Electric Skateboard VS Onewheel – [Ultimate Comparison]

I grew up in the US, surfing and skating on the New Jersey shore. It was a huge part of my childhood and I love to share that joy with anyone I can. I rode my first wave in the late ’90s, and always had a skateboard in the garage. Surfing and skating is a way of life. It’s more than just a hobby for me! I started getting into Onewheels and Eskating a few years back, as I’m sure you can understand it would be hard for a non-working teenager to afford an electric skateboard haha. I believe that this is the future of transportation and am super stoked that the industry has been getting more and more popular!

So what are the main differences between Onewheels and Eskates? I am going to break down two models and I have loads of experience with. The Evolve GTR and the Onewheel XR. Let’s talk about Range, Top Speed, Safety and Brakes, Fun Factor, Learning Curve, and Price.

We picked one of the most popular electric skateboard in a comparable price range like the Onewheel+ XR ($1799) the Evolve GTR. But since there are several e-Skates on the market with comparable specs I just had to add the WowGo AT2 for the sake of a fair comparison.

Comparison Table:

WowGo AT2Evolve GTROnewheel XR
Price$ 1100$ 1699$ 1799
Top Speed25 mph (40 km/h)26 mph (42 km/h)19 mph (30 km/h)
Range19 miles (31 km)19 miles (31 km)15 miles (24 km)
Battery Size504 Wh504 Wh324 Wh
Motor Power2 x 1500 Watts2 x 1500 Watts750 Watts
WeightNo info25 lbs (11.3 kg)27 lbs (12.5 kg)
Warranty9 months12 months12 months
Max Weight Capacity280 lbs (127 kg)250 lbs (113 kg)275 lbs (125 kg)
Recharge TimeNo info4 – 5 hours2 hours
Wheel/ Tire Size4.7 or 6.9 inch (120 or 175 mm)4 or 7 inch (97 or 178 mm)11.5 inch (292 mm)
Link to Websitewowgoboard.comevolveskateboardsusa.com/gtronewheel.com/xr

Please keep in mind that there are several cheaper electric skateboards on the market with comparable specs like the Evolve GTR. The Wowgo AT2, Verreal RS, Vestar Black Hawk, ONSRA Black Carve. We chose the Evolve GTR nevertheless because it enjoys a comparable popularity, customer service and marketing funds like Futuremotion’s Onewheels.

What about the Range

Now I like to be able to go off-road with these boards, so I will be comparing the AT (or all-terrain) wheels with the Evolve GTR with the Onewheel XR. Evolve claims that with your AT wheels this board can travel up to 19 miles. I have tested this first hand and can attest that it is accurate. You may be able to travel even further if the weather is in your favor and you are a bit light in weight than I am. Now the Onewheel claims that you can travel 12-18 miles on a single charge. Again, this is going to vary on how you ride, where you are riding, and your weight. Another difference in the two is the ability to be able to push these devices when your battery does die when you are out on a ride. It’s not a matter of IF this will happen, it is just a matter of WHEN Haha. The Onewheel can NOT be operated whatsoever if the battery is dead. Your Evolve Board will be able to be pushed when the battery is dead. Now, it is a heavy board and this will NOT be an enjoyable experience. Needless to say, you will be able to push it if it dies, or if your remote dies or breaks. (which can happen.) Winner: Evolve GTR! I would be more confident about traveling long distances on the Evolve board.

Winner: Electric Skateboards

How fast can the go? The Top Speed

Let’s take a look at how fast these boards can rip. Evolves GTR with AT wheels claims a top speed of 22 MPH. Now, I have personally hit 25 MPH on my board, so it is safe to say that the measurements here are conservative. Onewheel claims a top speed of the XR of 19 MPH. I have personally hit 21 MPH on the Onewheel XR so I can say that they are accurate as well. Speed wasn’t a super important factor for me when deciding which board to spend my hard-earned cash on. You should never ride faster than you are able to run, and trust me when I tell you that road rash does not feel good. It reminds you to slow down, even two weeks after the initial crash hah! Winner: Evolve GTR!

