 4.5 mile commute is about 35 minutes). The headlights it came with are just bright enough to alert drivers in front of you about your presence - I bought a separate one to illuminate the road in front of me during night time trips. No rearlights either, so get some good ones to attach to your backpack or helmet. So far in the 3 weeks I’ve been using it, the corner of the sandpaper covering of the platform is starting to lift up but that can easily be remedied. Overall a really great simple, light but sturdy scooter! UPDATE 12/16/2020: Not even a month after purchase and the electric brakes have started to fail. The throttle pushes down but doesn’t pop back up, keeping the stroller in brakes unless you push the brake throttle back up. Soon after contacting Customer Service, it stopped taking a charge. So now I have a dead scooter. Still awaiting a box to send the unit in to be sent by the company - it has now been 2 weeks that I’ve been waiting. Segway’s customer service needs a lot of improvement. Will update again to say how the refurbished unit performs. UPDATE 10/27/2021: Battery is now floundering after a year of regular use. Gets discharged quickly, now only lasts 6 miles per full charge on standard speed mode. Replacing battery is going to cost $250 at a repair shop - and as a new unit is currently going for $299, it’s more sensible to just get a new one altogether. Will buy different brand, as the longevity is not the best on Segways.