Recently among the incoming packages, we found a box that was large, decently heavy and that said Razor on the label. As soon as the latter was seen, the evil stare of “outside!” was once again shared by a few in power, and within minutes it was unpacked and making its way through the various steps that got us closer to doing just that.
It was Razor’s latest version of their Flagship electric scooter, the Razor E Prime Air. Similar to the E Prime that we tested earlier in the year, only with a few welcomed improvements. One of which, was that the front tire is now pneumatic (win!).
As I said, it (left) is quite similar in the way that almost everything about it, matches the previous model (right). This one came with a new color theme, featuring an all-black design (the other one was black and silver). The handlebars are the same, as is the downtube (outside of less rattle from the push-pin).
It charges the same as the previous E Prime, has the same kickstand on the bottom, and features the same acceleration and brake controls.
The left side features a paddle control for engaging the electric brakes with. For the most part, it is all or none, with a soft braking motion (doesn’t seem to be variable). The right side features a variable control for speed. The further you push it down, the faster you go.
The back tire features a brake that you can engage by pressing down on the rear fender with your foot. Unlike the brake on the handlebar, this one delivers a swift braking motion to help bring you to a stop quickly. Needless to stay, this is still our preferred way of stopping as it gives you much better control. Where the paddle on the handlebar takes too long to stop–typically for safety reasons since stepping down on the back brake puts your body in a position where it is prepared to stop. The handlebar, not so much.
That rear tire is still solid (rubber), however, this is more than likely due to the rear brake when it comes to the longevity of the tire. The brake is very effective, which could easily eat away at an inflated tire.
Focus on that front tire though.
A pneumatic tire! Something that not only looks more beast than the previous model but plays a major roll in the comfort of the ride.
Although it isn’t going to give you the same ride as a comfortable car that has all inflated tires, the difference is more than noticeable. Enough to say that the ride is around half as noisy when it comes to vibrations that pass through to the board and handlebar. Most of your impact is coming from that tire, where the rear tire probably counts for 25-35% of what you feel.
It’s like slapping a silencer on a rifle, and it does wonders when it comes to longer rides. Sidewalks and similar surfaces are much nicer, and your hands won’t go numb as quickly from it all. Of course, if you ride on a terrible surface (ie, a beat-up street that hasn’t been resurfaced in years), you will still get a good amount of vibration. This would be the same with any form of mobility, including skateboards or rollerblades. Only, in the end, this feels much more comfortable than any of that. All thanks to that tire!
Of course, it would be quite comfortable if the rear tire was also pneumatic, but chances are, you’d be replacing it sooner than you want if you like to lay down on the rear fender brake as we do.
The air stem is a bit difficult to fully get to. Just trying to unscrew the cap requires a little patience. It’s a tight space and a small tire, so it’s not like this comes at a surprise if they wanted a standard style stem, allowing you to use any normal pump lying around. It’s smart to use something like a small screwdriver to slide under the stem to gently aim the tip of the stem outward a little.
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You’re to fill it to 60 PSI (and recommended to keep it there in order to get the most out of each charge, like MPG on a vehicle) using a standard pump or compressor (making sure to not move too fast), and that tire is ready for fun.
Turning the scooter on and off involves the same process of holding down the power button for a few seconds. It is located in the same area, right in the front (your legs are facing it when standing on the scooter). There are five LEDs above the power button that represents your current charge.
It takes a number of hours to charge like most electric devices of its size. With a full charge, it gets you up to 40 minutes of continuous use. Which depends on how hard you push it throughout your use. It’s enough to get you as far if not even further than the regular E Prime model. There is nothing like better battery life.
So this is perfect for students trying to get around a large college campus.
It also supports a large rider weight, with a 200lb max (vs the 176lb max of the previous E Prime), increasing the niche for potential consumers. Of course, max doesn’t always mean that it won’t work beyond that. It just means it won’t go as fast.