Winner: Electric Skateboards

Feel free to check out our other One Wheel Articles

Safety and Brakes

On the note of road rash, remember…it is always important to protect yourself when riding. Helmet and pad up every time! The brakes on the GTR are controlled by the remote, and in every mode besides SAFETY, they are very responsive. The brakes on the Onewheel are controlled by your body weight, and leaning back. They are also very responsive. I have not exceeded where I wanted to stop on either board. When it comes to safety, it’s a tough call. The fact that the Onewheel has no remote allows you to keep your hands free but also requires more balance and technique. The Evolve board is stable and will still roll even if the board’s batteries die. I have nosedived on the Onewheel before, which is not possible on the Evolve Board. When it comes to action sports, there is always risk involved. In this case, though, I would say there is LESS risk on the Evolve board. Winner: Evolve GTR

Winner: Electric Skateboards

FUN Factor

I’ve been waiting all day for this! The Onewheel is insanely fun, since your hands are free, and you can get over any obstacle in the road and not have to worry about cracks and bumps. I love to make videos when I ride, so the Onewheel became a cool filmmaking tool for me. I would be unable to easily handle a camera or gimbal while holding and Eboard remote, and the Onewheel allows you to keep both hands free. This board gives you that surfing/snowboarding feels more than anything in my opinion. It requires a bit more strength than an electric skateboard, due to always being balanced and your core being engaged more while riding. It does also tend to require a bit more calf and thigh strength. If you have never ridden a Onewheel before, and you head out for a 10-mile ride, your legs will be screaming the next day. It’s amazing on-road, and off. I had a lot of fun taking the Onewheel XR on some local mountain bike trails and it performed amazingly. We do have a lot of sand here and the Onewheel did struggle a bit in the sand. If you have hard-packed dirt trails near you, this bad boy will cruise for days! I recently took the Onewheel XR and Onewheel Pint to Daytona Beach, FL to an annual jet ski event. It was so fun to be able to cruise the streets of Daytona, then hop onto the beach and ride up and down the shoreline. Because the beach there is hard sand, you can carve up and down the shoreline with ease. Could you imagine snowboarding on the beach? Yea, that’s what we were doing ha. Just miles and miles of hardpacked sand for you to carve up and down. Yeah, bro! When it comes to the Evolve board…I was able to find a country club that was shut down years ago up the street from my neighborhood. You cannot drive your car onto the property but you can certainly skate through. It is an incredible 8-mile loop of curvy sidewalks and hills that were once occupied with electric carts and polo wearing golfers. I was able to find this hidden gem and carve around for a few hours passing by tunnels, lakes, and amazing scenery. I never would have found it if it wasn’t for E-skating. This sport also allows me to travel to new locations and take photos which I love to do. I have been into photography for a long time, and there’s no better feeling than riding your board up to the beach for sunset and getting those beautiful photos! The Evolve board allowed me to carve the sidewalks like a wave, and cruise over dirt, bumps, and palm branches with ease. It also glides over the grass like butter. Winner: TIE GAME, the stoke is real

Winner: TIE

Learning Curve

Onewheel…Now this board takes a little more ‘balance’ I would say. That’s the first thing that comes to my mind…Because I grew up surfing I know where my center of balance is. Have you ever heard of a balance board? It is a circular log that you place a wooden board on top of and sways back and forth. I had one growing up, and when I hopped onto the Onewheel I felt like I was on my old balance board. It feels crazy similar! I had no issue hopping on the Onewheel and getting the hang of it after a few minutes and guidance from my friend. The Onewheel has no remote and is controlled by the way you shift your weight on the board. You lean forward to accelerate, and back to brake. You need to be careful when you lean forward, as you can imagine in the lean forward to fast you might nose dive. Turning is achieved by carving and shifting your weight toe side or heel side. Turning probably took me the longest time to get the hang of. I found that if I hung my toeside (back) toe just over the edge of the board and my heelside (front) heel over the edge of the board it allowed me to grip and lean into the turns to get that crispy turn. Once I got the hang of turning I fell in love with the Onewheel. It truly does feel like you are surfing on asphalt. Just carving and hitting that never-ending cement wave

On my first Eboard ride my buddy Kevin told me, “Start in mode #1 and we will bump it up as you get comfortable.” I hopped on the board, bumped my thumb onto the throttle wheel ever so gently, and felt the motors engage the wheels. I began to glide on the pavement with ease. You know how when you were a kid, riding around the neighborhood down that one hill you never wanted to end? Yea that’s what I felt…You can carve, and cruise, and vibe out for MILES with never having to push. It was the never-ending hill that I was always searching for. Now don’t get me wrong, you still need to exercise my friends…and I do plenty of that. I still ride my BMX and mountain bike on the regular! With my background, I was able to pick this up very easily. I felt at home on the board. I was able to carve and pick up some speed and feel super comfortable my first time riding the boosted board. With that being said, Eskates are pretty easy to hop on and get the hang of, IF you have the board sports background as I did. Since that day, I have logged hundreds of miles on eskates.

