lqwertyd Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 Hey Y'all-- Newbie here and I'm hoping I might be able to get some feedback. I just picked up a brand new Solowheel 3 (I actually ordered a V8, but they sent a Solowheel). Stepped on, and then stepped off. The thing tipped over (not hard) and the shell cracked immediately creating a large stalagmite like wedge sticking straight out of the unit. I was shocked. Everyone talks about how sturdy these things are (my other one has taken a beating). Has anyone had similar experiences? Also, any experience with customer support from Solowheel? Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tessa25 Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 Mine cracked on day 5. I had the protective cover and some padding on at the time. I bought a new side panel from ewheels. I padded it more when I put on the new panel. I've done another 5 days since and so far so good. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoother Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 14 hours ago, lqwertyd said: Hey Y'all-- Newbie here and I'm hoping I might be able to get some feedback. I just picked up a brand new Solowheel 3 (I actually ordered a V8, but they sent a Solowheel). Stepped on, and then stepped off. The thing tipped over (not hard) and the shell cracked immediately creating a large stalagmite like wedge sticking straight out of the unit. I was shocked. Everyone talks about how sturdy these things are (my other one has taken a beating). Has anyone had similar experiences? Also, any experience with customer support from Solowheel? Thanks! Well that blows. That should definitely not have happened in a fall like you described. Do you, for warranty purposes, have video of the event? You next course of action is to contact them, tell them what happened and ask them what they are prepared to do about it. A screen shot of the App showing total miles will help a bit, but that doesn't prove that you didn't throw it off a building for instance (which adds no miles). My King Songs have been through a lot worse than that, and while some of the screws don't screw into anything anymore, they are still functional and essentially unbroken. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lqwertyd Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Interesting. I also noticed that there's a distinct wobble in the thing. Turns out it's the exact problem mentioned in this video. Maybe quality is suffering with scale? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 (edited) Usually the shells can take quite a beating without cracking, if something breaks, it's the "stands" for screws, if there are such. Or if cracks develop, they're not usually anywhere that long and near the sharp edges, at least from what I've seen. I wonder what material Inmotion/Solowheel uses, I don't know much about plastics, but most wheels seem they're something like ABS, which (by my experience) usually bends rather than breaks, up to a point... Edited March 22, 2019 by esaj 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanCar Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Can you return that lemon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sacristan Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Sorry to hear about that crack. Being the anxious person that I am I would have taken it quite badly. This is the first time i've read of a solowheel or glide 3 cracking like that. Like others have suggested you should contact the vendor. You have used the wheel as intended and definitely not in an extreme way. Let us know how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblade Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 (edited) Makes me want to pad mine up more. I bought the cover for mine after dropping mine once on a low-speed tip over while learning to ride. it just scuffed it up. I haven't had any harder or higher speed drops yet, with or without the cover on. I asked on here since noticing a lot of people on here add padding, and they use something similar to this for extra protection: KOOLDOO 15.7ft Multi-Purpose Extra Wide Edge and Corner Guard Sharp Edges Coverage Child Safety Proofing (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CQT344B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_uCQLCb27NNY8C Not pretty but looks like it would work well for protection. Edited March 23, 2019 by Blueblade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scatcat Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 On 3/22/2019 at 9:23 PM, esaj said: Usually the shells can take quite a beating without cracking, if something breaks, it's the "stands" for screws, if there are such. Or if cracks develop, they're not usually anywhere that long and near the sharp edges, at least from what I've seen. I wonder what material Inmotion/Solowheel uses, I don't know much about plastics, but most wheels seem they're something like ABS, which (by my experience) usually bends rather than breaks, up to a point... I though most shells were made with PC? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unventor Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 On 3/22/2019 at 9:23 PM, esaj said: Usually the shells can take quite a beating without cracking, if something breaks, it's the "stands" for screws, if there are such. Or if cracks develop, they're not usually anywhere that long and near the sharp edges, at least from what I've seen. I wonder what material Inmotion/Solowheel uses, I don't know much about plastics, but most wheels seem they're something like ABS, which (by my experience) usually bends rather than breaks, up to a point... I don't know the term but with skillful applying aceton you can temporary soften the plastic and when it "dries up" the plastiv will have glued or welded bavk together. This workd on Inmotion V8, as for other brand / models I do not know. