Razor E100 Glow Electric Scooter Age 8+

This is a great electric scooter for the price and recommended age range. A few foot pushes to get up to speed, twist the throttle and off you go. It tops out at about a fast jog or moderate biking speed. The rated 10mph and 30 min of battery life feel accurate. Some have complained about the need to get up to about 5mph before the motor will engage but I consider this a good safety feature as well as cost savings. When getting off or pushing it through the garage I have seen the lights flicker on occasionally which means the throttle was activated. This is from my son unintentionally twisting the throttle when he didn't mean for it to go. If the motor had been able to power from a standstill this would have yanked it from his hands or pull him down. There is an on off switch on the bottom but even with this I still wouldn't want the motor to engage instantly from a stand still. Two foot pushes to get up to motor speed are no big deal and this also ensures that you are prepared and actually want it to start up. The throttle is an on off switch but that doesn't mean that you can't regulate speed within its operating range. On his first ride going at a slower than top speed came naturally and quickly to my son. When coming up on a turn all he did was let off on the throttle and coast a bit. When it got near the bottom of its speed he would simply blip the throttle to keep it going at a slower speed. coast for 2 seconds, power on for 1 second, coast for 2.... Pretty simple for a 8 year old to figure out. By varying the length of coasting or powered time his was able to maintain any speed that the motor could do, (5 - 10 mph). It may sound complex but it is easy and comes naturally. The other benefit of it being a somewhat low torque motor is that it won't get up to speed instantly. Two foot pushes get you about 5mph, twist the throttle and it will take the motor another 2 to 3 seconds to get up to 10mph. A gentle ramp up to speed that was smooth and didn't jerk him at all. The one true downside of the low torque power system is that it can't go up anything other than a gentle hill. If you would feel the need to drop down more than 2 gears on a bike this scooter would probably have a problem. A higher torque power system might be nice but it would add to the cost and if you really want that they do make one for twice the price, the E300. It is all about designing a scooter that gives the customer what they want and not waste money where it is not needed. This low torque system is fine for younger riders (8 - 10 yrs old) and flat to slightly hilly terrain. One thing to keep in mind with battery system is that lead acid batteries need 12 - 14 hours to fully charge. This is just due to their chemistry and how they accept a charge. LiPo batteries are more expensive but can take a charge at a much higher rate. If that is important to you they make a version with LiPos but for twice the price. Three other things to keep in mind with these batteries is that they should always be left at a full charge, they will self discharge and need to be recharged monthly, and they should not be allowed to freeze. This is not a factor of the quality of batteries. This is simply the way lead acid batteries are. These characteristics of lead acid batteries are in the manual and on several warning stickers and cards all over the scooter. I don't know how but I am sure there are some idiots that leave the batteries discharged for long periods of time and never bother to put them on the charger monthly and wonder why they are dead in a year. Ignore bad reviews about the batteries that don't state a knowledge of lead acid battery care. A bad battery can always slip through the system though and that is what the warranty period is for. Proper battery care is easy. Use the scooter and when you are done or it starts to sag on flat terrain put it on the charger and leave it on overnight. Bring it in a heated area for cold winter storage. Put it on the charger monthly when not it use. Doing this basic care should get you 200 to 250 charge/discharge cycles on the batteries. ----------- All in all a good scooter for the younger rider( 8 - 10yrs) with several cost saving design measures that shouldn't bother the average rider.