After I knew I was going to get a Onewheel, the next decision was which version to get. Before doing my research, I just assumed I would want the XR because it was newer and better than the Plus in every way. But after digging into the differences between the two Onewheels, it surprised me that the Plus has some distinct advantages over the XR.

ONEWHEEL+ vs ONEWHEEL+ XR

Why I Would Choose a Onewheel XR

If money were no object then the newest model of the Onewheel is clearly the device I would get if I were buying a brand new Onewheel. At $1800 before taxes and any peripherals such as a fender, this is an expensive toy. The XR gets some amazing range getting 12-18 miles on a single charge so I will never have to worry about range anxiety. The XR also beats the Plus when it comes to torque and power which is great for going up hills.

At first glance, it is hard for most to distinguish between a Plus and XR. But there is a clear difference when it comes to price tag and when you look at the specs under the hood. The XR give you increased range, slightly increased power and torque, and the latest and greatest in Future Motion technology.

Why I Would Choose a Onewheel Plus

At $1400 a brand new the Onewheel Plus is the second generation Onewheel which has been out since 2017. While it is older technology than the XR with less range at 5-7 miles, there are some distinct advantages to the Plus.

The most obvious advantage is the price difference. Brand new, at the time of writing this article the Plus is 22% less expensive than its newer sibling. While that may not seem like a big enough discount in price to make up for the up to 11 miles difference in range, the big savings come when you look at the used market.

Since the Plus has been around for a while, there are significantly more used Onewheel Pluses that can be found that have been lightly used and at a huge discount. If you know how to look and how to be patient, you can snag a great deal on a used Plus. Read this article I wrote on how to buy a used Onewheel for more information. I have seen a Plus with less than 20 miles on it for sale at $900! That’s a significant 50% savings from a new XR.

Another huge advantage the Plus has is the battery. While the battery provides less of a range, it does pass the airline regulations allowing it to be taken on passenger airplanes. The XR can not be taken on planes because of the battery type. While some people have reported success taking their XR on flights, there is a potential that if anyone decided to check that the XR would not be allowed to board the flight. With the Plus, if you have the appropriate paperwork and know the keywords to say, even if they decide to dig deeper into the battery, the battery used in the Plus is okay to go on flights.

Yet another advantage of the Onewheel Plus battery is the lifespan. Without going into boring details, the battery chemistry used in the Plus (LiFePo4) is known for its robust ability to maintain a charge. There is little battery degradation with the Plus battery type compared to other batteries.

Finally, I find that most of my rides are for pleasure and not for commuting and almost all of my rides during the 400 miles of riding that we have done have been under 5 miles. Even if we wanted to ride more than 5 miles straight, we usually would need a break and that would give us time to recharge the Plus. The nice thing about the Plus is the quick charge time. It is advertised at 20 minutes, but I find it usually take around 30 minutes to charge.

Summary

When choosing between the Onewheel XR and the Onewheel Plus, you are choosing between two great options. My first board was an XR which we purchased used. I felt very fortunate to have been able to find a Onewheel XR on the used market. At the time the XR was very new and there was a significant wait time to get a brand new XR.

A few weeks later the family loved it so much I bought a used Plus so that my family could join me on rides. Besides the significant savings by buying a used Plus, we wanted a Plus so that we could take it on the flights for our upcoming trip to Hawaii.

Also, since my kids and my wife mainly use the Plus, the range seems to be more than adequate due to their light weight. My youngest daughter who weighs 60 pounds will go on a 4 mile range with me and only use a small fraction of the battery.

At first glance, most would assume that the XR is the far superior Onewheel. But when you dig into the details both the XR and the Plus have their own distinct advantages. If range is not a huge issue for you and you don’t want to break the bank, find a lightly used Onewheel Plus. If you need the range and you don’t plan on taking the board on a plane, then go for the XR.

To learn more about how to buy a used Onewheel, read this article!