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoother Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 13 minutes ago, Unventor said: I don't know the term but with skillful applying aceton you can temporary soften the plastic and when it "dries up" the plastiv will have glued or welded bavk together. This workd on Inmotion V8, as for other brand / models I do not know. "plastic welding" If this particular plastic responds to that solvent. It's a good method. Best applied via hyperdermic needle, from the inside surface of the shell, to get into the crack via capillary action, without smearing all over the surface (not such a big deal if applying on the inside surface - unseen in normal use) 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblade Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 That's a good trick to know, @Smoother. I wonder if how well E6000 glue would work too, even if to just reinforce the back side of the crack with a thin layer after repairing in the manner you describe. This stuff seems to work really well for RC applications, like to repair/reinforce lexan bodies, and some of the non structural parts like plastic bumpers etc. It adheres well, and more importantly it is somewhat flexible, so joints tend to bend rather than rebreak when stressed/impacted. It comes in both black and clear too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 I was aware of using acetone for welding plastics, I've fixed my Firewheel shells with that in the past, was just wondering whether InMotion/Solowheel use some other material than most wheels, as usually it takes quite a violent crash to crack the shells, not just falling over. My FW shutdown on me on a downhill, due to BMSs cutting power on overcharge (wrong type of BMSs), it went tumbling over downhill for a good 10-20 meters gaining speed before hitting a cornerstone and flying into some bushes. The outside of the shell itself didn't crack, but some plastic "studs", to which the screws connect inside the shell, broke. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoother Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) On 3/25/2019 at 1:20 PM, Blueblade said: That's a good trick to know, @Smoother. I wonder if how well E6000 glue would work too, even if to just reinforce the back side of the crack with a thin layer after repairing in the manner you describe. This stuff seems to work really well for RC applications, like to repair/reinforce lexan bodies, and some of the non structural parts like plastic bumpers etc. It adheres well, and more importantly it is somewhat flexible, so joints tend to bend rather than rebreak when stressed/impacted. It comes in both black and clear too. Yep, the back side is fair game for any reinforcement that works, as long as it doesn't take up room that something else is using. The problem still remains of the egg shell like consistency of this particular shell. How often can one patch it up before it becomes more patch than shell? PS OP hasn't visited since Friday PM (as of) so we're just talking amongst ourselves....AGAIN! Edited March 28, 2019 by Smoother 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Smoother Posted March 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, esaj said: I was aware of using acetone for welding plastics, I've fixed my Firewheel shells with that in the past, was just wondering whether InMotion/Solowheel use some other material than most wheels, as usually it takes quite a violent crash to crack the shells, not just falling over. My FW shutdown on me on a downhill, due to BMSs cutting power on overcharge (wrong type of BMSs), it went tumbling over downhill for a good 10-20 meters gaining speed before hitting a cornerstone and flying into some bushes. The outside of the shell itself didn't crack, but some plastic "studs", to which the screws connect inside the shell, broke. Yes, the solvent has to match the plastic. I'm no plastics expert. I discovered this practice in the 1980's. I was selling high end Hi Fi at the time and some guys nearby were making their own turntables, which were very expensive (Pink Triangle was the company name) On a "factory" visit they showed me how they made their perspex lids (I think it was perspex) and a solvent (acetone) applied via hypodermic at all the joints. It made a solid, if boxy, lid, as seen here: Edited March 25, 2019 by Smoother 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lqwertyd Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 Thanks for all the helpful hints! What a great community. Still waiting to hear back from InMotion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) On 3/22/2019 at 9:23 PM, esaj said: Usually the shells can take quite a beating without cracking, if something breaks, it's the "stands" for screws, if there are such. Or if cracks develop, they're not usually anywhere that long and near the sharp edges, at least from what I've seen. I wonder what material Inmotion/Solowheel uses, I don't know much about plastics, but most wheels seem they're something like ABS, which (by my experience) usually bends rather than breaks, up to a point... It should be noted thought that the crack is in the shell side cover which is not a structural part of the shell itself. These covers are somewhat transparent (the LED light show is behind them) and they are ridiculously fragile, but I don't think the same can be said for the shell itself. I assume that padding the exposed parts of the cover