Swagway X1 Review: Truth About The Swagway Hoverboard

The Swagway X1 hands-free smart hoverboard is the fastest and most customizable self-balancing electric scooter available. Own one of these and you’ll move in a way you never dreamed possible. The Swagway X1 Hands-free Smart Board was the most popular hoverboard for Christmas 2016.

Introducing the Swagway X1

The Swagway X1 is very popular as a brand and as a product. It’s been widely featured in the media on news programs, chat shows, and on many top tech review websites. But is it really as good as people say? And is it actually safe? Touted as the “next step in the evolution of transportation” let’s take a closer look at what this product is about

WHY IS THE SWAGWAY SCOOTER A BEST SELLER?

Quite simply this thing has sold so well because it’s one of the fastest hoverboards available, has a low price overall, and is a safe model that won’t explode or catch on fire.

An excellent job was done in designing the this, and they are well on their way to becoming the leader of the self-balancing scooter industry. What makes it better than other models? First, it has the highest top speed compared to any of the other types of self-balancing scooter on the market. Here’s a quick sample of other models that you can buy:

Model	Listed Top Speed
Swagway X1	10 mph
Hovertrax	4.9 mph
Monorover R2	6.2 mph
IO Hawk	6.2 mph
Swagtron T1	8 mph
Powerboard	8 mph
Skque	6.2 mph

As you can see, it is 25-50% faster than any of these models.

Speed is not the most important criteria to consider, but it isn’t something to ignore, either. When one of the cool things about owning a self-balancing scooter is cruising around, how fast you go matters. When you’re cruising, it is more fun to be in the fast lane, then being the person who’s slowing everyone down? Need more reasons?

WHAT ARE THE X1’S SPECS?

The Swagway Amazon stocks have a top speed of 12 MPH On a full battery it will travel more than 10 miles. It weighs 24 lbs. and can charge in 2 hrs.

WHAT’S THE WHEEL SIZE?

It has a wheel size of 6.5″, which is the same as most other models, though 8 and 10-inch wheeled versions are becoming more widespread.

DOES IT HAVE INFLATABLE TIRES?

It has solid rubber tires, no need to worry about getting a flat. I’ve already discussed the high top speed, other key specs that stand out: the great range and short charge time are very nice. Lack of a remote control and speakers is not anything to be concerned about for me. You may be different. And that it has an average review on Amazon of 4.1 with more than 360 reviews.

WHY IS THIS A BETTER BUY THAN OTHER BRANDS?

The second thing that’s great is the awesome price. When other models of hands-free smart board sell for $1800, (here’s looking at you IO Hawk), this is a steal. Even if you weren’t considering the IO Hawk, many other models are still an expensive $600-$800.

Maybe you’ve found that you can get a different brand of smart hands-free board for $200 elsewhere. Excellent deal finding skills! But… Sometimes you get what you pay for. The cheapest hoverboard/self-balancing scooters you can find are about $200.

But if you review what you are getting when you pay $200, you find yourself with a scooter that has 30% less speed, 25% less battery capacity, and a 30-day warranty. For me, the spending a little bit more cash gives me something that’s 2x better? That’s money well spent.

ARE THERE ANY DRAWBACKS?

The biggest drawback to this smart board is that they used plastic for the chassis that isn’t difficult to be scratched. This complaint may be from people who have unreasonable expectations. There’s only a 1.2 in. the gap between the bottom of the scooter and the surface it is being ridden on. Couple that low ground clearance, with a vehicle going 12 mph, and any rough terrain could hit the bottom of the scooter. While I don’t think that the bottom of your scooter will be inspected, I understand how people would not want to show wear and tear.

Another drawback mentioned, was the glue used to adhere the rubber bumpers onto the chassis was of poor quality. With several reports that the: You could use double-stick tape or even a good glue and fix this issue, solving this minor drawback.

There is now a vendor on Amazon selling replacement bumpers. They are somewhat interchangeable between the different brands, and a quick fix.

