KingSong KS16X VS Veteran Sherman Max

[That Guy]

Alright... I think I should do it, guys: should talk about two wheels in one topic, one about my experience with KS16X over the last 18+ months and another about my brand-new Sherman Max... :-)

In my opinion, KS16X and Shermax are two completely different wheels, yet with one clear common denominator: great performance (including reliability).

[That Guy]

I have been very happy with my KS16X.

I learnt riding some 6 years ago on some weird 14” unbranded thing I bought for small money online for my son as a toy back then. But now I had to learn to ride for real in Dunedin, home of the officially steepest street in the world. I actually chose EUC over scooters, e-bikes or OneWheels because of how hilly my place is. I remember I was thinking about V11 because of its weather protection, but it wouldn’t happily work for me in Dunedin. (I know, “it might work”, of course, but I just could not risk it – it needed to be something I would be sure about.) Then the NZ dealer recommended me KS16X and said that he was so sure about this model that he would even “buy it for his mum”, which sounded convincing enough.  So, I ended up with the KS16X.

I’ve been riding it almost every day since about May ’21 and have done about 8,000km on it since. I ride every day for a rare exception. I take my dog for a ride through the park every morning. Then I commute to work through our hilly town (Dunedin, NZ). If it’s not rainy, I also go for a ride alone the harbour on the lunch break. On a weekend I go for one or two longer rides in the forestry. I took it to other towns and places around on many occasions…

So, this KS16X got a lot of use and abuse, including rolling down hills a couple of times and multiple off-road beating… Ah, and then my 10 year old daughter learnt riding on it, too. I replaced the tyre, pedals and side panels. There was some damage to the internal stud or two, which reveals itself through the uneven gaps between the panels if you look closely. Again, I have been riding in any weather – cold, hot, rain, snow – whatever. The only weather-proofing I did (I don’t know why, maybe for a peace of mind, was sticking some electrical insulation tape over the panel joints. In terms of its aging, only very recently it started having some (I guess) magnet slipping or something like that (btw, does it mean I need to replace the motor?) with strong rattling at very low speed when walking the wheel unloaded down the hill.

It also got in the local newspaper for being the first EUC climbing Baldwin St - the officially steepest street in the world! 

I feel a lot of respect to this machine. I am 6’2 and 93kg, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who needs a powerful, reliable, agile wheel for urban environments. I understand it still has the best torque (I am aware of the debate – I mean the perceived pulling/hill climbing power) on the market maybe except Master, by the sound of it (never tried myself).

KS Pros:

• Great torque (hill climbing),
• Robust (great to learn on),
• Manoeuvrability (going through town),
• Weight of 24kg,
• Reliability.

KS Cons:

• May feel a little bit “too agile” for some,
• Outdated features (dull lights, old look, no screen),
• No attempt of weather proofing by manufacturer (although never caused a problem for me).

I cannot understand why KingSong would not repeat the success by refreshing the design of this wheel. (Well, maybe they will, but I think it would be a no-brainer move.) For example, they could just add stronger lights, display and weather proofing. Also, maybe some visually more modern look would do, like a little bit different/more aggressive shape of the external panels… KS16X is one of the most successful wheels to date and must have a continuation in an evolved shape and functionality!

[Tawpie]

I'm with you on liking the 16X... mine has similar mileage and has been treated roughly as well but has managed to survive without -any- broken plastic. Luck more than anything I'm sure! The only thing I had to do was replace the two lift switches because the rookie mechanic broke them the first time it was disassembled to add a second battery.

The rattling you're experiencing may be the inner shell starting to crack. It's a known thing (plastic is, well, plastic). Knock on wood mine hasn't started doing that, but you can see the cracking visually by inspecting the inner shell where the axel bolts go through. It's not something to be ignored, but fortunately it's also a relatively inexpensive fix.

