Can the Trotter Magwheel be the Onewheel Alternative We’ve All Been Waiting For?

The Trotter Magwheel T3 offers a lower-cost, DIY-friendly alternative to the Onewheel, appealing especially to tinkerers and budget-conscious newcomers. Despite appealing features like easy part replacement and affordability, its rough ride and difficult dismount make it less smooth and user-friendly than Onewheel. With improvements, it could be future competition, but it’s not quite there yet.

Video Review

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Written Review

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Who Will Love the Trotter Magwheel T3?

For those looking for an alternative to the Onewheel, the Trotter Magwheel T3 is one of the few available options in the single wheeled electric skateboard genre. The Trotter will cost you less than a Onewheel, but at what cost?

What I Think About the Trotter Magwheel:

The iPhone was lightyears ahead of the competition when Android phones hit the scene. What helped Android rise in popularity and eventually pass the iPhone as the most used smartphone was its lower price point and the ability for users to tinker and hack the operating system. Right now the Onewheel is multiple lightyears ahead of the competition in the single wheel electric skateboard market because there is no market. The Magwheel T3 is competition to the Onewheel like the Nissan Leaf is competition to Tesla. It is a true David and Goliath story for a company to go up against the well established Onewheel but I went in to this review with an open mind and I really wanted to enjoy the Magwheel. At first glance, the Magwheel and the Onewheel look very similar but there are obvious differences between the devices.

I love the idea of an alternative to Future Motion’s Onewheel. Something to give Future Motion some competition which can push them to become a better version of themselves.  There are a lot of interesting features about the Trotter Magwheel T3 that I find appealing, like the lower price point, an audible alert, a treaded tire, parts easily available for purchase, and accessories that don’t cost a fortune.  The Magwheel is great for those that like to tinker and if someone wanted to, they could use a simple screwdriver to open it up, change parts around, and even replace the battery if needed. You also have the option to buy individual parts directly off the Innovative Electronics website, instead of having to send the device back to California for costly inspection and repairs at the Future Motion headquarters. The Innovative Electronics site offers a variety of parts such as the main controller or motherboard, replacement batteries, wheel covers, and sensor buttons among many others.

You are not restricted from repairing your Magwheel.

This type of accessibility is huge; for me I have always enjoyed being able to find cheaper resolutions to problems. Usually that means having to be a bit of a handyman.  But many others may find themselves in a spot similar to my brother, someone who just loves toying with, pulling apart pieces, and just changing things up out of enjoyment. For him, he finds fun in not only using a device that is his, but also in being able to change it according to his desires. Ever since we were both teens, I would usually see him outside trying to create things. Every week he would always come up with some crazy idea, like trying to make gunpowder from scratch, or wanting to take apart a generator. There was even a time when he annoyed the entire family; during that week he tried to smith a sword using a self-made furnace, he would go hitting that sword for hours on end sending an annoying loud sound into our rooms the entire time. In spite of that it was something he loved and something we loved about him. Likewise, I know there are many people like my brother who would appreciate the possibility of adjusting their device and just having fun doing so. In addition to the ability to modify the wheel and to tinker, the Magwheel is less expensive than the Onewheel. This is a nice advantage for individuals who are new to or who are wanting to get into using single wheel electric boards, and were looking for a more affordable option. But change is hard and for Onewheel fans, the Trotter will be a change that many will not be able to accept. When a Onewheel rider is already accustomed to the Onewheel, their biases will shape their impressions and experience of anything that they are not familiar with. While I desire for a real alternative to the Onewheel, in its current state the Trotter is not quite there because of the flaws listed below.  Although with a price decrease, the Trotter can compete as a low cost budget alternative to the Onewheel for those interested in joining the sport.

The Flaws of the Trotter Magwheel:

What caught me off guard at first was the Magwheel’s difficulty mounting and the shuddering of the motor when riding on any uneven ground. On hills and off-road sections of terrain, basically anything that isn’t completely level, the Magwheel T3 ride is not smooth.

On smooth surfaces, the Magwheel T3 worked fine, but never quite as smooth as the Onewheel XR, Onewheel Pint, or even the original Onewheel. Another difficulty was the dismount. You either have to hop off, or kind of slide your front feet out at an angle to be able to come to a stop. Hopping off was the only effective way I could dismount the Magwheel.  The Onewheel only has sensors in the front so if you deactivate the front sensor, you can deactivate the board. The Magwheel has sensors on both the front and the back portion making it very difficult to disengage the motor with any semblance of grace. This was a bigger deal than it may seem and the product suffers on quite literally the most important aspect to any rider: the performance. When every crack in the road makes the device shudder and when off-road terrain and hills that the Onewheel climbs with ease causes the Magwheel to strain, my confidence level in the Magwheel decreases. For those with prior experience riding Onewheel, you will end up making far too many comparisons with the Magwheel T3 and you will never be satisfied.

Conclusions about the Trotter Magwheel:

I want competition to really challenge the Onewheel. The market needs it. The community needs it. However, the Magwheel T3 is not it right now. The Trotter Magwheel T3 feels like it has potential, and with some firmware upgrades and a price decrease it may become that much needed competition to the Onewheel that many have been waiting for. But for the moment the product feels like a rough draft. Why you should trust me: Hi, my name is Lorran Alves Galdino, I am from Rio de Janeiro Brazil and currently attending University at Brigham Young University-Hawaii majoring in Biochemistry. I enjoy running, swimming and writing.