Winner: Electric Skateboards

Price

This is going to be one of the first things that you see when looking at these two boards, and probably saying, Damn that’s steep! The Evolve Bamboo GTR comes in at $1899 and the Onewheel XR comes in at $1799. These boards are in that ‘premium’ tier of consumer boards, and you absolutely get what you pay for when it comes to product build quality and customer service. It was important for me to be able to know that I can call or email support, and have an answer within 12-24 hours. Both of these companies have amazing customer service. When you are spending this amount of money on a product, no matter what it is, it is important to know that if you need help, it’s there for you! Winner: Evolve Bamboo GTR! ( just because it’s $100 cheaper!)

Winner: Electric Skateboards

Weight

The Evolve Board weighs in at 25lbs and the Onewheel weighs in at 27 lbs. There’s no getting around the fact that these bad boys are heavy. You can carry the Evolve Board by the trucks or with the classic surfboard hold. The motors being in the back does make carrying the board a bit awkward. Onewheel sports an indented type of handle on the nose of the board which makes carrying the board pretty easy. Although the large wheel does tend to bump up against your leg while walking. There is an aftermarket handle that you can buy for this board which makes carrying it a bit easier, but this comes at an additional cost. Winner : Evolve Board (Its 2 LBs lighter) 

Winner: Electric Skateboards

Commuting and Practicality

It’s great to have these boards as secondary transportation, but is it practical? Short answer, hell yea. I recently rode home 8.3 miles on my Evolve Board after dropping off my truck at the body shop. I only used 30% of the battery too! (In Eco Mode) The Onewheel is awesome for commuting as well. The thing I really enjoy about the onewheel is you can roll through a crowd of people slowly, and it’s extremely nimble. The onewheel handles a bit better than a big longboard. Carry your charger just in case and you are good to go! Winner: Onewheel XR!

Winner: Onewheel XR

Conclusion

This is all my point of view and is subjective. This sport is all about finding out what works best for you and what allows you to have the most fun! I enjoy being able to express myself with this sport while having fun. These boards have also brought me to places that I would have never found without them! My point of view may be different than the next persons and this is only my experience that I am sharing with you. For me…The Evolve Board was a better fit. If I had more trails near me (Like out in California or Midwest) I would probably be rocking the Onewheel! But where I live has limited terrain and riding, so the Evolve board with All-Terrain wheels was the best fit for me. I do a lot of riding on the street as well, and for me the Evolve board is just a bit more fun on the street, to carve in and out of obstacles and do swerve on and off the sidewalks. You need to get out there, and try all the boards! What are you waiting for for….Get riding

4 thoughts on “Electric Skateboard VS Onewheel – [Ultimate Comparison]”

  1. Ucj appreciation to your article, and so you understand the dilemma? It seems to me at the end of the day there’s always something with this one wheel that puts it in the same category as an eboard I just can’t buy two though so which do I buy first I’ll let you know

    Reply
  2. You forgot to mention turning radius. The OneWheel can turn around within it’s own length. My electric skateboard is nowhere even close to that.

    You also forgot to mention comfort. Even with AT wheels a skateboard cannot compare to the 11″ pneumatic tire the OneWheel has. It just floats over everything and you don’t even notice bumps that would jar your teeth loose on an electric skateboard.

    Reply
    • Hey Zoltan,

      thanks for the comment and your feedback.
      Yes, you are right, we haven’t emphasized these topics thoroughly.
      Your points are valid and true, in terms of turning radius the Onewheel is the clear winner!
      In terms of comfort, the Onewheel also beats the majority of eskates. But some heavy-duty boars, like Lacroix, Kaly or Bajaboards, are due to their weight also very comfortable. You can certainly “float” with these as well.

      Best,
      Daneil

      Reply

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