The Kaabo Mantis 8 electric scooter is an affordable, powerful, dual-motor commuter scooter with tubeless 8 inch pneumatic tires. The model in this review is from Kaabo USA.
Why does Kaabo USA only sell one scooter, the Mantis 8? Who is Kaabo USA? Is Kaabo USA the Chinese escooter manufacturer selling in the US?
What Mantis 8 does Kaabo USA sell? If they are the Kaabo brand, why don’t they carry all the Kaabo scooters? We had all these questions when we first found out about the Kaabo USA website.
In this review, we are going to tell you what we love and hate about the Kaabo Mantis 8 and what we found out about Kaabo USA.
Click here to get the most up to date pricing on the Mantis Pro 8
Use coupon code: gotscooter to save $150
Top 10 things I love about the Kaabo Mantis 8
- Dual 500 watt brushless motors
- Undercarriage LED lights
- Wide 8 inch tubeless pneumatic tires
- Only 53 lbs
- Great suspension
- Turn signal indicators
- Free waterproof Kaabo handlebar bag
- Waterproof eco/turbo and single/dual motor button
- 18 month parts warranty
- Budget friendly
Is the Kaabo Mantis 8 good for hills?
The dual 500 watt motors on the Mantis 8 are excellent for hills and steeper grades. While the escooter won’t blast up hills, the Mantis 8 is no slouch either. Hills and steep grades that single motor scooters struggle up are easy for the Mantis 8 to climb.
The Kaabo Mantis 8 lights are impressive for its class
I love how the Kaabo Mantis 8, Mantis 10 Pro SE, Wolf Warrior 11+ and Wolf King have the same LED lights lined under the deck. The LED lights create a sweet undercarriage glow that helps you be seen by oncoming traffic.
At its price point, we often don’t see undercarriage lights of this caliber.
I love Kaabo is creating an identity with the LED lights. However, I wish Kaabo would use a brighter front facing light on their Mantis scooters.
How big are the tires on the Mantis 8?
The Mantis 8 features 8 inch tubeless pneumatic tires that are 3 inches wide. This is the first time we have seen a scooter with tubeless pneumatic tires for under $2500. The tires ride great on smooth pavement and feel very stable.
However, if you do get a flat and need to replace the tire….it will be a real pain in the butt. To prolong the life of our tires and to decrease the chance of flat tires, we prefer using Armor Dilloz tire sealant.
How much does the Kaabo Mantis 8 weigh?
The Kaabo Mantis 8 from Kaabo USA weighs 53 lbs. This is the lightest Kaabo Mantis we have ever reviewed. We have also reviewed the Kaabo Mantis Pro SE which weighs 65 lbs.
The Mantis 8 is not the lightest commuter scooter, but it is still reasonable to carry up and down stairs.
What kind of suspension does the Kaabo Mantis 8 have?
The Kaabo Mantis 8 features what Kaabo calls C-type suspension. C-type suspension is also known as swing arm suspension in the US. I like C type suspension it is nimble and absorbs bumps well.
C type suspension can get unstable at high speeds but with a max speed of 27 mph, you don’t have to worry about the Mantis 8 being unstable.
Does the Kaabo Mantis 8 have turn signal indicators?
I was blown away when I noticed turn signals on the Kaabo Mantis 8. For being only $1049 after using coupon code: gotscooter, I didn’t expect the Mantis 8 to have turn signals. The turn signals flash at the front and rear of the scooter.
I was impressed with how bright the turn signals were compared to the dim ones on the EMOVE Cruiser. However, the light placement is on the deck and low to the ground, so it would still be hard to be noticed by oncoming vehicles.
Get a handlebar bag included with the purchase the Kaabo Mantis 8
You get a nice Kaabo handlebar bag with the purchase of the Mantis 8 from Kaabo USA which costs $1049 with coupon!
You don’t get a handlebar bag with the purchase of the $2999 Kaabo Wolf King. I find it hilarious that the Kaabo Wolf King is three times the cost of the Mantis 8 and it doesn’t come with turn signals or a bag.
Does the Mantis 8 have those cheap red and yellow buttons?
The Mantis 8 features the waterproof black silicone buttons to toggle turbo/eco mode and single/dual motors. I like the black ones much better than the cheap red and yellow buttons.
While the newer black buttons are an upgrade, some users are frustrated the black buttons don’t show you what setting you are in.
On the new Kaabo Wolf GT, they have upgraded the black buttons to show a blue light when toggled on. I don’t mind not knowing the feedback, because you can always feel the difference between single and dual motor.
Eco mode will limit your max speed, so it is easy to feel you are in eco or turbo mode while riding.
What is Kaabo USA’s warranty?
Kaabo USA offers an 18-month warranty on parts. However, they do not cover service cost. If you can fix your own scooter, the warranty sounds like a decent deal. However, I have had some people mention poor communication by Kaabo USA.
Warranties are only worthwhile if the dealer has good communication. What good is an 18-month warranty, if you can’t get the company to respond to inquiries.
The Kaabo Mantis 8 offers great features for the price
The Mantis 8 packs in a ton of features for the price. You get one of the most complete commuter scooters for close to $1000. The Mantis 8 lacks range and quick support, but that’s why you get an excellent price on the Mantis 8.
