I want to share this Reddit post that really left an impression on me. It was posted on January 15, 2019 and is one of the reasons I started to seriously consider an EUC.
Here is the post written by photorph. My commentary is in italics:
Disclaimer: I’m a total EUC noob, I just figured out how to ride in a straight line and make small turns. Also somehow I learned curb drops before learning to turn.
Fun factor: hands down the onewheel XR takes it, the floaty feel and buttery smooth carving cannot be matched. It’s also more fun to try to do things such as 180s. Of course as I gain more experience and skill on the EUC, this may change.
Range: No competition, the EUC takes it. I have an entry level one and I can get 25-30 miles of range. My next upgrade I should be able to get 60 miles of range.
Portability: Again, the EUC wins by a long shot. The trolley handle is amazing, it’s just as easy as walking w/o anything because you are utilizing the self balancing mechanism to move it thus there is no force required at all. The physical footprint of my current ECU (inmotion v8) is also much smaller.
Safety: Currently, for me it’s the Onewheel. BUT that’s only because I’m new to EUC and have been riding the OW for 2 years. I can confidently say that once I master the EUC, it will be safer. Nosedives are non existent, the audible alerts and push back happens at the actual top speed that you set. Pushback is very noticeable and aggressive, and that combined with the audible beep, you’d have to try really hard to over power the motor and ignore the beeps.
Here is where I disagree. Current EUCs are inherently more safe than Onewheels when ridden responsibly. Without getting into the nitty gritty, the larger battery and motor in today’s EUCs as well as a larger built in safety margin once you exceed top speed all helps to prevent devastating nosedives. Also, since the EUC is harder to learn, it keeps inexperienced riders from just jumping on the device and trying to break a speed records. The audible alerts are great for letting you know when to slow down. I’m just getting into this, but I feel the EUC has many more built in safety features than the Onewheel.
Cool factor: Onewheel for sure. You look kind of dorky with an EUC, very robotic. Whereas with the OW I’m carving the streets. I would generally agree with this but I think being able to ride my EUC for 30-40 miles at a time is cooler than having to worry about where the next outlet is and then having to sit there waiting for the board to charge.
Performance: EUC wins here, top speeds of 30 mph are safe but others have taken certain models to 40 mph. On my XR my max speed is 22 mph which I just touched, but I don’t feel too safe going above 20 and my pushback kicks in at 15 mph so I usually try to stay around 14-18 mph to be safe.
Cost: While the most expensive EUCs cost $2000, my mid level one was $800 and that price point it outdoes the Onewheel XR in specs. Thus the cost advantage goes to EUC.
Build quality: The Onewheel feels like it’s more solid, but there are many stories of them bricking. The EUCs don’t feel as tough as a Onewheel, but I have not seen much about them bricking or having issues. So it’s hard to tell here. Given my experience, if I had to pick a winner I’d say the Onewheel. In my limited experience, I would say it’s a tie. There are multiple EUC brands so it is probably brand dependent.
Off-road capability: If one masters both, the EUC edges out the OW. I’ve seen people riding those in ice, snow, and some crazy off road trails. It just comes down to your skill. The reason it edges out the Onewheel is because it’s literally just a tire you are standing on. On the Onewheel footpads can get in the way and make contact with obstacles.
Other things to note:
- Onewheel is much better for stability at standstill. An EUC is like a bicycle. It’s hard to balance while you are still. On a Onewheel you can be stopped and let the motor balance you no problem.
- EUC is much nicer to bring indoors, it just looks like a high tech luggage you are rolling around. You can walk around with it at a mall w/o issue. Carrying the OW through a mall would not be so fun.
- EUC is MUCH harder to learn. I learned the onewheel in 15 mins. After 2 weeks of riding…I still don’t feel comfortable on the EUC and have only gone like 12 mph max. It will take time and dedication to learn properly.
- EUC is more of a physical work out when you are learning.
Is there one I prefer? It would be impossible for me to pick one. They both are awesome, hence I have both. I’d take the Onewheel for just having fun or cruising, but the EUC is more practical for when I actually want to go places. Feel free to add your thoughts, any reason why you would pick the OW over the EUC that I missed?
Special thanks to photorph for allowing me to share this review from a beginner EUC rider who has a lot of Onewheel experience. As you can see from my commentary that I have very similar sentiments as the author. Check out the original post on Reddit here.
If you are interested in buying an EUC, check out ewheels. I bought my EUC through them and have been absolutely impressed with their service.
Make sure to check out my YouTube Channel for my EUC updates. I’ll make my official EUC review and comparison with the Onewheel once I have more experience with the EUC.