Buying a Hoverboard? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

ONE OF THIS year’s hottest gifts is the hoverboard, also known as the less enticing but more accurate name of an “electric hands-free scooter.” If you’re brave enough to try to grab one of these elusive people-movers, then you probably have a few pre-shopping questions. We have answers.

Where Can I Buy One?

It’s already this late in the year and you want to buy one now? It’s not impossible, but it won’t be easy. Quite a few major retailers are sold out already or don’t want to stock them at all (liability issues are too real)—so getting one before the holidays is going to be a challenge. Going directly to one of the manufacturer’s websites is your best bet (some links below), or set up an Amazon alert for one of the better-known brands. Sure, a search for “hoverboard” on Amazon brings up a lot of options, but a lot of these are knock-offs that are going to break, or worse. 

How Much Is it Going to Cost?

One way to tell if your board is any good is cost. Under $300? You probably want to back away quickly. Some of the best-reviewed boards are upwards of $1,000, though some of those without celebrity reputations attached can be bought for between $500-$900. TL;DR: There really isn’t a standard price yet, but you should budget to spend at least $500.

Which Ones Are the Safest?

A better question to ask might be, “Which hoverboard won’t explode and kill me, resulting in a death so embarrassing it sounds like an Onion headline?” Fantastic and wise query. There have been a few reports about cheap version of the devices being sold with low quality battery packs that overheat. And then, you know, explode. Unfortunately, these reports have all declined to name names—but most information suggests that units coming directly from China are the culprits. But, um, that’s a lot of them. A good bet is to opt for one of the popular brand names: PhunkeeDunk, Hovertrax, IO Hawk, Ninebot, pleasedin,and Swagway are all (relatively) big names in this market.