by Chris |
Last Updated: September 21, 2021 Genesis Hellfire
Pros
- Affordably priced – offers a decent balance of features given the bargain pricing. It makes a great entry-level electric skateboard for people who are new to the hobby and don’t want to break the bank while learning.
- Performances are reliable. Although this doesn’t lead the pack in any one area, it frequently falls in the middle. Given the price, that speaks well of the board.
- No preset speed settings. Instead of using modes with speed caps, the Genesis Hellfire remote allows you to completely customize your speed!
Cons
- Genesis customer service is not very responsive. They’re not very helpful or readily available, so if you want service and support you may need to consider other companies.
- Quality control issues. A lot of people report that these boards break very easily and do not last very long and coupled with the nearly non-existent customer service this is problematic.
These days, more and more people want electric skateboards and longboards. Whether they want to fly down the roads quickly or carve their way slowly through long ranges and commutes, these little boards offer a great experience and loads of fun!
Unfortunately, they can also cost quite a bit of money. Some of the best boards on the market have ranges of nearly 30 miles with top speeds approaching 50 miles per hour, which is even faster than many bikes can ride! You end up paying a lot of money for this experience, though, as the best electric skateboards all cost a lot more than bikes and many even cost more than golf carts!
There is a market within the electric skateboard market, though, as more companies are starting to produce budget electric skateboards. These more affordable boards offer a great gateway into the electric skateboard culture. Whether you’re looking for a test board to make sure you’re actually going to enjoy the hobby or simply can’t afford the nicer boards, you can find the range and speed you’re looking for at affordable pricing now. You just won’t be receiving the same premium parts the nicer boards have.
This Genesis Hellfire review will cover one of these affordably priced budget electric skateboards. We will talk about the features, ride experience, strengths, and weaknesses of the Hellfire Genesis, then compare it to some of its closest competitors to see how it stacks up in the market!
Table of Contents
Genesis Hellfire Electric Longboard Features
This is a decent entry-level electric skateboard, especially for the price. While it isn’t as feature-heavy or powerful as some of the more expensive boards, it’s also nicer than a lot of other budget boards. It’s pretty balanced and tends to fall in the middle of the pack. Let’s take a look at the features and see why.
The Hellfire is pretty portable, given that it only weighs around 16 pounds. This is especially cool given that it can handle 260 pounds of load weight. This is fairly light for a dual motor board, so even if the limited range leaves you without wheels you won’t be weighed down carrying it.
The Genesis Hellfire remote is not bad. It’s powered with a lithium-ion battery and fits right in the palm of your hand. It offers a button that allows you to control your ride’s top speed, and unlike most remotes, it doesn’t include preset speed control so you can completely customize your speed.
The Genesis Hellfire battery is a lithium-ion battery that provides reliable performance. It can recharge in about 2 or 3 hours, which is quicker than a lot of other electric skateboards but fairly long, given the limited range of this board. Additionally, it is not recommended that you allow your battery level to fall below 12%, as it drastically reduces performance. You also need to recharge regularly to prevent loss of capacity.
The board uses 2 brushless hub motors. These power the rear wheels. It’s an energy-efficient setup because there’s a very small distance between the battery, the motor, and the power. This maximizes the possible RPM and ensures almost no friction among moving parts.
Genesis Electric Skateboard Review
Although this board is priced in a budget most people can afford, you sort of get what you pay for here. If you don’t need all the features, then it is a good way to test the waters, but it probably won’t be a long term board if you fall in love with electric skateboarding. The performance is lacking, especially when trying to handle steep hills, and the range is really short. The ride itself is average in terms of smoothness and responsiveness, and the top speed is pretty decent… as long as you don’t mind burning almost all your power to get her there.
Speed and Acceleration
When it came to speed, the Genesis Hellfire actually offered comparable top speeds to some of the nicest boards on the market. Unfortunately, the speed also came with a price. The faster you push the Hellfire, the less responsive it becomes. This makes it a bit dangerous if you’re traveling in an area with a lot of people and traffic to dodge.