The final drawback I see is the same top speed I listed as a PRO. Several people complained that the speed of the unit is too high. There are several complaints that the speed of the unit and the riders getting into accidents or hurting themselves. There’s also the countless videos you’ve probably seen. This is why if you will be using a smart balancing board, no matter which brand, you need to be wearing adequate safety gear. This includes a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and wrist guards. The simple addition of this safety equipment will allow you to keep on riding a self-balancing wheeled board for a long time.

THE PROS AND CONS

What we like

• 
  The Swagway X1 comes with a 1 year standard warranty. If it proves to be defective in any way (material or workmanship) within 1 year of purchase you can get a repair or replacement. It doesn’t cover accidental damage caused by improper use, poor maintenance, accidents or road hazards. You can however purchase an additional 1 year warranty to cover this if you want an extra layer of protection for your hoverboard.
• The safety features such as UL certification for the battery and charger are a really important feature for self balancing scooters which contain lithium batteries. The Swagway also contains a high quality branded battery rather than a cheap, generic one (these can cause problems).
• It’s affordable! Most people don’t want to pay $1200+ for a scooter and if you’re buying more than one (your kids aren’t going to want to share!) you can get 3 Swagway’s for the price of a big brand name model.
• It’s pretty heavy (28lbs), which for the most part is a good thing, especially for younger users as that makes it safer to ride, and is strong and durable. Of course that also be a bad thing if you have to carry it for any distance, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem if you purchase a carry bag for it.
• Fast and FREE shipping. The self balancing scooter is shipped from their US warehouse within 3 days of receiving cleared payment.

What we don’t like

• There’s little not to like about this product, Swagway really seem to have pulled out all the stops to create a scooter that’s probably the best on the market (for the price) at the moment. However, there is one little problem (or a major problem if you don’t live in the United States). Unfortunately, the Swagway is only available to US customers at the moment – they don’t yet ship internationally.
• Although we liked the 30 day limited return policy (which means you can change your mind and send the product back if for some weird reason you decide it’s not for you), there IS a restocking fee. And of course for obvious reasons you have to ship it back at your own expense.
• There are a range of colors, but not all are available all the time. Some colors get sold out quicker than others so you may have to wait and keep checking for stock if there’s a specific color that you really want.

Is there an age recommendation?

Swagway don’t give any age recommendation as such (well I haven’t seen one). The general recommendation I’ve seen for these scooters is that they’re for over 14’s, but I think if your kid is reasonably tall they could probably use one from around the age of 10. Obviously you have to decide for yourself whether or  not you think they’ll be able to handle it and these things are quite heavy.

There’s probably no upper age as long as you’re relatively strong and fit. I’ve heard of many older people using them as personal transportation devices to help them get around longer distances. Other than that, people of all ages should be able to enjoy using these scooters.

Customer Feedback

There used to be a ton of great reviews on Amazon when the product was available there but unfortunately they no longer sell the product and listing has been deleted.

If you want to see a real Swagway X1 review there are plenty of reviews and comments on the official website. At the time of writing there are just under 500 reviews, and the average rating seems to be 5 star! In general people seem to be raving about how much fun it is, although after having a read through the reviews they’re mostly just positive comments rather than actual detailed reviews.

A few mentioned they were happy with the fast shipping, other customers mentioned the excellent customer support. Most people say they mastered them really quickly (usually takes about 20-30 mins of riding to get REALLY comfortable with them) and a lot of reviewers say they either gave or got one as a very well received gift (they’re very popular for birthdays, Christmas, graduation gifts etc.)

Swagway X1 In The Media

The Swagway is endorsed by many of the top tech websites such as PCmag, TheWireCutter and Techtimes among others. Its reputation far exceeds most other brands on the market.

Ellen DeGeneres gave one to Justin Bieber as a gift on The Ellen Show. At a later stage she also gifted one each to Sophia Grace and Rose (along with helmets of course!)

Safety When Riding

The Swagway also has a dedicated ‘learning mode’ which makes it a relatively safe model to learn on for people of all ages.

