By: Paxson Lim
Today we will be reviewing the Uditer W3, a mid-tier electric skateboard that’s $549 after discount.
First of all, Uditer who?
Uditer is yet another new electric skateboard brand from Guang Dong China, and there are good and bad things that come with being the first customer of a new brand, especially in the electric skateboard world.
The bad thing is the lack of reviews. You never know how good or how bad their customer service is after your purchase.
On the upside, new brands always try harder at the beginning. They also often provide a cheaper version to weaken competitors from established brands.
With that said, when Uditer reached out to us last April to review one of their recent and innovative products, the Uditer W3, we were pretty intrigued!
The scooterboard concept
Uditer invented this concept which they coined “scooterboard,” for the W3.
Uditer W3 is an electric skateboard that allows a handlebar to be installed, transforming it into a pseudo-electric scooter.
I’m sure we’re thinking about the same thing—this would either be a wonderful product or more likely, a dumb gimmick that serves no real purpose.
And you guessed it right, it is the latter.
Imagine holding a remote on hand while also holding on to the handlebar, since the handlebar has no throttle control installed in it.
When turning, you’ll need to push the handlebar sidewards. It doesn’t work like a bicycle or a scooter where you twist it to the side to be able to turn.
If you think these already suck, let me remind you that the handlebar costs $100. Well, it’s a really high-quality handlebar but for all I care, it could be made out of vibranium and it wouldn’t help with the riding experience at all.
The handlebar might help a beginner feel more stable on this electric skateboard, but we’re being generous with that remark. For us, the handlebar is more of a mental crutch than providing any benefit in stability.
So yes, the scooterboard idea is a failure but remember, the Uditer W3 can be a $549 electric skateboard.
The Uditer W3, as a typical electric skateboard, deserves much of your attention.
As usual, let’s run through the specs.
Build and specs
- Board name: Uditer W3
- Deck Length x Width (inch and cm):38inch*9inch(96.5cm*22.8cm)
- Motors: 500W dual hub motors
- Wattage: (eg:2 x 450W):2 x 500W
- ESC type (LingYi/ Customize/ VESC/ Others) :LingYi
- Wheel: PU; 90mm*52mm; 78A Durometer
- Battery Type: 10S3P 2600mah 8C BYD/Changhong, 328Wh
- Marketed Top Speed in mph & kmh: 28mph/45KMH
- Marketed Range in miles & km: 20-25 miles/35-40KM (Depend on riding style, weight, terrain, and weather. Can be double even triple range if the customer buy extra batteries)
- Charging time: 3.5-4H
- Weight in lbs and kg: 21.6lbs/9.8KG
- Warranty Duration: 6 months (180days)
- Price: $549
Uditer W3’s board has a pretty badass diamond design that’s made of bamboo and fiberglass.
The combination of bamboo and fiberglass creates a flexible deck. Uditer W3’s board has no concave and is flat without any camber or rocker.
For the electronic speed controller, Uditer W3 uses 10s LingYi ESC with a push-to-turn-on feature, which we always welcome with loving arms.
LingYi ESC also has your typical 4 acceleration modes and 4 brake modes that are independent of each other. Smooth acceleration will never be a problem with Uditer W3. You can expect a buttery smooth speed control.
It also comes with the typical LingYi ESC remote with telemetry on it. This remote is comfortable in hand, doesn’t disconnect, and is 100% functional.
For the motors, Uditer W3 uses 500W dual hub motors which aren’t massively powerful but won’t disappoint, either. We were able to get its marketed top speed of 28 mph or 45 kph. Pretty cool!
What we weren’t able to achieve was its marketed range. Uditer W3 uses 10S3P swappable batteries with 7.8 Amp-hours or 328-watt hours. The marketed range is 20-25 miles or 35-40 km but we were only able to get 13 miles or 21km with a 198 lbs or 90 kg ride on a high-speed mode.
When it comes to maneuvering the board, the carving is decent with Uditer W3’s generic RKP trucks. There is no information on the bushing type because the trucks are factory-made. Still, the board’s stability and rebound to the center are fairly good.
Lastly, Uditer W3’s wheels are the generic 90mm 78A soft and durable PU wheels.
Given these features, will this eskate give a good riding experience?
Let’s find out.
Riding experience
The ride is tolerably effortless. The deck’s flex helped absorb the road vibrations well.
Even though the trucks on the W3 are unfamiliar, they are fine and configured perfectly right off the box.
The ride is carvy, but still stable at all speed modes. It’s as good as most unbranded trucks.
When it comes to speed control, W3 is smooth on both acceleration and braking.
The basis of comparison obviously comes from the recent 12s Hobbywing ESC that is found on many mid-tier eskates right now. If you don’t already know, Hobbywing ESC is the current gold standard when it comes to speed control.
Next, we tested the Uditer W3 on different types of roads. It comes as no surprise that the W3 is nice to cruise around smooth pavements but like all hub boards, riding on rough roads can be quite uncomfortable… It’s a good thing that the road vibrations were cushioned by the flexi-deck.
When it comes to torque, Uditer W3’s two 500W hub motors did just fine. Going uphill is fairly comfortable.
Now that we know the specs and the ride experience of the Uditer W3, here comes the verdict.
Well, if you live in a country with a backward law (cough, Germany) that dictates all personal electric vehicles have to have a handlebar, then buying Uditer W3 the scooterboard might be your second best option, right after the first option of moving to another country.
What about Uditer W3, the regular midtier $549 electric skateboard, though?
Well, it depends.
If product polish and brand name aren’t as important for you, getting the Uditer W3 over Meepo V3 ER might be the right choice. You can see Uditer W3 as a low-cost Meepo V3 ER ($599) that rocks a bigger battery of (328 wh vs 288-watt hours).
For a pricier Lycaon GR ($459), you can consider the Uditer W3 as a version where you pay extra for a hot-swappable battery and a slightly stronger motor.
Either way, while Uditer W3 might become a meme for the scooterboard it tries to be, just look past the handlebar and Uditer W3 can be a worthy eskate for someone who is looking for a lot of range for an affordable price.
Ride safe guys!