It also took quite a bit of time to accelerate and struggled tremendously on hill grades steeper than 10%, which offers a bit of a problem if you’re a commuter who is using the electric skateboard to make those steep hills easier than walking.
Braking Performance
Braking was also a bit lackluster. It fell towards the middle of the pack in terms of the stopping distance required, but it quickly became clear that this was another area where the price becomes a bit more understandable. One of the features you’re sacrificing is the ability to stop on a dime that the pricier boards have.
If you’re moving down a slope, don’t expect to be able to brake at all. Even when fully engages, this board will still move down any slope that is steeper than 5% or so. On flat ground, the braking is much smoother, but it still takes a bit of time to get from top speed to stop.
Ride Experience
One of its strengths was the ride itself. This board is pretty strong, capable of handling much heavier loads than comparable boards in its class. It was also pretty comfortable to ride and was able to handle bumps in the terrain better than the average board could. Given that this is a bargain board, the fact that it outperformed the average is pretty remarkable.
We also like the remote quite a bit. The wireless controller comes with a couple of buttons that let you increase or decrease the speed yourself. Unlike the usually preset speed caps, this allows you to dictate to a specific mile per hour how fast or slow you want to go and change the speed gradually rather than an abrupt switch with a several mile per hour jump in speed.
It’s also very user-friendly. This board is ready to ride straight out of the box without needing any assembly or tools. This makes it really easy for beginners to learn and ride.
How Does the Hellfire Genesis Compare?
Let’s take a look at how Genesis compares to some of its closest competitors across a variety of different categories.
Speed, range and stopping distance: Hellfire vs Halo, Inboard M1, Yuneec E-Go, Boosted Dual+ and Evolve GT Bamboo
First, we compared the top speed of several different boards. The Genesis performed well in this competition. With a top speed of just over 20 miles per hour, it outperformed the Halo, the Inboard M1, and the Yuneec E-Go. The Boosted Dual+ and Evolve GT Bamboo boards outperformed it, but those boards also cost significantly more money, so we feel that the 2 or 3 miles per hour extra speed isn’t worth the several hundred extra dollars.
Unfortunately, that’s where they stop being at the top of the pack. Looking at the range of these boards, the Genesis Hellfire sits at about a 9-mile range. While this still outperforms the 6-mile range of the Inboard M1, the Yuneec E-Go 2 doubled its range, and the Evolve did as well. It offers 2 miles more range than the Boosted Dual+, though. This range falls in the middle of the compared pack, with the Slim Stealth board offering the biggest range at 24 miles, and the Inboard M1 offering the smallest at 6.
When it came to stopping distance, this board hit the middle of the pack again. The Boosted Dual+ and Evolve GT Bamboo boards both stopped within 26 and 20 feet respectively. Even the Inboard M1 outperformed the Genesis in this test, requiring 35 feet of stopping distance to the Hellfire’s 36 feet. Still, the Genesis Hellfire manages to outperform the Yuneec E-Go 2, which needed a whopping 58 feet of stopping distance, and the Halo BoardCarbon, which fared the worst, at 66 feet.
Electric Skateboard Genesis Review Conclusion
Overall, the Hellfire Genesis is an okay electric skateboard. We certainly weren’t thrilled or overjoyed about the performance, and it didn’t earn rave and glowing reviews, but we also think it’s worth a mention because it wasn’t terrible either.
Basically, this is an average board. It offers average performance. Some of the features are pretty limited, and the parts aren’t the best in the market, but they’re also not trash. If you’re new to electric skateboarding and don’t want to spend tons of money on high-quality boards before figuring out whether you like it and learning how to ride without crashing and destroying your board, this is a fantastic option.
It’s priced affordably as one of the cheapest options on the market but still offers a competitive range and top speeds that fall towards the middle of the pack, so you don’t feel like you’re riding a baby board. In the end, you get what you pay for and a little bit more with this board.