Gear Review: Segway Ninebot Max Scooter
Last week I finally got my brand new Segway Ninebot Max Scooter that I received from supporting the Segway Ninebot Max Indiegogo campaign. After riding this thing around Tacoma for the past week I figured it’s time to give you guys an official review of my Segway Ninebot Max.
Now if you follow this blog or if you watch our YouTube channel The Detourist Guide to Travel than you know that I was cruising around Maui this past winter on the Segway Ninebot ES4 Scooter (see video below). I drove it on windy jungle roads, along the beautiful coastlines, and even to Whole Foods a few times. I was pretty happy with the ES4 and wasn't really considering upgrading… until I saw the specs on the new Segway Ninebot scooter on Indiegogo.
Now I know lot of people like myself probably immediately googled something like Segway Ninebot Max vs ES4 as soon as they saw the new Max scooter get announced. Once I saw the specs I knew I wanted to get one of these things, and so before I left Maui I sold my ES4 to extremely stoked young man, and put down my $600ish pledge for my new Segway Ninebot Max on Indiegogo. Now that I’ve been riding the scooter for a bit, it’s almost not even worth doing the comparison to other scooters. The Max is basically better in every measurable way, except maybe in the weight category because it’s a bit heavier than it’s competitors. BUT, since this is a review, let’s take a look at the Segway Ninebot Max Specs to show why it’s so much better.
The Segway Ninebot Max Top Speed is 19 MPH here on my USA model, but apparently that can be different in different countries depending on the local regulations. Also, in order to unlock that max speed here in the USA you have to first connect the scooter to the bluetooth app and go through a quick safety/info course. The Segway Ninebot Max Weight is heavy compared to it’s rivals, as the bigger battery and beefier design increases its weight quite a bit. That said, the ES4 or Xiaomi m365 Pro aren’t exactly light either, and you’re really not going to want to be carrying any of these things for any considerable period, so I’m not going to make too big of a deal over the weight thing.
The biggest selling point for me on this electric scooter is that the Max goes 40% further (roughly 12 miles) than the Segway Ninebot ES4 on a full charge, which was already leading the market on range. That means I can drive it for several days around the city without even having to charge once. Between the scooter and our Nissan Leaf we can roll around most days without having to burn any fossil fuels, which is pretty dope. Another rad feature of the scooter is it has bigger (10”), softer, self healing tires that make the ride insanely better than the terrible hard wheels on the ES4 or Xiaomi. This came as a surprise for me as I didn’t realize that the Max’s new tires would be so much more comfortable to ride, but let me reassure you it’s legit AF.
Segway Ninebot’s new scooter is also much better built and better looking than the ES4 in my opinion. Having the new larger battery fully integrated on the bottom of the scooter, and not split between the handle bar and the kick plate like the ES4 was a great move in both function and design. I also really like how this new scooter folds and locks compared to the ES4’s folding and locking mechanism. The last major thing that I think really sold me on this scooter is that it has one fo the best waterproof ratings of any electric scooters on the market, and that’s pretty important to folks here in the Pacific Northwest where it rains 5 months out of the year.
Now, to be an honest reviewer you have to point out the pitfalls as well as the positives, so I’ll wrap up with my lone critique. The only fault I could find on the scooter is that they should have welded on a strong metal ring or included some sort of secure bracket to allow this scooter to be securely locked up, For now, locking around the axle will have to work, but hey maybe in the next model Segway Ninebot?! Overall, the Segway Ninebot Max Scooter is pretty much everything I was hoping it would be and a lot more. It lets me cruise around the city in style on carbon free clean hydroelectricity. It’s a long range, super comfy, and versatile transportation option that *almost* eliminates the need for me to have a car in the city. I’ll be sure to update with any additional, tips, hacks or updates as I continue riding.