Its ability to fold in half for easier travel (when not in use) is all the same, including the exact method of closing or opening it. You have a knob at foot level that loosens and then slides upwards to unlock it, where you can then open it. The handlebar has a clamp than loosens, and then it can slide up fully until it clicks into place with the small pin that pops through the hole.
You can adjust the height by ignoring that small pin (it’s a safety for just the one height) and sliding it to wherever you need it, and simply tightening the clamp to make sure they don’t slide on you.
There is nothing else to the process.
As for engaging the motor, it is also the same where you have to manually kick off and be moving at a minimum of 3 MPH before the motor will engage and take off. This prevents the scooter from kicking off and out of your hands if you accidentally push down on the paddle when not ready to move.
There is some weight to it, so you won’t be carrying it around folded everywhere you go. This is more for storing it in the trunk of a car or inside when not in use. When it comes to situations where you have drained the battery dry, you can simply kick it around like a normal scooter to get to where you need to go (oh darn, a fun physical workout!). If you are carrying it folded in your hand in a situation where you can just as easily ride it, you might get a few odd looks. So don’t let the weight of it chase you off.
Our Conclusion
We absolutely love this scooter. It seems to keep a better charge, getting you a little further than before, and a very durable build. It can hold a larger max weight, which is great for the number of models sold I’m sure)–and thanks to that larger weight capacity, you might even be able to get a little more speed out of it depending on where you land on the scale (weight). Just like the previous E Prime, this scooter really can haul. It offers a fast, smooth ride, and its all thanks to that wonderful pneumatic tire on the front that takes a lot of the vibration out of the board and handlebar. The rear brake is the best when it comes to solid control and fast response, and it the board gives enough space for an average user’s two feet to exist without accidentally stepping on that brake. It’s a bit heavy, but they are all heavy (electric scooters). If you want to really see a heavy scooter, check out some of those rentals that might be hanging around your downtown streets (major cities). So this one is not bad. The price is still quite high for the average consumer. This will more than likely remain that way until there is enough competition and the scooters are more common. Although, we don’t see the price coming down too much in the future either (maybe $100 at most).
So far, this is one of the best electric scooters we have tried yet outside of a larger, more powerful model they have, which is the E-XR. Which may actually be our overall favorite, based on limited experience we had with it earlier this year (if we get a chance to ever put it to a full test, we’ll be sure to let you know).
| Buy from Amazon | |
Our Rating | Average Price* $419.99 |
*Average price is based on the time this article was published
Video:
Unboxing:
CES 2019 Interview:
Additional Images:
Specifications:
- Distance: Up to 7.5 miles (12 km) on a single charge
- Speed: Up to 15 mph (24 km/h)
- Run Time: Up to 40 minutes of continuous use
- Motor: Kick-to-start, high-torque, brushless, hub-driven
- Throttle: Thumb-activated, variable-speed, paddle controlled
- Brake: Thumb-activated paddle and rear-fender controlled
- Frame: Aluminum
- Fork: Steel with plastic fender
- Grips: Prism-shaped design, molded in soft rubber
- Downtube: Aluminum, featuring patent-pending anti-rattle folding mechanism
- Clamp: Double-stacked
- Deck: Length 16.75” (425 mm), width 5.5” (140 mm)
- Front Tire: 8” (200 mm), pneumatic
- Rear Tire: 8” (200 mm), abrasion-resistant, airless, flat-free
- Handlebars: Adjustable-height
- Kickstand: Retractable
- Battery: 36V lithium-ion pack, rechargeable (UL2271)
- Includes: 5-stage LED battery indicator display and battery charger
- Age: 14+
- Max Rider Weight: 200 lb (91 kg)
- Color: Black
- Some Assembly Required
- Assembled Product Dimensions: 40.08” (101.8 cm) x 18.19” (46.2 cm) x 41.54” (105.5 cm)
- Product Weight: 21.78 lb (9.9 kg)
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