For the past year, I’ve been alternating between my electric skateboards and onewheel.
Before I bought my Onewheel, I was always curious about how it compared to an electric skateboard.
I’m not gonna make a blanket statement saying one is “better” because it’s all subjective. Instead, I’ll share the differences between each. The goal is to help you get a clearer picture of how both operate so you can make a more educated decision.
Let’s start with the…
Onewheel
Obviously, it’s different from an electric skateboard because it has “one” wheel. Instead of writing a wall of text, I’ll lay out the pros and cons below.
Riding Versatility
I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that the onewheel thrives offroad. You don’t have to worry about the rough pavement. I love how you can go from shredding the pavement to the grass without skipping a beat.
Easy Control
The Onewheel doesn’t need a remote. You control it with your bodyweight via the pad sensors. Once it clicks, it’s very easy to control. So having no remote is really nice. I like to live by the philosophy, that less is more.
Baller Phone App
It’s clear that Onewheel put a ton of resources into developing a baller iPhone & Android App. You can dim the headlights, check the mileage, earn badges, and compete on the leaderboards. It’s the most impressive electric riding app I’ve used.
Wobbly Carving
Most of my childhood was spent on a skateboard/longboard. Why do I bring this up? Well, because I’m familiar with a board that has four wheels. When you go to do deep toe/heelside carves on a Onewheel, it tends to get a little wobbly. The reason is that when you shift your weight to one side, you’re essentially leaning to one side of the tire. Unlike urethane longboard wheels, the side of the tire is rounded, making it more unstable.
Sketchy Dismounts
The hardest part for me was learning how to properly get off of the Onewheel. You can either lift up your front heel or hop off. For a while, I couldn’t figure out how to lift my heel up long enough to turn it off. So, I would always hop off. But it was sort of sketchy because if you don’t jump off with both feet at the same time, the Onewheel could accelerate to one side.
High off the ground
Because Onewheel uses a tire, it sits off the ground much higher compared to an electric skateboard. Sure, this could be seen as a positive for clearance purposes, but the flip side is it’s a long fall to the ground.
Electric Skateboard
Higher Speeds
Most electric skateboards are going to top out at a higher speed than the Onewheel (20mph). If you’re someone who’s all about speed, then the Onewheel probably isn’t the choice for you.
Stable Carving
As I described above in the ‘wobbly carving’ section, the Onewheel can get sketchy when doing deep carves. This is why I prefer riding my electric skateboards on the pavement. Having four urethane wheels making contact with the ground versus one pneumatic tire makes for a more enjoyable deep carving experience.
Remote Control
Again, as I said above in the ‘easy control’ section, holding an extra piece of equipment just to shred isn’t my favorite. I personally love the easiness of having no remote in my hand while riding my Onewheel. I’d consider this a downside of electric skateboards, but you might not mind it.
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My Personal Preference
I grew up riding skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding. So, I prefer something that feels familiar, which (in my opinion) is electric skateboards.
While I love riding my Onewheel for offroad adventures, riding it on the pavement isn’t as fun as electric skateboards.
Everyone has a different riding style, so it all depends on what you want. Hopefully, this article helped you make your decision a little easier.
