Hoverboards

5500

Anyone bought any recently from china at reasonable prices that they can reccomend?

Corvus Libros

They're quite flimsy. I bought one for my niece and some bojo just ripped the handlebar off.

dodzy

Seen post....thought of this immediately.

Want.

https://www.google.ie/search?q=marty+mcfly+hoverboard&tbm=isch&imgil=Re2uzIWO25W0OM%253A%253Bv_Nmc0Zcpn44oM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ibtimes.co.uk%25252Fhoverboards-drones-back-future-ii-predictions-2015-that-have-come-true-1481644&source=iu&pf=m&fir=Re2uzIWO25W0OM%253A%252Cv_Nmc0Zcpn44oM%252C_&biw=1440&bih=767&usg=__OPUd2GpAsMX1l5vBHWiE6snb5Cw%3D&ved=0CDEQyjdqFQoTCPjk_62hmskCFY2GGgod-yoDaQ&ei=mpVMVvivC42NavvVjMgG#imgrc=fg-1Xhr26TA5lM%3A&usg=__OPUd2GpAsMX1l5vBHWiE6snb5Cw%3D

matc66

Not cheap but I'm a distant relative and he's an engineer and Swiss, so they've got to be solid.
http://www.e-drifter.ch/index.php?route=common/home

James Delaney

1,000s confiscated by Consumer Authority - unsafe - they explode / burn up when charged

James Delaney

BEWARE
Both in Ireland & Uk - hooverboards from China were taken off the market by Consumer Authority - due to safety concerns - problem with fires being caused when g/board is being re-charged

ozmo

as the guys above say - collection of a few fires in this vid - and some idea of the good ones to look out for at the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EGBfPCtOh4

jmorrisey

That's just pure scaremongering and trying to make people "buy American" even though probably exactly the same as china models. My runners catch fire all the time while walking through the shopping centre but I don't go on TV complaining.

ozmo

jmorrisey wrote: »

That's just pure scaremongering and trying to make people "buy American" even though probably exactly the same as china models. My runners catch fire all the time while walking through the shopping centre but I don't go on TV complaining.

Its does seem a rare enough occurrence at the moment - But I still would not charge one in the house - interested in seeing what exactly is causing it or what types to avoid.

2 reports in London -
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-10/21/hoverboards-catching-fire
(but these may be unicycle type - report not clear)

and 11 official reports in 10 USA states of the self-balancing electric scooters bursting into flames reported (as of two days ago).
http://www.today.com/news/amazon-pulls-hoverboards-site-amid-reports-them-catching-fire-t61521

James Delaney

jmorrisey wrote: »

That's just pure scaremongering and trying to make people "buy American" even though probably exactly the same as china models. My runners catch fire all the time while walking through the shopping centre but I don't go on TV complaining.

Also, last week they were taken off the shelfs in the UK. Its not pro USA or Anti China - Maybe if your home burnt down or god forbid you or a member of your family died as a result of a fire caused by these flipboards - u might go on tv complaining. As regards your runners - i suggest you return them where u purchased.

Lux23

The people who call this scaremongering are the same knobs who will go on TV blaming the gubberment when their house burns down.

imitation

The reason they are goijg on fire is quite straightforward, these are jammed with lithium ion batteries. While they are plentiful in both phones and laptops, they are inherently unstable if they are overcharged or under charged. To prevent this electronics is installed in the battery to prevent this from happening. Obviously the guys making these are skimping on either the battery electronics or on the construction of the cells themselves. Once the battery gets too hot its basically a small checmical firebomb that will completely burnout.

James Delaney

Lux23 wrote: »

The people who call this scaremongering are the same knobs who will go on TV blaming the gubberment when their house burns down.

Totally agree - problem highlighted again on 6.1 News this evening.

Unfortunately, With people who ignore these warnings to avail of a cheap price instead of ensuring safety for their family - it seems inevidable someone's home will be burnt down during Christmas & possible fatalities.

Furzy

@jamesdelaney and lux23

Maybe you should both read the ACTUAL advice from The Safety Institute in the above post http://www.today.com/news/amazon-pulls-hoverboards-site-amid-reports-them-catching-fire-t61521

They clearly state that it's unclear at this point whether buying more expansive brands offers any additional protection (i.e. confirming what was said by jmorrisey) They don't advise people not to buy hoverboards or to buy more expensive brands but instead offer some sensible precautions re recharging them.

Lux23

Furzy wrote: »

@jamesdelaney and lux23

Maybe you should both read the ACTUAL advice from The Safety Institute in the above post http://www.today.com/news/amazon-pulls-hoverboards-site-amid-reports-them-catching-fire-t61521

They clearly state that it's unclear at this point whether buying more expansive brands offers any additional protection (i.e. confirming what was said by jmorrisey) They don't advise people not to buy hoverboards or to buy more expensive brands but instead offer some sensible precautions re recharging them.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/bt-ordered-to-take-hoverboards-off-its-shelves-1.2470009

The expensive are dodgy too!

James Delaney

Furzy wrote: »

@jamesdelaney and lux23

Maybe you should both read the ACTUAL advice from The Safety Institute in the above post http://www.today.com/news/amazon-pulls-hoverboards-site-amid-reports-them-catching-fire-t61521

They clearly state that it's unclear at this point whether buying more expansive brands offers any additional protection (i.e. confirming what was said by jmorrisey) They don't advise people not to buy hoverboards or to buy more expensive brands but instead offer some sensible precautions re recharging them.

