V5F+ or V8. Help me decide.

[WARPed1701D]

9 minutes ago, Circuitmage said:

 

Not sure if this helps, but I've started taking my V3Pro on the train.

No need to lift it up, as it fits between my legs as I sit! With a couple inches to spare, I believe a larger wheel might also ( I hope, as I hope to upgrade).

As part of my inital impressions I intended to post a series of images to help noobs gain an idea of the size of this device. I, for example, have only seen a EUC once in real life. In particular I want to simulate a bus or train seat to see how well it fits behind your legs when you sit. Answer the questions of "Can it sit on your legs" as Paddylaz does on the tube in London. I'm going to comment realistically on the weight of the device in the face of several flights of stairs. These things were important to me in my decision making and I found images in real life situations or with good items of reference a little lacking. 

@Juick posted a great image of the V5 and the V8 next to each other on page 2 of this thread that really allayed my fears of the V8 being a much bigger machine.

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

On 2017-06-25 at 3:32 PM, houseofjob said:

Seen this below?

 

 I ran across the following posting which I vaguely remember reading, and it does look like Jason confirmed a price increase so I'm likely wrong about it not going up.      It will be interesting to see how much it does go up by.

 

[Carlos E Rodriguez]

I have an MCM4 HS. I like the fact that is faster than the inmotion 20mph, 32kph. Has range of close to 40miles. 

It only cost below 800.00 US dollars. 

It weight less than 14 kg. With high capacity battery. 

I think you limiting factor is money. 

I think the V8 is a great choice. Because of 16 inch and trolley.

I think Gotway MCM4 is fantastic bargain. A new MCM4 pro is also out in limited markets with 84 volts. 

Edited July 1, 2017 by Carlos E Rodriguez

[CaptainKBLS]

23 hours ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

 

 

If the price goes up I don't know see anyone would buy it.  I think it's already too high for the V8 and would definitely buy something else.  So I'm not convince that the price will go up.  They need to stay competitive and the price would drop back real fast when there's no order.

Edited July 2, 2017 by CaptainKBLS

[WARPed1701D]

34 minutes ago, CaptainKBLS said:

If the price goes up I don't know see anyone would buy it.  I think it's already too high for the V8 and would definitely buy something else.  So I'm not convince that the price will go up.  They need to stay competitive and the price would drop back real fast when there's no order.

I would have got a V5F+ if the V8 were it's normal price. It was only due to Jason's sale price at only another $100 than the V5F+ that I went V8. Any higher than $1200 and the KS 16S becomes a no brainer if you don't mind the weight and maybe slightly less emphasis on safety by the manufacturer.

But if the price doesn't rise how will it fit in among the other Solowheel products. A better machine for less money?

[Carlos E Rodriguez]

4 minutes ago, WARPed1701D said:

I would have got a V5F+ if the V8 were it's normal price. It was only due to Jason's sale price at only another $100 than the V5F+ that I went V8. Any higher than $1200 and the KS 16S becomes a no brainer if you don't mind the weight and maybe slightly less emphasis on safety by the manufacturer.

But if the price doesn't rise how will it fit in among the other Solowheel products. A better machine for less money?

MCM4

[Paddylaz]

5 hours ago, CaptainKBLS said:

So I'm not convince that the price will go up.  

Don't put anything past those idiots.

They're STILL selling their 17kph wheel for $2,295!

[CaptainKBLS]

4 hours ago, Paddylaz said:

Don't put anything past those idiots.

They're STILL selling their 17kph wheel for $2,295!

Wow. Who buying those? LOL

[WARPed1701D]

4 hours ago, Paddylaz said:

Don't put anything past those idiots.

They're STILL selling their 17kph wheel for $2,295!

 Right! Oddly it has a powerful 1800W motor which I think is nominal power as the wheel is rated to climb 30 degree inclines and a rider weight of around 280lb. Yet only a 196wh battery. 

[Wax]

Inmotions are IP55 certified (water resistance) too.  I don't think they KS or Gotways have that.  I took my V8 through a tropical thunderstorm and had zero issues, so that's quite important if you need to go through some wet weather  

I commute for about an hour on my V8 which leaves about 75% juice after the trip. So if your commute is much longer, you can either get a second charger or get another wheel. 

The V8 is my first and only wheel but I am really pleased with my purchase after hearing all the QC issues with the other brands.  (cut outs, bursting into flames, etc)

[Keith]

18 hours ago, WARPed1701D said:

 Right! Oddly it has a powerful 1800W motor which I think is nominal power as the wheel is rated to climb 30 degree inclines and a rider weight of around 280lb. Yet only a 196wh battery. 

In fairness, this is the same complaint/argument that people were having with the mythical Uniwheel here:

Like Uniwheel and Segways, Solowheel use Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries which can supply a lot more power, hold their voltage incredibly well, do not catch fire, are not so easily damaged by over discharge and have a much higher charge/ discharge cycle life.

Unfortunately, they are lower capacity, lower voltage and way more expensive. Against that, because of their stable voltage and high power, a smaller battery will do the same job in every respect except range as a much much larger Lithium Ion pack. If you factor in that large LiIon packs are often needed to get power safely (rather than for range) then If huge range isn't needed the Lithium Iron packs cost in and make for a lot lighter wheel.

Still not convinced the motor is really 1800W nominal and neither a high power motor or Lithium Iron cells justify the cost. Had the Uniwheel ever actually made it out of the door it was intended to be half the price of a Solowheel with a similar power motor & battery set up and the best safety concepts we would have ever seen in an EUC. http://uniwheel.co.uk/pre-order.html. Interestingly, most discussing Uniwheel in the Forum still considered it too expensive for its battery size at half the price of a Solowheel.