Kaabo USA isn’t really trying to win the best customer service award. They are simply trying to dominate the last mile scooter market by offering a feature packed scooter at a competitive price.
Top 5 things I hated about the Kaabo Mantis 8 escooter
- Kaabo USA does not cover service cost
- Front facing light not bright enough for safe night riding
- Battery voltage sag is bad causing it to not have huge range
- Weird throttle lag
- Black silicone deck always looks dirty
Think twice about the Kaabo Mantis 8 from Kaabo USA if you are not handy
Kaabo USA has an 18 month warranty on parts. However, if you are not handy and don’t live near a PEV repair shop, you may want to steer clear of the Kaabo Mantis 8.
Kaabo USA will not cover service repairs so you are on your own trying to figure out how to fix it.
I recently had someone reach out about a Kaabo Mantis 8 coming dead on arrival. Unfortunately, he has had a terrible service experience from Kaabo USA trying to fix it.
Kaabo USA should have just replaced the scooter but they are now sending him a battery to see if it will resolve his issues.
Most eScooters have this in common: Terrible lights for safe night riding
When it comes to scooter lights, the Mantis 8 suffers the same issue that 95% of eScooters have…insufficient lighting for safe night riding. 8 inch tires are not that big, and hitting a big pothole at night can be a recipe for disaster.
You will definitely want a bright handlebar light if you expect to ride a lot at night.
What is the range on the Kaabo Mantis 8?
In real world riding conditions, I only get 12 miles of range compared to the 25 miles stated range. The voltage sag causes the Mantis 8 to get pretty bad range.
The Kaabo Mantis 8 from Kaabo USA has a pretty bad battery voltage sag. If I go full throttle for 300 yards on the Kaabo Mantis 8 when it has a full charge, I will see the voltage sag from 54.6 to 48 volts. I normally see a battery sag of 2-3 volts but rarely see it sag 6 volts.
Why does my Kaabo Mantis 8 lag when I pull the throttle?
I am not sure what is causing the lag on the Kaabo Mantis 8. Since the Mantis 8 has Sine Wave controllers, I expected it to have smooth acceleration. However, there is a weird lag whenever I pull the throttle from a stand still. After that inital delay, the Mantis 8 picks up speed well.
However, that first delay can be dangerous if you are trying to cross a busy intersection. The Mantis 8 is the first Kaabo scooter that I have reviewed that doesn’t have a ton of initial torque.
I tried to get into the P settings to see if I could adjust it, but there is a password preventing me from accessing the menu.
The dreaded silicone deck Kaabo scooters have
I love that you can easily clean silicone decks compared to grip tape. However, I hate the fact that the silicone deck instantly appears dirty every time you ride it. You can go 10 feet or 10 miles, the silicone deck is a magnet for dust.
You can easily wipe away the dust, but it is literally the definition of insanity if you are OCD about keeping things clean. Instead of cleaning the scooter after each use, I just wipe it down once a week.
Who is Kaabo USA?
Kaabo USA is not Kaabo Manufacturing from China. They pretty much did what MinimotorsUSA did by using the manufacturer’s name and adding USA to it. I spoke with Vanessa Wu from Kaabo and found that the owner of Kaabo USA is good friends with the owner of Kaabo manufacturing.
In the past, Kaabo USA carried other scooters, like the Wolf Warrior 11+, but they only carry the Mantis 8 now. I don’t know exactly why they only carry one scooter, but I would guess it is because of insufficient after service sales.
The Wolf Warrior 11+ is an awesome scooter, but it has it’s problems and without great after sales servicing, it can be a nightmare.
The Mantis 8 is a pretty simple machine that can easily be troubleshooted. I think Kaabo USA wanted to keep it simple and only carry one budget friendly scooter after they experienced servicing issues with the other models.
Who is the Kaabo Mantis 8 perfect for?
The Kaabo Mantis 8 is perfect for someone looking for a last mile solution, dual-motor commuter scooter. A lot of commuter scooters have skinny solid tires or tube in pneumatic tires. The Mantis 8 offers a unique tubeless 8 inch pneumatic tires that are wide.
The wide 8-inch tires combined with dual motors make it a comfortable commuter scooter that is decent on hills. You aren’t going to fly up hills, but you aren’t going to struggle either. The Mantis 8 is an excellent option for those thinking about purchasing a Ninebot Max or Zero 9, but want a little more power uphills.
The Mantis 8 was under $1000 with our coupon code, but now it is $1049. The only other dual motor scooter that we know of in the same price range is the Varla Pegasus or Unagi Model One.
If you love the Varla Pegasus, but are not a fan of solid tires, the Kaabo Mantis 8 is a wonderful alternative. However, I would only suggest picking up the Kaabo Mantis 8 if you are handy or have a local PEV repair shop nearby.
Coupon and Discount code for Mantis 8 from Kaabo USA
Click here to get the most up to date pricing on the Mantis Pro 8
Use coupon code: gotscooter to save $150
Click here to view all our coupons and discounts on scooters and other PEVs.
Click here to view all the safety gear that Jimmy and I use.
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