also has a preventive effect, as I have never seen such a long crack on mine and I have beaten it up pretty badly. Edited March 29, 2019 by Mono 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eucinsea Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 I was just coming to this forum area to post about my shells cracking. I have had two minor mishaps at about 5 Mph each and each time the top portion of a side cracked like I dropped it from a step ladder. Thats with the protective case on it I posted about that in a comment on another thread and someone said they have seem a lot of chatter on here about Solowheel Glide 3 starting to have shell cracking issues. After a suggestion I emailed Jason at ewheels and he had not heard of any known quality issues and thinks they should be holding up very well. I was thinking about buying the replacements he sells but maybe I should reach out to inmotion as well. @lqwertyd any news yet back from them? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoother Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 7 hours ago, prasket said: I should reach out to inmotion as well. I would. Don't ask, don't get. This sounds like an ongoing problem and not an isolated incident. You "crack heads" should pool your evidence and work together. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eucinsea Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 On 3/31/2019 at 4:14 AM, Smoother said: Don't ask, don't get. Ha I do not know how many times I tell my partner that. OK so I did just submit a service ticket. I also took quite a few pictures which I sent them and can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/xZWp8cb I agree that there seems to be something going on with them, at least from what others have said about past experiences. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoother Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 4 minutes ago, prasket said: Ha I do not know how many times I tell my partner that. OK so I did just submit a service ticket. I also took quite a few pictures which I sent them and can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/xZWp8cb I agree that there seems to be something going on with them, at least from what others have said about past experiences. @esaj once reported on a book reporting extraordinarily stupid business practices in China, like switching key components for slightly cheaper ones for their foreign customers, saving a few thousand dollars up front, but eventually scuttling a multimillion dollar deal, etc. It sounds entirely possible that someone at the shell manufacturing plant is substituting a 2c per kg cheaper plastic for the specified plastic. Not all plastics have the same properties, obviously. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 14 hours ago, Smoother said: @esaj once reported on a book reporting extraordinarily stupid business practices in China, like switching key components for slightly cheaper ones for their foreign customers, saving a few thousand dollars up front, but eventually scuttling a multimillion dollar deal, etc. It sounds entirely possible that someone at the shell manufacturing plant is substituting a 2c per kg cheaper plastic for the specified plastic. Not all plastics have the same properties, obviously. The book's called "Poorly made in China", not a long one (less than 300 pages, IIRC), and actually very entertaining, although the topic might not sound like it at first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lqwertyd Posted April 3, 2019 Author Share Posted April 3, 2019 (edited) Quick update: I haven't heard anything back from Inmotion. I've reached out through their web site, Amazon and elsewhere. Amazon finally reached out to InMotion and cc'd me on the email. I guess InMotion still didn't respond, so Amazon simply refunded the entire purchase . . . which quite frankly shocked me a little. I'm purchasing a Kingsong 16S from eWheels instead. They were extremely helpful and friendly. I'm disappointed to be having such problems with InMotion. I guess I'll be a Kingsong rider instead. Edited April 3, 2019 by lqwertyd 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoother Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 On 4/3/2019 at 9:33 PM, lqwertyd said: Quick update: I haven't heard anything back from Inmotion. I've reached out through their web site, Amazon and elsewhere. Amazon finally reached out to InMotion and cc'd me on the email. I guess InMotion still didn't respond, so Amazon simply refunded the entire purchase . . . which quite frankly shocked me a little. I'm purchasing a Kingsong 16S from eWheels instead. They were extremely helpful and friendly. I'm disappointed to be having such problems with InMotion. I guess I'll be a Kingsong rider instead. Well that's a result and a half. I don't remember you mentioning Amazon as the intermediary. Do you get to keep the glide 3 too? Amazon does good customer service, and shame on Inmotion for burying their head in the sand hoping you would go away. I guess Amazon just schooled them, big time. You will like the 16s; much better wheel than a glide 3 (but at a higher price obviously) 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblade Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 2 hours ago, Smoother said: You will like the 16s; much better wheel than a glide 3 (but at a higher price obviously) I wish I would have made that my first wheel instead honestly. I've got the Glide 3 but I am a little heavy for it I think the 16s would have been just enough for the learning Etc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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