OnlyOne Board Reviews: Best cheap electric skateboard In 2019

For over 5 months through a thorough system of rating metrics, the Onlyone O-3 finally takes home our Editors’ Choice Award for the best cheap electric skateboard.

At under $600, we haven’t found any better options than this in terms of not only the affordability but also speed, mile range, user-friendly construction, and stable performance. A stellar model to surely give you the best experience of this game.

In this article, we will share our intensive test results of not only the O-3 but also the comparison with other similar products. If you’re interested in this little bad boy, keep reading!

Compared to Similar Products

Hands-On-Review of the Onlyone O-3

The Onlyone O-3 is the highest scoring electric skateboard and the winner of our Editors’ Choice Award. It leaves a strong impression on almost testers of our team about its stability to ride, quite rolling performance, and extended cruising mileage.

Typically, cheap electric skateboards must sacrifice in one of such criteria to just focus on others but we’re glad that the O-3 isn’t the one.

It’s also fast enough to be a versatile option for local transportations. Even when the batteries are out of juice, you can push it like an ordinary skateboard as its wheels aren’t driven by belts but by brushless hub motors.

Our Test Results

Durability

This contender is one of the most durable electric skateboards that we have ever tested.

Deck

First of all, its 8-ply Canadian maple deck offers a decent strength than that is made of fewer pliers or combining with bamboo.

In our intensive comparison, it’s just inferior to the Teamgee H5 but when tested in reality, it strikes back with a better compromise of flex and stiffness, hence, giving better stability.

The strength of Onlyone O-3 is also reflected through the max load it offers, which is up to 330 pounds while other competitors just stop at a maximum of 286 pounds. According to this impressive indicator, the electric skateboard is perfect for even big and tall riders though (of course) the speed and maximum climb angle will be lower.

All of our testers also preferred the Onlyone’s good holding-up over other models. Even after several bumps and drops or other harsh abuses, there’re no signs of the peeled-off wood-ply deck or component loss.

It’s just the printing gets faded from time to time, which is an inevitable thing.

Wheels

While the weight capacity was a differentiator and outstanding feature of the Onlyone, we found that the Koowheel gained a bit lead over in terms of wheel performance.

In detail, Onlyone wheels show quick wears and tears just after 4 months of daily skating while its competitor still lasts up to now. At the same result of longevity, is the SKATEBOLT but its unreplaceable wheels distracted from the durability score.

Why? – You might ask.

Well, just imagine if their wheels got broken or damaged, what else could you do better than buying a whole new skateboard?

For that reason, I’m glad that Onlyone wheels are replaceable. Plus, the manufacturer does sell separately accessories and the price can’t be cheaper. So, you can easily swap them.

Bonus:

Out of two major features above, we also found that only the Onlyone had been strictly waterproofed prior to leaving the factory and it was proved from our intensive tests. Under light rains or riding over small splash, the board held up well.

That’s why we decided to give it one bonus in durability scores.

Stability

Wheel Measurements

80% of the options in our comparison are constructed with 90mm wheels and this is a good number for e-skateboard to keep the balance under high speeds or simply, push if they want it to.

The Koowheel Electric Skateboard features bigger wheels – 97 x 52 mm.

But due to some testers who are also beginners, they don’t like such dimensions because it’s too far from the ground for their taste, leading to some difficulty to keep balance.

Deck Width & Stiffness

Compared to other counterparts, the Onlyone comes up with 0.5 to 1.5 inches wider for riders (especially big feet) to get a better stance.

The deck shape, on the other hand, has a slight convex which is the most favorite of our professional downhill and slalom testers. This type of deck isn’t quite common despite its huge advantages of more natural foot placement so, real skaters really appreciate that.

In terms of the deck stiffness, the Onlyone is ranked somewhere in between.

The stiffest deck in this list is Teamgee H5 with the 10-ply maple plus 1-ply fiberglass while the most flex is BLITZART with two extra plies of bamboo in its deck. The ease of riding feel is a preference issue and mostly depends on the rider’s skills.

For beginner testers, they preferred something more flexible and conversely, pro skaters loved choosing a stiff one to give them more stability when riding downhill or at the fastest mode.

With that said, many testers in our team chose the Onlyone because of its versatility. It’s not struggling for novice riders to start with while the natural foot placement encourages their riding skills to the next level.

In other words, the stiffness of Onlyone can meet nicely any riders’ needs.

Performance

User-Friendly Features

Aside from the versatile deck design, the Onlyone features some other user-friendly components. Such as the drop-through deck shape that allows the skateboard to ride ever-so-slightly low, leading to more center of gravity.

This vital feature leaves no difficulties for novice riders to start their first step to get into this interest in outdoor activity. And, combining with 90mm wheels, the board rides impressively well.

Another worth-mentioning feature is the 3-speed riding modes, including:

And it’s the only electric skateboard offering such that many settings (other counterparts just provide two) that we expect it will be the safest choice for everyone.

Besides, there are two kinds of batteries provided – the 2.10S4P and the 1.10S3P orderly giving a maximum cruising range of 20 miles and 17 miles.

We also checked how responsive of all buttons on the remote control of each e-skateboard because of the fact that it moves with the remote. Its responsiveness will make or break a rider’s performance as well as decide their safety.

