Razor Hovertrax 2.0 Review

The Hovertrax 2.0 is manufactured by the well known Razor company which has been making scooters for nearly two decades. Unfortunately, our testers found this board to be overly sensitive and unpredictable.

Performance Comparison

We buy all the hoverboards we test and run them through a standardized analysis of customer support, battery life, fun factor, and outdoor capabilities. The results of our analyses are quantifiable and reproducible. We make such painstaking efforts so that we can draw direct comparisons for one product to another and know that those comparisons are proportional.

Fun Factor

In this metric we analyze the factors that contribute to a board being fun. These are maneuverability, speed, color options, accessories, and weight. The Hovertrax cratered in this metric.

Our panel of riders rode this board through an obstacle course consisting of quick direction changes, a slalom, donuts, and a straightaway. They reported that this board is jerky and overly sensitive. The Hovertrax also left much to be desired in the power department. This shortcoming became evident when executing the mandatory back and forth maneuver as the lack of pick up in the motors would occasionally cause the rider to dismount the board rapidly.

However, the board is available in five colors and easily fits into a third-party carrying cases. Cool! We clocked the Hovertrax at 8.9 mph, which surpassed the manufacturer's advertised max of 6 mph — that doesn't happen very often. However, we wouldn't recommend pushing this board to the max as if felt pretty unstable at that speed.

Outdoor Capabilities

The Hovertrax's lackluster performance continued in our outdoor capabilities tests. Our board broke during this phase of the analysis, and the company issued a replacement (we gave them points of that in the support metric). In this metric we test how these boards handle rough roads and off-pavement terrain. The Razor broke when passing over a crack in the street, thus proving that it does not fare well off flat, smooth surfaces.

Support

Support provided to the customer by the manufacturer is paramount for hoverboards. Case in point, our board's untimely demise during a routine test. As such, it is mandatory that the hoverboard manufacturer be relatively easy to contact and that they standby their product. Often this is as simple as providing knowledgeable, technical advice. Less common is the need for repair or replacement. The Razor delivered an above-average performance in this metric, though we wouldn't describe it as stellar.

While Razor did replace our board, we didn't have the best experience communicating with their support staff. However, we did get to talk to a human, which is more than we can say about some other companies. One may also make contact with Razor via email if they so desire. Finally, this board is sold with a 90-day limited warranty.

Battery

Hoverboards are not ridable when their batteries die. As such we test them for their run time, travel radius, and recharge time. This model only traveled 3.4 miles in our range test. This test is run on smooth, flat pavement, i.e., ideal surface conditions for a hoverboard. Making matters worse, the Hovertrax only lasted for 69 minutes in our obstacle course run time test.

Lastly, we recorded the time it takes for the battery to recharge after being thoroughly exhausted. This product took 160 minutes to charge, which is about average for the class.

Value

The Hovertrax 2.0 has several problems that, until resolved, will make it a poor value at any price.

Conclusion

In closing, we would like to say that we were pleased that Razor stood by their product throughout the warranty process. The staff was as helpful as they knew how to be and polite as well. However, our experience with the product itself was abysmal. Not simply a poor performer, this board failed to complete several of our tests. Moreover, it is the only board that testers refused to ride more than once because it made them feel uneasy. If you are looking for a hoverboard, any other board in this review will do better the Hovertrax.