[That Guy]

And now about my new Sherman Max…

First of all, why I decided to buy a 3 year old design in the era of rising suspension high performers. Well, as many others in the community I have got quite disillusioned frankly, with all new models appeared over the last year and a half. Most of them, to me personally, felt either immature/incomplete (design flaws), or full of issues (poor execution/QA) or unmanageable (made for show-off only). I just needed a wheel that would reliably take me from point A to point B, a wheel I do not have to repair out of the box even before I take it for the first ride. I commute on my EUC and I no longer have a second car between me and my wife (and I am very very lazy), so, it had to be something I could just charge and go without any nonsense of suspension/motor/controller/whatever issues… Veteran Sherman Max appealed to me as a safe bet. Of course, while waiting for it I started realising that Sherman-S came out to be a mature product. However, I would have to wait longer for more feedback to be sure it is no Abrams and I didn’t want to wait any more with the purchase.

So, now, I have ridden over 300km on Sherman Max and I am loving it! 

My concerns and worries about buying it were:

• It could be not torquey enough for hill climbing,
• It could be not torquey enough to confidently stop downhill,
• It could be too large to handle on a more technical offroad track when taking the dog out,

Luckily, I can tell now that I shouldn’t be worried.

Well, to be fair, of course Sherman Max is not as “torquey” as KS16X just due to the geometry. (Apologies to all nerds who unlike myself, understand the true meaning (or even two meanings) of the word “torquey”! ) It means, that you have to lean harder to pull it up steep inclines from the idle. Not without a grunt, but still it pulls me, which I am very relieved about. You do have to use the pads, but it is totally doable. Moreover, at speedy inclines it feels very confident on Shermax. It always feels a little bit sketchy on KS16X. I would not exceed 30kph uphill and it would often beep at you when you thought to accelerate a little bit harder uphill even when the battery is almost full.

In regards to stopping, with a good technique (and pads), Sherman Max does the job as confidently and quickly as KS16X. And Sherman does it without wobbles, which are the scariest part of the hobby, in my opinion.

And about the technical off-roading, to me it feels almost as nimble (is it legal to use this word applied to Sherman?) as KS16X! I need to think about it because it shouldn’t be. I just took it already on 4 rides in the same dirt track in the park in the morning with my dog as I was riding KS16X for a year and I get through without extra stress. Strange…

So, my first impressions about Sherman Max as a long time rider of KS16X:

As expected:

• The weight – you feel the weight of it while not riding it,
• Torquey enough for inclines and starting uphill from idle,
• Nice to have a screen and adjustments of the wheel without the app,
• Love the flashing red lights,
• The pedals are grippy enough to keep for a while,
• The motor and the tyre make a nice whining sound which you can judge your speed by.

Pleasantly surprised:

• Stable at speeds with no wobbles at breaking,
• Easier than expected to manoeuvre at walking speeds in town,
• Faster than KS16X waking up/getting asleep, faster connection with the phone app, ergonomic light switch,
• The geometry of the wheel will allow me (6’2) to ride seated – I have already ordered a seat,
• The stock pads (I know everybody hates them) are useful till you get your Grizzla pads or something – just glue them at an angle and slightly back or whatever suits your leg position.

Disappointed:

• Pedal dipping – requires getting used to for tight turns.
• On my particular unit the front bar makes some plasticky noise/squeaking – probably from how the side panels touch the bar.
• Light is having a very bright spot in the middle but is rather dull by the perimeter of the light spot.
• The tyre needs to be pumped to a lower pressure level than for other wheels such way that the second rows of the knobs meet the surface on both sides (I reckon it would be 25-28psi for most riders), otherwise it creates a very strong almost scary “train-tracking” effect.

I know it is embarrassing to be excited about Veteran Sherman Max while everyone is already excited about Sherman-S.  I just thought that maybe there are some of the forum people who are thinking of choosing similar wheels and who my impressions could be useful for...

Edited December 12, 2022 by That Guy

[That Guy]

16 minutes ago, Tawpie said:

The rattling you're experiencing may be the inner shell starting to crack. It's a known thing (plastic is, well, plastic).

Thanks for the tip - I am planning to take it apart over the Christmas break and "see what I have done to it".