Due to Onlyone’s claim, the remote control of O-3 can work responsively within 14 meters of diameter, which is strongly impressive. And during our personal tests, even not facing toward the board, all buttons on the remote control did respond quickly.

While other models just deliver the max control distance of 10-11 meters, it’s obvious that the one from Onlyone gets the highest scores.

75% of our testers also commended for its “palm-friendly” silhouette that they could easily grasp and hold the remote with good grip while the SKATEBOLT’s are too small to hand. Or, the Koowheel’s was a bit bulky to put in their pockets when not in use.

Noise Level

This is one of our biggest concerns when testing out all five electric skateboards because rattling or whirring sound distracts the rider a lot from enjoying their rides. And we bet you don’t like it either, do you?

Due to the testing results, the Onlyone is one of the quietest models, even at the highest speed mode.

On the contrary, the Koowheel’s started squeaking after a week of use and Teamgee’s made noise when cutting tight corners.

Speed, Charge Time, & Others

Based on the previous comparison table, you can easily see that the O-3 is ranked in the Top 3 of fastest e-skateboards, at 24 MPH (or Miles Per Hour).

But what’s worthier to mention here is the longest mile range, up to 30 miles on a single charge, while other competitors are just 25 miles as maximum.

For that relatively impressive performance, we believe this will be an ideal option for daily commute from/to work.

Even if you forget to charge it on the night before, just do it when waking up or arriving at the office because the charge time only takes 2 hours.

While this indicator beats off all the top-rated e-skateboards in our previous list, it’s one out of three models with the fastest charge time record. Two others are the SKATEBOLT Electric Skateboard and the Teamgee H5.

Out of the bunch, we also checked the incline grade of each model. You can say it – this is a decisive feature for how powerful the board’s motor. If you intend to use the e-skateboard outdoors, like for commuting or racing with friends, this is an essential element.

Accordingly, our testers rode their electric skateboard over different hills and again, the Only O-3 was the winner in this aspect with 30 degrees of maximum climbing angle. The others just stop at 25 degrees. Such an unbeatable indicator!

Portability

To determine how portable an electric skateboard, our tests depended on two majorities: Weight & Built-in Handles.

With the Onlyone O-3, it’s around 17.8 pounds – the second heaviest models out of five. But it strikes back with a built-in handle on the right that an adult rider can easily lift up and carry around.

The 9.5-inch width is also perfect to strap on your skateboard backpack to keep hands free when you need to bring other stuff.

The Final Scores

Strengths & Weaknesses

You’ve just gone through our test results and we think it’s time to brief up all the highlights. Does it make sense?

Pros

• Three-speed riding modes to be user-friendly for all-skill riders while ensuring their safety
• Slightly convex deck with extended width for better stance and more natural foot placement, leading to easier learning and better control
• Decently responsive remote control (up to 14 meters) with grippy design to use easily
• Quite rolling
• Deliver the furthest mile distance on each single charge

Cons

• A bit heavy compared to other counterparts in this list, which makes women or teenagers feel harder to carry around
• Wheels are quick to wear off, which means you have to swap them after every 3-4 months of use

Who should pick it?

Due to the phenomenal performance of the Only O-3, I’d like to highly recommend it to people who:

• Want to take a step on your daily commute from/to work
• Look for a new electric skateboard with a stylish look, fast speeds, durable build, and easy to ride,
• Have a tight budget but still want a high-quality e-skateboard to serve their daily commute
• At any riding-skill levels due to the versatile deck design and variable riding modes

Now, how about maintenance?

“Easy peasy” – We would say!

The OnlyOne O-3 set includes:

• 1 x electric skateboard
• 1 x Adapter and charger
• 1 x remote wireless control
• 1 x T wrench tools for routine maintenance

You don’t need to buy a T wrench tool separately, which saves time and efforts a lot.

It’s designed to specifically to some components to uninstall and do the replacements or swapping batteries or simply, do the cleaning.

Some final notes

Truth to say, I love how honest and trustful of the manufacturer when listing their products.

ü  Accordingly, they said that the waterproof grade of the circuit boards will be reduced after times of usage, swapping batteries, and maintenance even though after 5-month use, rarely of our testers notice that issue.

ü  They also advise riders not to ride the board on icy or wet roads to stay away from potential dangers causing a loss of control or traction.

ü  When not using the remote control, remember to turn it off to avoid accidents or injuries.

ü  Each Onlyone O-3 Electric Skateboard will be backed by a 3-month warranty provided by the manufacturer. You can learn more here. Actually, we doubted this issue while considering buying it, however, we’re glad that we were wrong. The customer service is really wonderful and helpful.

ü  Onlyone is a Chinese company which means if you place an order from the United States or Europe, it takes time. Usually 8-10 working days to the US and 12-14 days to Europe. If you intend to bring it along with a vacation or an outdoor activity, it’d better order as soon as possible.

Conclusion

We are completely impressed with this electric skateboard even though this is the very first time it has won our Editors’ Choice Award.

The perfect balance of cheap price and powerful cruising performance all the while boasting the most durable build of any models we tested. I highly recommend it to any riders looking for the best cheap electric skateboard on the market.