by Chris |
Last Updated: September 21, 2021 Swagboard Spectra Advanced Review
Pros
- Futuristic, unique design
- High-quality materials
- Customizable app options allow for better control of your board
- Plenty of extra features
- Compact, easily transportable
- AI-technology adapts to your riding style
- LED lights double as battery indicator
- Reverse capability
Cons
- Top speed is on the lower end compared to competitors
- 15-degree climbing ability is underwhelming
- Technology could be more reliable
The first skateboards were conceived by surfers in California, who affixed wheels from skates to the bottom of their skateboards when there were no waves to ride.
Today, skateboarding has evolved into a hobby, a competitive sport, a means of transportation, and a movement in popular culture.
Skateboards have since evolved tremendously, and you can find skateboards in a variety of shapes, colors, designs, and sizes. From short boards and long boards to cruisers, there’s no shortage of variety.
With technology changing every facet of our lives, skateboards have been no exception. Today, motorized skateboards like the Swagtron Swagboard Spectra Advanced, are putting power in the wheels of skateboards, and completely changing the dynamic for riders everywhere.
The Swagboard Spectra is a fun and modern take on trendy transportation. This miniature skateboard is jam-packed with a variety of technological features, offering a compact way to get around town. While the Swagboard Spectra is, first and foremost, a skateboard, it’s not designed for grinding, kickflips and ollies. The Swagtron Swagboard Spectra does, however, offer riders a great way to cruise around town, with a top speed of 15 mph and a range of 12 miles.
Table of Contents
Key Features
- Equipped with artificial intelligence
- Maximum speed of 15.5 mph; battery range of 12.4 miles
- Supports riders up to 187 pounds
- Built-in LED indicators/headlight for safety
- Climbing capacity of 15 degrees
- iOS/Android app control can be used to control speed or lock your board
- Regenerative hub motors maximize battery efficiency during deceleration
- Hold option that locks the wheels when you’re boarding
- Hub motor with regenerative braking
- 12.5 pounds
Design & Construction
The Swagtron Spectra Advanced is a compact eboard with a length of 19.4 inches and is just over 11 inches wide. Built with a sturdy, lightweight carbon fiber unibody, the Swagtron Spectra Advanced is a well-constructed board. The design, intended to keep the board small and light, aims to make transporting and carrying the board as easy as possible. The Spectra’s diminutive size even allows for it to be carried in a backpack, and could serve as a companion on your ride to school.
Technology & Connectivity
One of this board’s most interesting features is a selection of impressive technological features. Swagtron claims the Spectra Advanced is the first board with 3D posture control navigation , which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze your riding patterns, tailoring your ride to your specific style. Using five smart sensors, the patented SenDeck technology utilizes five smart sensors to adapt your riding experience.
The Spectra Advanced board is connected by Bluetooth technology and controlled through the Spectra’s eBoard Go app, available on iOS or Android. The app helps to create a uniquely customizable ride, where you can accelerate and decelerate, or set a specific speed. The app also allows you to choose from three different riding modes (beginner, sport, and pro), and allows you to shut the board’s motor down and ride it like a traditional skateboard.
Furthermore, the app can be used for sharing pictures and checking battery life; you can also use the app to lock your board and keep it safe when you’re not riding.
Motor
Though small and rigid, the Spectra skateboard comes with a differential speed in a pair of hub motors to help you turn quickly, even when traveling at higher speeds. The Spectra board can also handle itself well when ascending an incline and is capable of supporting riders on climbs up to 15 degrees. The hub motors are also regenerative, which means they work to recharge the board when you decelerate or travel down a decline, thereby maximizing the distance you can travel on a single charge.
In an effort to maintain a smooth, quiet ride, the Spectra’s dual hub motors contain an intelligent battery system designed to ensure a consistent power distribution by continuously monitor each power cell’s performance.
