by Chris |
Last Updated: September 1, 2021 Stary Board
Pros
- Very lightweight
- Air-travel friendly
- Compact remote
Cons
- Limited range
- The battery takes long to recharge (3 hours).
- Poor customer service
As the demand for electric skateboards keeps increasing, more and more companies are giving the riders different alternatives. Every year we get faster, better and more durable products.
However, it is not just the big companies like Boosted, Swagtron, Meepo or Inboard that you should consider when deciding which eboard to buy.
You would be surprised to find out that there are plenty of other less popular brands that offer the same quality products and sometimes for even better prices. Stary board is just one of the many that we’re talking about.
At a first glance, Stary does not really strike the eye. It is as simple as it gets in terms of the design. All black, no logos, no protruding parts, handles or tails. However, it is never a good idea to judge a book by its cover.
Table of Contents
Top Specs
So, let’s start digging and find out whether or not it is worth investing in Stary board.
Super lightweight
The Stary board is definitely one of the most lightweight eboards ever created. It weighs only 8.6 lbs. This is great news for riders, who use eboards in combination with other transportation options.
Air Travel Friendly
Stary board comes with Li-Po battery with a capacity of 91Wh. While this might not give you the greatest range in history, it comes with its advantages. Stary board is completely air-travel friendly. You can take it with you all over the world and cruise the new places with your favorite toy.
3 ride modes
Stary offers quite good versatility when it comes to riding style. You can alternate between 3 ride modes.
Beginner mode is obviously great for those who are just getting started. The top speed for the first mode is about 7.4 mph, which makes sure the rider is safe and doesn’t fly off the board while he is still mastering his skills.
Stary board also introduced a very useful Cruise Mode. Whenever you’re just riding across town with normal traffic that’s the mode you want to be using. It can automatically adjust the speed and acceleration to provide just the right power output. Cruise mode really saves battery life.
And for those who know what they’re doing and want to feel some adrenaline rush, Stary has an advanced mode with faster acceleration and a top speed of about 20 mph.
Besides these useful features, it is important to know all the basics of the Stary board.
The Basics
This simple board has a top speed of 18.5 mph and a 10-mile range. We realize that this is not THAT exciting, but it’s still a pretty good deal for beginners or riders who are not looking for many thrills.
The Build
As for the deck, Stary has come up with a perfect mix of maple wood, carbon fiber, and glass fiber. The board is super lightweight, but still pretty strong and flexible at the same time. Don’t let the weight trick you, Stary can still support heavy riders of up to 198 lbs at the top speed.
The board is 36.7 inches long, which makes its weight even more surprising. The deck is quite long and wide (10.8”) for a ride to stand comfortably and lean in different directions for more control over speed and balance.
Your body balance can be further controlled with the direction indicator on the front wheel and the contour of the deck at the center. Aligning your gravity center with it will give you the most balance and control over the board even at maximum speed.
The special contours of the lower board near the rear wheels give the device greater volume of push and the front wheel ones are designed so that they convert this force into acceleration.
Wheels
Stary sports 75 mm orange Polyurethane wheels that have been specifically designed to go flawlessly with the motor and truck of the board. They produce maximum torque without consuming any extra energy from the battery.
Wheels on the Stary are quite strong and durable for a mid-price range board. The performance of the board is not affected much by the weather conditions or terrain type.
The rear end Power wheel is what holds the hub motor. With the inner shock absorbing layers and grooves of the wheel, the motor is perfectly protected.
Motor
The board is powered by a 1500W brushless external motor. It is connected to the power wheel on the rear side and supported by the regenerative braking system. The board is pretty responsive. One of the great advantages of the board is that once you set the desired speed level, it can maintain it accurately even on rough terrains.
Battery
91 Wh Lithium polymer battery on the Stary board can take you as far as about 10 miles, depending on your ride mode. This is not as bad if you take into consideration the weight of the board. However, one downside is definitely a very long charge time (3 hours) for such a low-range board.
Remote
The OLED self-luminous remote that comes with the Stary board gives you control and a quick status view of basically everything you need: acceleration, deceleration, braking, ride modes, battery usage, motor or battery issues.
The special energy optimization system of the remote provides a clear data display regardless of the light. So, whether you’re riding in a pitch dark or direct sunlight, you will have no issue reading the screen.
It is pretty small and easy to operate. Compared to remote controllers of other eboards, you can carry it in your pocket without it being annoying. You don’t have to hold it during the whole ride, especially when using the cruise mode.
Now that you know all there is to know about the Stary board it is time to compare it to other similar models on the market to understand whether it is the right board for you.
Let’s compare it
Stary Board vs Inboard M1
Stary board is usually compared to the Inboard M1. They have a lot in common including the price and the look, but they are definitely not so alike once you get into details.
The Inboard M1 is made of high-quality materials including the same fiberglass that is used in premium snowboards. Therefore the board is fully water resistant.
Inboard has even less range than the Stary board at only 7 miles. However, on M1 you can easily swap the battery in just a couple of seconds. So, you can simply carry extra batteries in your backpack and get more range in total.
With small batteries, both boards are air-travel friendly. And both of them come with 3 riding modes.
The part where Inboard really beats the Stary board is the speed and hill climbing. The M1 has a top speed of 22 mph. Also, this Inboard has built-in LED lights for safer rides at night.
Overall, the Inboard M1 has a smoother look and higher quality feel. If you are willing to carry an extra battery with you, then M1 is probably a better option for both beginners and pros. Read our review
Stary Board vs Teamgee H5 37″ Electric Skateboard
At half the price, Teamgee offers some impressive specs and in some ways is better than both the M1 and Stary board.
The H5 deck is 0.59” thick making it one of the thinnest eboards on the market. It is almost the same length (37”) as the Stary and 8.7 inches wide. However, one problem is that it weighs way more at 14.5 lbs. So, you might want to stick with Stary if you tend to carry your board around a lot.
As for the materials of the deck, it is made of 10 ply Canadian maple and 1 ply fiberglass. This gives you a strong board with a medium flex that caters to all kinds of riders.
Teamgee H5 power comes from 2 high-performance 380W motors that offer an 11-mile range
with a top speed of 22 mph. So, it definitely “team Teamgee” if you love to race through the streets. Another advantage of the H5 board is that it takes only 2 hours to fully charge, compared to 3 hours on the Stary board.
The board has a great hill climbing possibilities at 25% and it even charges when going downhill. The wireless remote that comes with the H5 board has an LCD screen that you can use to change speed, directions, reverse the board and see various stats.
Overall, the H5 is a cheaper alternative to the Stary board that definitely comes with a lot of extra features and more range and speed. Read our review
To sum it up…
The Stary board definitely has a lot of cool features and basic specs that make it enough for every beginner or a chill rider. The board will probably feel a little limiting for advanced skaters or those who want to have some extra fun with speed and carving.
Update:
After a long silence and to the outrage of their Kickstarter backers, who never received their promised boards, Stary team issued a statement in May, 2017. They explained that it was all due to internal re-organization and shipping complications and promised that everyone would get their boards eventually. However, it’s been two years, most of the backers never got their boards and the company has stopped selling the product all together.
If you really want to test the Stary board, you can get it from resellers. However, it would probably be smarter to go with another, more reputable company that you can depend on.