Ahh, electric skateboards!
Maybe you’ve heard of the wave of cheap electric skateboards that just hit the market.
Some of these products are going for as cheap as around $400!
That is cheap, cheap, CHEAP! There are other electric skateboards that go for $800!
Today, I’ll introduce one such product: the Ownboard Mini.
I know your time is valuable, so let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
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- Ownboard Mini Review: Who is Ownboard, The Company?
- Ownboard Mini Review: Specs and Features
- My Personal Experience With The Ownboard Mini
- Ownboard Mini Review: Verdict
Ownboard Mini Review: Who is Ownboard, The Company?
Before we learn more the Ownboard Mini, it makes sense to first learn who actually made the product.
The Ownboard is actually a Chinese company, based in Shenzhen. Now if you don’t know, Shenzhen has been called the “Silicon Valley of Hardware”. It really is that huge. They were founded in 2013, not too long ago. They finally created the Ownboard brand in November 2017. Very recent!
Huh, so that’s how they are able to get their electric skateboard so cheap!
But actually, it’s not going to be this cheap forever…
Now look, I don’t know whether you are close to buying or still reading.
If you’re still learning, by all means, please read the rest of this review.
But if you’re close to pulling the trigger, remember Trump’s trade war with China…a 25% tariff means you might have to pay an extra $100 for your electric skateboard.
So if you’re close to making the decision, just do it before Trump tweets something. Otherwise, feel free to read the rest of this review 🙂
Ownboard Mini Review: Specs and Features
Features
- Stable ESC: Waterproof. Stable. An ESC is basically the “brain” of the board. It determines how you brake, how you speed up, how you turn…etc. Thus, it’s very important that the ESC is reliable.
- A remote control: 3 modes for smoother acceleration and braking.
- Battery: You got 3 different options
- Samsung 4.0AH – Range: 9.5 – 12 miles – normal price $417
- Samsung 6.0AH – Range: 12 – 14 miles – $457
- Sanyo Tesla – Range: 16 – 19 – $597
- Power display: there is a neat little digital screen on the side of the Ownboard Mini that displays how much battery you have left. This is a pretty neat feature that not a lot of other boards have yet.
- Regenerative Braking: This is the same thing that my Prius has. It’s very environmentally friendly. Helps your battery go farther.
- Motor: You have two options
- Default PU Motor: normal price $417
- Replaceable Motor (Black or White): $15 extra, to $432
- 90 day warranty: You can read more about warranty periods for different manufacturers here: https://www.eskateboardpark.com/pages/warranty-return-policy
Basic Specs
The spec has a long list. I just included only the most important ones here. Love reading specs? Knock yourself out. Read more here.
- The Deck
- Flat, not concave
- Dimension 790*245*130mm
- Weight 17.2 pounds (7.7 kg)
- Up to 25 mph (40 kmh)
- Charge time: 3 – 3.5 hours
- Max supported load is 264 pounds (120kg). If you’re heavier than 250 pounds, consider cutting down that weight first before buying this.
- Waterproof IP55
Items that are shipped
- An assembled board
- A remote control, with USB charging cable
- Charger for the skateboard
- DC port charger adapter
- Rear LED light
- User Manual
- Dash-proof rub
- Swappable PU (only for the replaceable motor option)
My Personal Experience With The Ownboard Mini
My Ownboard Mini took some time to arrive. Roughly 7 days. Judging from what other people have posted on Reddit, that’s about the right time.
Remember, this thing’s coming from all the way in China. They ship the product by boat, not air freight. So it’s going to take some time.
I bought the Samsung 4.0AH because I only need to commute a few miles to the office building everyday. Even if I can’t charge at the office, I would only need 6 miles charge. Also, I’m a little bit of a cheapskate :).
Then for the motor, I just went with the default PU motor. I figured it must be good enough. Besides, they have a 90 day warranty period. If there’s something wrong with it, I can get it replaced.
When I first got it, it felt high-quality and nicely packaged.
The board has a digital screen that when turned on will show you the amount of charge left on your board. It also shows the voltage, and it’s very useful to know when you need a recharge, and a deciding factor if you can travel a certain distance.
Just in case the board runs out of charge, you can just use it like a normal skateboard. Since I have lived in flat areas (Texas and San Jose), this is OK for me :).
How well does it ride? For me, it’s pretty good. For high speeds, a longboard is more stable. For turns though, the Ownboard Mini has magnificent turning radius. The maneuverability is so great, it basically turns on a dime.
An awesome commute. One thing I absolutely love about electric skateboards like the Ownboard Mini is that I can easily commute to distances within a few miles. It’s a lot cheaper than a car, for one. And for another, I don’t have to pay a ridiculous $2 every time I go on the light rail (how I used to commute in San Jose), for a ridiculous $5 round trip. Basically, it makes my commute way cheaper.
Which one would you find more comfortable? Another thing you want to keep in mind, when considering electric skateboard options, is that you’d probably find the Ownboard Mini more comfortable if you come from skateboarding. If you come from longboarding, then try finding a regular sized electric skateboard with a long deck.
Ownboard Mini Review: Verdict
My personal opinion: the Ownboard Mini is shockingly good value for your money.
Look, most other electric skateboards are really expensive. I remember looking through the catalog and found one electric skateboard go for around $800. $800! The Ownboard Mini? At only $417, it’s really cheap.
For me, the math was basically: I’m gonna be commuting at least 5 times a week. Each commute was $4.50 round trip. So that’s $22.5 a week. And, within half a year, the commute cost already going up way over the price of the skateboard.
So for me, this turned out to be a great decision. I really can’t recommend it enough. I saved a lot of money.
Basically, you should see the skateboard as an INVESTMENT. You will save both time and money, as well as have a lot of fun riding the board.
But maybe you’ve got some money and are looking for a higher quality electronic skateboard. In that case, maybe the Ownboard Mini is not for you. The other option you might want to look into is the slightly more expensive Ownboard AT1W. You can click here to read my review of the Ownboard AT1W.
One more thing: this great deal might be ending soon. Why? Because of Trump’s trade war with China. I’m a nerd about geopolitics, and let me tell you this–US and China relations are not very good, and they’re going to get worse. Trump’s 25% tariff? Do the math. This means you have to pay extra $100 on that Ownboard Mini…
Do you actually want the Ownboard Mini? Then get it ASAP, before you have to pony up an extra $100…
P.S. If you’re looking for a cheap but fun electric skateboard, click this link here to invest in a Ownboard Mini.
Life of Learning 
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