The Razor E100 is the Parents Choice Award for kids electric scooters. Sometimes it seems like there’s an arms race to release the fastest, most rugged, most powerful e-scooter on the planet. Each week, I get pitches on scooters that can hit top speeds of 30, 40, even 50 mph, with jumbo battery packs and dual motors to boot. But it’s also the case that many of these high-powered two-wheelers retail for well over $1,000. That’s more than most people are probably willing to spend on an electric scooter.
The front brake was a simple caliper, similar to that on bicycles. Under the deck, the specifications noted that there were two lead-acid batteries. The E100’s motor turns the rear wheel with a chain drive. Lead-acid batteries, the same type used for decades to power starter motors in cars, seemed a little primitive to me in this era, when lithium-ion appears in most electronics. The E100 lacked much of anything beyond its brake, accelerator and kickstand.
For an electric scooter with this price tag, you’d expect more, to be honest. It seems to be a common theme with Razor that most of their scooters have a low range. On April Fools’ Day, 2022, we published an article about Segway’s new 43 MPH scooter, which despite everything odd about that pairing was not an April Fools’ joke.
Segway’s Ninebot Kickscooter ES1L, for example, costs $489 and has a top speed of 12MPH. The handlebars attach to the frame with a clamp that requires two screws, and an allen wrench to tighten them is included. You’ll also need to connect two wires for the accelerator and brake, a process that was extremely intuitive. All together, it took me under 5 minutes to assemble the scooter.
Look for a headlight that shows the way ahead and a brake light that illuminates when the brakes are applied. The scooter can accelerate suddenly while in use, causing the rider to lose control. The lithium-ion battery packs in the self-balancing scooters/hoverboards can overheat, posing a risk of smoking, catching fire and/or exploding. The e-scooter’s handlebar grips can loosen or crack, posing fall and injury hazards. The lithium-ion battery packs in the self-balancing scooters/hoverboards can overheat, posing a fire hazard.
I didn’t feel any of that anxiety when hopping on the E Prime III. As a proud adult owner and active rider of Razor’s regular kick-scooters, it all felt very familiar. I felt almost as safe on the E Prime III as I do razor electric scooter riding the kick scooter. At 24.2 pounds, its aluminum body is light enough that I could (if I needed to) toss it aside if I were in any real danger. I was able to lift the E Prime III up and over curbs with ease.