Well here's the only sensible precaution to take then - watch the board recharging - how many hrs does it take to recharge ?

I reckon people trying to justify this purchase have either bought 1 already & cannot get a refund or Santa has been asked for 1. Then again maybe they just want to burn their house down for Insurance purposes !

Lux23

Insurance won't cover them, they have been warned.

Lux23

Wait that's wrong!!

Furzy

Oops ..... now illegal to use them in public in UK and businesses who sell them could be liable for any damage or injuries:

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/customers-advised-to-throw-away-unsafe-hoverboards-1.2468509

... but at least companies like Argos and Amazon are offering refunds!

Asmooh

im working on a anti gravity real hoverboard, instead of a crappy version on wheels :P

ozmo

Asmooh wrote: »

im working on a anti gravity real hoverboard, instead of a crappy version on wheels :P

This was developed last year, in case anyone hasn't seen it - but with some limitations (requires metal floor) - but its a start

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSheVhmcYLA

James Delaney

ozmo wrote: »

This was developed last year, in case anyone hasn't seen it - but with some limitations (requires metal floor) - but its a start

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSheVhmcYLA

Don't know if u viewed the last few seconds of the video - presenter says the hooverboard was a prank.

ozmo

James Delaney wrote: »

Don't know if u viewed the last few seconds of the video - presenter says the hooverboard was a prank.

That one was real and i think they were selling them or engine developer kits to work on yourself (though not at bargain prices).

The one he was saying sorry for at the end was a different video he did with Christopher Llyod (doc brown) in a car park with a more faithful to the film hoverboard that a lot believed the prank was real...

This vid details the prank one more-
http://youtu.be/Ocpe-V1Fyt8

edrifter

Hello,

First a disclaimer: I run the site mentioned in post #4 of this thread, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.

There are currently at least a dozen manufacturers of self-balance boards. Add to this at least as many assemblers, who take usually the cheapest run of parts available to them at any moment, then add the many more trade companies who pretend to be manufacturers, and you will understand that there is a wide range of quality and cost for those boards. Because they mostly look similar, it is often impossible to know if a given board is good quality or not by just looking at it. And if your "manufacturer" is just an independent trading company or an assembler, two batches of their boards might not even have the same components.

Part of the blame for the low-quality boards flooding the market, rests in the consumers who request the cheapest possible products. Consumers seem to consider these boards like a cheap toy, when they are in fact powerful, sophisticated devices. Much more so than an electric bike for example, however there are electric bikes costing 10 times more.

This pushes unscrupulous manufacturers to take shortcuts, in order to save costs. Cheaper electronics, second grade or recycled components, batteries that do not pass quality controls, and so on will be used in order to reach a lower cost.

The battery and its BMS circuit (an integrated charge controller) must be good quality, and the battery must be well held in place to avoid any possible damage. A good quality Li-Po battery is expensive, there is no way around that.

Any device using Li Po batteries, can be dangerous when over or undercharged, or hit or damaged. Even good quality products can have failures (example some iPhones took fire...). So the problems are not due to the nature of the device, but mostly to manufacturing practices and how the owner uses his device. I would like to show some comparative pictures of the inside of different models of scooters, unfortunately I can not add pictures to my post. I will update our site with an article about that.

I can say that our new models are much better engineered than the commonly seen boards, and that they come from a real, reliable manufacturer. But even if someone on this forum wanted to buy one, I am not sure we could sent it to Ireland, with all the fuss Customs are making...

Zaph

edrifter, as you are posting on behalf of a company I have to ask you to refrain from posting any further until you have obtained a verified rep account from the guys in the office. They can be contacted at reps@boards.ie and I have made them aware that they should be hearing from you.

Please note that further posts without having first obtained a verified rep account will result in a siteban.

James Delaney

Our Customs are right to make a fuss. Unfortunately as a relatively new product, its hard to distinguish the good from the bad. Hopefully nxt yr consumers & customs will be in a better position to make that call.

James Delaney

Wonder did any posters buy a hoverboard for Christmas.
Anyway heres an incident that happened today.

Hoverboard causes fire in Dublin house after bursting into flames while charging http://jrnl.ie/2624915

Hideki99235

Anywayyyyyssss. Anyone know can you get a solid one from a China. I'm willing to take a chance it doesn't explode.

James Delaney

lestercullen wrote: »

Anywayyyyyssss. Anyone know can you get a solid one from a China. I'm willing to take a chance it doesn't explode.

Is your Insurance Company, Your Family & Ur nxt door neighbours willing to take the chance ?

Antrim_Man

Anyboady bought from this crowd in Germany. There link is advertised on this board

http://www.hoverboard360.de/en/6-5-inch-hoverboards

crystalbrite

Antrim_Man wrote: »

Anyboady bought from this crowd in Germany. There link is advertised on this board

http://www.hoverboard360.de/en/6-5-inch-hoverboards

Ya I'm looking to buy one too and looking for recommendations.

They seem quite reasonably priced in the link above.

Is there a different area in boards.ie that would be better for this question?