Remember, no scooter is 100% safe when riding it – every rideable  comes with a certain amount of risk, and people do have accidents if they don’t use them properly. Muscle injuries, lacerations and broken bones are just some of the things that can (and do) happen. The user manual contains a number of safety warnings and recommendations on how to use the product safely. Adhere to them and you shouldn’t have any problems.

WHO SHOULD BUY ONE?

In the broadest sense, everyone who gets a Swagway will enjoy it. It depends on your motivations in getting one. Are you the type that wants to get a self-balancing scooter because it’s the newest toy around? Then this is the perfect hoverboard for you.

Maybe you’re a college student looking at self-balancing scooters for college next semester. A Swagway scooter should be the only model to consider. You can wake up ten minutes before class, throw clothes on, grab your books and zip out the door.

With its top speed of 12 mph, you can run around campus and get to class in no time. No need to wait for a parking spot or the shuttle, and after school, you can ride back home in style. Or do you want this as a gift for someone? They’ll be happy you got them one.

NOT CONVINCED ABOUT THE SWAGWAY X1 HANDS-FREE SMART BOARD?

Here’re some of the competitors and how they compare:

THE SWAGWAY VS. THE POWERBOARD

You can see my full review of the Powerboard via that link. Overall, the Powerboard and the X1 are very similar. However, when you look closely at the specs of both models, you begin to see which is the best. The Swagway is faster than the Powerboard. It also has more range.

The X1’s battery and the powerboards are the same; the Powerboard is just configured to go slower and thus has a battery that lasts longer. Read both my review of the Swagway scooter and my Powerboard review and decide for yourself. Either one is a great buy, but for me, the Swagway X1 is the best hoverboard.

THE SWAGWAY X1 VS. THE RAZOR HOVERTRAX

The Razor Hovertrax 2.0 is much better than the first generation hoverboard from Razor. But for all that it’s a much better hoverboard than the previous generation, the new Hovertrax is still pretty underwhelming.

COMPARING THE SWAGTRON T1 AND THE SWAGWAY X1

Swagway, Swagton, Swegway, they all sound the same. While there’s a difference between Segway and these brands, Swagway and Swagtron are the same company.  They’ve just changed names.

As for the T1 vs. the X1, there are some significant differences. The Swagtron T1 is the newest generation of hoverboard and was released with new features that allow it to be UL-2272 certified. The X1 has the same battery pack, which is the main feature of the T1. Otherwise, the X1 and the T1 are very similar. However, the X1 is a faster hoverboard than the T1. For many people, that higher top speed in the X1 is the best reason to buy an X1.

THE MONOROVER R2 VS. THE SWAGWAY X1

The R2 and the X1 are almost identical in features. While the X1 has a listed top range of a few miles further than the R2, these are values that are created in lab environments, not the real world.  Realistically, these two hoverboards will probably perform the same.  You can find out more about the R2 here.

Verdict

I’ve spent a lot of time researching the best hoverboard scooters over the last few months and I can safely say that this is one of the best I’ve seen. I started out with a slightly more expensive monorover r2 myself, but the Swagway X1 just pips it to the post with slightly less foot pedal sensitivity it’s easier to control (it even comes with a ‘learning mode’). It’s also cheaper than what I paid for the Monorover, although I believe they’ve dropped their price since I purchased.

The safety of a self balancing scooter is probably one of the most important features as they contain lithium batteries which can spark or overheat (causing bigger problems) if they’re not properly safety certified. This is where the Swagway wins over many other brands because it’s one of the few companies that has made safety, high quality materials, and testing their priority. They are meticulous in their design and workmanship, meaning that you get a top quality, relatively safe product and for a very reasonable price.  Their customer service is very responsive too should you have any questions or want to discuss safety with them in more depth.

Now I’m not saying that these so called ‘hoverboards’ are 100% perfect just yet – they’re still new to the market and I’m sure there will be a lot of improvements made to them over the coming months. You may want to wait longer before purchasing to see what happens with the newer boards and updated safety features. However, if you don’t want to wait, the Swagway looks to me to be one of the safest, most affordable, and fun options available right now.