This is a ‘how long is a piece of string’ type question – i.e. there is no right or wrong answer just as there is no all-around perfect or an all-around terrible modern EUC. In recent years all electric unicycles in production have certain objectives in mind and are good at something. I will try and break down some of the main differences between them here in an orderly manner.
On the top of the list of things most people look out for in a PEV is range. No one likes to sit around waiting for your wheel to charge up when you’re ready to go so the farther you can go on a single charge the better. Luckily manufacturers have been bringing out wheels with a near unlimited range. Those include wheels with a battery of 1500Wh and larger. Generally, bigger is better she said, but it’s never just about the size. All battery cells are manufactured differently. Furthermore, there is firmware optimisation to take into account.
Other factors affecting range are rider’s weight, angle of attack (climbing a hill), riding style (launch control), travelling speed and air resistance (wind). All those things have a big toll on battery life.
It’s also worth mentioning that a larger battery means a heavier wheel. You need to work out what 90% of your rides are and then get a wheel fit for that purchase. Make sure to add a buffer for longer rides and keep in mind that you may quickly outgrow your wheel if you get a battery that is too small.
The second biggest factor people go for in my experience is the top speed. This does not necessarily mean that they are looking to cruise at 50 miles per hour (though some do). It’s more of a buffer for your peace of mind. Much of the power of the motor is used to keep the wheel upright and balanced. The rest is used for the acceleration, deceleration and max speed. The stronger the motor the faster you can go safer.
Manufacturers also use different buffers, meaning you can get different top speeds with identical setups from different manufacturers. This means that your safety margins are different too. Earlier EUCs could be overpowered by simply over-leaning them. Modern ones have much wider safety margins in place to make over-leaning increasingly difficult. Gotway or Begode are notoriously known for cutting out at speeds through over-leaning because they allow tinkering with the safety margin in the app and people accelerate until they cut out. You can also hit a bump at speed that will create an electrical surge in power and can lead to micro or a full cutout. A micro cutout is when the wheel loses balance for a split second and regains it – you may or may not come off it. A full cutout is when your wheel stops balancing completely and sends you flying off to the ground. If you are Usain Bolt then you may be able to run it off but that largely depends on your speeds. Anyway, deviating from the topic here. Generally speaking the faster the wheel is the bigger the battery will be and the heavier it is.
The third factor is the manoeuvrability, riding dynamics and comfort. Manoeuvrability is largely defined by the diameter and tyre thickness as well as the rider’s skills. Wheels with smaller diameter tyres and thinner thread – 16 inch and under with a 2.5cm thread and lower turn easier than those with larger tyres and thicker threads.
You do get used to your wheel quickly however and you will learn to turn well in no time. I find turning on my Kingsong 18XL or the Inmotion V11 (both 18 inches) just as easy as turning on my Inmotion V8F (16 inches). V11 has high pedals which helps to reduce the turning angle. Going below 16 inches or above 18 inches has no apparent benefit in the city. If you’re a farmer or live in the countryside then you may consider larger diameter wheels but even then when we have larger battery suspension wheels I’d personally just go for that with an 18-inch tyre.
Riding dynamics is how the wheel responds to your commands and comfort is largely its ergonomics and pedal size. While you can adjust some of the dynamics in the apps (softness of pedals for example), this is largely in the FW of your wheel and cannot be changed easily. For E.g. Gotway/Begode wheels are known to go heavy on power with high acceleration and high top speeds. They also eat through the battery and you get less range.
From my experience, Kingsong wheels have the best overall power to range ratio on the market. Inmotions have a good range if you ride them gently and at speeds not exceeding 20km/h. As for the pedal size, it’s best to have those cover your foot fully since you are resting your whole weight on them throughout the entirety of the ride. While you can adjust to anything, it’s still better to try a wheel out before you buy it if you can – e.g. at a ride out.
Second to last factor people look at in a unicycle is its build quality and durability. All wheels come from China right now yet they vary greatly in build quality. It goes something like this Kingsong/Ninebot/Leaperkim/Inmotion/Begode-Gotway among the more known producers, although Ninebot is no longer producing EUCs.
Kingsong wheels arguably have the highest water resistance while Inmotion and Gotway have the lowest in my experience.
Leaperkim have so far released their Sherman that has a rib cage built around it, which makes it the sturdiest EUC on the market, followed closely by Kingsong’s 16s,x and 18XL that I personally had and have the pleasure of owning and those can take quite a tumble.
Inmotion’s V8 has a plastic casing and looks fragile but thanks to its lightweight there is normally little damage done aside from cosmetic cracks to the casing when it’s dropped. I’ve not had any physical damage that would render mine unusable. Overall they are all relatively durable. It’s the water-resistance and poor quality controller that are the main reasons behind failures. Kingsong has been very reliable in this regard.
Last but not list it’s the looks and features of the wheel. Headlight, side LEDs, speakers and the trolley handle. All wheels have a headlight and a trolley handle nowadays (of varying lengths, design and levels of brightness) while LEDs and speakers are an extra. If you are someone who enjoys blasting out music on your rides then you can either look for a wheel with a decent speaker like the Kingsong 16X or the Inmotion V12 or alternatively you can just carry a portable Bluetooth speaker around or even try attaching it to the wheel. When I was in China I saw a lot of various modifications to their wheels to the point where it was hard to recognise what wheel it was. Descent portable speaker attachments were at the top of the list for most people.
Hopefully, the above information will help you choose your first or next wheel wisely and whichever one you go for its countless hours of fun and hopefully years of issue-free ownership, aside from a punctured tyre here and there (either slime, a patch or a wheel disassembly and replacement will resolve it).