Ride Quality
The Advanced rides smoothly and is designed to be highly responsive to turns and stops. The board is also programmed to stop immediately if you step off of it, keeping it close by your side if you ever find yourself having to step off of it quickly.
Battery & Charging
The lithium-ion battery is charged using a specially designed MagCharger, which connects to a magnetic port underneath the board. A full charge takes between 90 and 120 minutes, offering a range of up to 12.4 miles.
Additional Features
The Spectra Advanced is outfitted with both a headlight and a tail light to improve visibility and safety. In addition, the board’s lights also serve as a battery level indicator, changing colors correspondingly (the green light indicates a battery level of 20 percent to 100 percent, an orange light appears when the battery drops below 20 percent, and a red light indicates a power level below five percent).
Overall
The Swagtron Swagboard Spectra Advanced is a compact eboard that certainly holds its own in almost every way. Its top speed and range are respectable, though not the best in the industry, and its carbon fiber body offers a sporty look and what appears to be a strong, supportive material.
Given the board’s small size and carbon fiber construction, it’s not as light as you might hope, even though it’s plenty portable. Another potential disadvantage in its size is that it offers a maximum weight rating of 187 pounds, which may limit certain riders.
The technology which supports the Spectra Advanced is certainly intriguing, but as with every first of its kind, is susceptible to glitches, outages, and malfunctions. At the very least, the Spectra Advanced offers some fun and useful features in a cool, compact eboard. If you’re looking for the best value and features, you may want to look elsewhere, but if you want to pioneer the first wave of AI-powered eboards, the Spectra Advanced may be a great fit.
How Does It Compare?
While the Swagtron has patented some of its technology behind the Spectra Advanced, it’s far from the only electric skateboard available.
Here’s a look at some of the Spectra’s competition, and how it stacks up to some other popular eboards, including:
Swagboard Spectra Advanced vs Meepo Campus 2.0
The Meepo Campus 2.0 cites a top speed of 18 mph and a range of 13 miles. Operated by a trigger-equipped remote control, this 12.5-pound board is made of Canadian maple wood and lined with patterned black grip tape. With a maximum rider weight of 150 pounds, the Campus 2.0 is capable of climbing up to a 14-degree slope.
Swagboard Spectra Advanced vs Skatebolt S5 Mini
One of the lightest boards money can buy, the Skatebolt S5 Mini weighs in at just under eight pounds. A seven-ply maple wood deck measures 20 inches long, while the 250W hub motor drives a maximum speed of 12.4 mph and a range of 9.3 miles on a full charge. This compact board is similarly sized to the Spectra, but falls short when compared to the Spectra’s speed and range.
Swagboard Spectra Advanced vs MotoTec 1600W
With two separate motors, the MotoTec 1600 W certainly brings power and speed to the scene, offering a top speed of 22 mph. At 71 pounds, however, the MotoTec isn’t lightweight and is likely a burden to carry and transport. With a wireless remote and three modes (forward, neutral, brake) the power is in the hands of the user, and doesn’t require a smartphone to adjust the controls.
The board itself is composed of real wood and equipped with large, treaded tires, which accommodates a maximum rider weight of 260 pounds. The battery takes an estimated three to five hours to charge and supports a range of about 10 miles.
Swagboard Spectra Advanced vs Maxfind Max 2
A range of 16 miles and a top speed of 23 mph on the Maxfind Max 2 stand above most other boards on the market today. The dual hub motors powered by an LG lithium battery are capable of supporting a rider up to 265 pounds, and up a 30-degree incline. Charging time is estimated at two hours, and the board is powered by a Bluetooth remote control (included).
Summary
The Spectra stacks up nicely compared to other boards, falling solidly in the middle on speed and range, in addition to delivering a couple of special features in its small frame. It isn’t the fastest, doesn’t have the longest range, and doesn’t boast the most hill-climbing power.
If you like to experiment with new technologies (especially pairing them with your smartphone) and are looking for a compact eboard, consider Swagtron’s Spectra Advanced electric scooter.