I wonder if the Solowheel/ Inmotion tie in might not include using Lithium Iron cells in their version of the Inmotion wheels, that could certainly be used as a justification for higher prices (if any were needed!).

Edited July 3, 2017 by Keith

[US69]

18 hours ago, WARPed1701D said:

 Right! Oddly it has a powerful 1800W motor which I think is nominal power as the wheel is rated to climb 30 degree inclines and a rider weight of around 280lb. Yet only a 196wh battery. 

Its never ever a "nominal" 1800W Motor...

At first, this Solowheel Extreme is a relative old model....even nowadys the real high Performer wheel companys have not achieved more than a nominal power of 1500Watt!

And These 1500 Watt machines are run (at least) by a 820wh batteries....

I have my doubts that nominal 1800W, that would Peak out max at 3000/3500Watt are able to perform with a low 196wh Batterie...a ONE seriell pack, thats not possible...

19 minutes ago, Keith said:

Like Uniwheel and Segways, Solowheel use Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries which can supply a lot more power,

From what i know, only some of the first solowheels (not the xtreme) where run by LiPo4FE....all "newer" models, including Extreme, use normal Li-Ion like in our Wheels....

[esaj]

5 hours ago, KingSong69 said:

From what i know, only some of the first solowheels (not the xtreme) where run by LiPo4FE....all "newer" models, including Extreme, use normal Li-Ion like in our Wheels....

Yeah, I remember hunting down the cell specs for the Xtreme, it's not LiFePo4, but "normal" Li-Ion. Same goes for the "newer" Solowheel Classic.

Edited July 3, 2017 by esaj

[Keith]

14 minutes ago, esaj said:

Yeah, I remember hunting down the cell specs for the Xtreme, it's not LiFePo4, but "normal" Li-Ion. Same goes for the "newer" Solowheel Classic.

Oh wow, I was sure they were still using LiFePO4 and thus holding the moral high ground on battery safety, if they are not then in that case you'd REALLY have to have more money than sense to buy one, it's not like you are buying the EUC equivalent of a Ferrari, Rolls Royce or Cadillac is it?

Edited July 3, 2017 by Keith

[WARPed1701D]

Well based on all this you'd have to expect the V8 is going to come in at around $3000 after rebranding to put pricing in line with the current Solowheel lineup specs and pricing.

[LanghamP]

Then the Kingsong 16s 840 is starting to look mighty appealing. Maybe Kingsong with their lower voltage, big battery, big engines, and safety first philosophy/advertising had the right idea all along.

[WARPed1701D]

FedEx tells me I have an incoming 40lb shipment being sent out tomorrow by a @Jason McNeil. Anyone know a guy by that name?  

zomg!  I think I might burst!

[radial]

On 6/27/2017 at 9:15 PM, Goodman said:

I Know the feeling of having to wait, I hate waiting also but I truly think it is well worth the wait. My biggest regret was not wanting to wait, my first wheel was the Ninebot One E+ why because it was the one I could pick up on the day I wanted to buy, there was nothing else around that I could get straight way. If I could turn back time I would have waited time flies so fast.

1

Not me.  I bought a used Ninebot 1e+ as a training wheel while I waited for the new V8 to arrive, and that turned out to be a great decision.  The Ninebot was the wheel I learned on, and I still love riding it.  It's so maneuverable and balanced and elegant.  It hasn't got the power or the range of the V8, but it's way more fun to ride in the neighborhood.  

[Dingfelder]

2 hours ago, WARPed1701D said:

FedEx tells me I have an incoming 40lb shipment being sent out tomorrow by a @Jason McNeil. Anyone know a guy by that name?  

zomg!  I think I might burst!

Great!

Sounds like you'll be having a lot of fun with a great new machine soon!

[Goodman]

Have a lot of fun learning to use it, make sure it's padded up so after you have learnt you can show the high gloss finish

 

[fearedbliss]

I've been riding the V5F+ for about a year now (760 miles), and it's definitely the best wheel I've owned. I wrote a reveal on it last year when I bought it. Recently I purchased the V8 from Jason after researching other wheels as well (ACM, KS 14/16/18S), I just really like and trust Inmotions build, design, and technology. Also it's really light which is important for me. I went with the V8 since I already know how the V5F+ works, and also I don't want a wheel that goes over 20 mph, I think faster wheels are dangerous and they shouldn't event be produced. A lot of people on the forums probably already know or have heard my stance on this from my long ninebot issues/feedback post from back when we (EUC community) wanted to control our firmware update.

I've gone at 18 mph on my KS 14C wheel (14") and that's a scary speed. The 16" tire and 800W motor should help. I get 25+ miles on it but I'm 5'6 , 133 lbs.

Once I get the V8 later this week, I'll start using it and I'll write a review eventually which will compare it to the V5F+. Hopefully I don't have any issues like the other guys!

[WARPed1701D]

37 minutes ago, fearedbliss said:

I've been riding the V5F+ for about a year now (760 miles), and it's definitely the best wheel I've owned. I wrote a reveal on it last year when I bought it. Recently I purchased the V8 from Jason after researching other wheels as well (ACM, KS 14/16/18S), I just really like and trust Inmotions build, design, and technology. Also it's really light which is important for me. I went with the V8 since I already know how the V5F+ works, and also I don't want a wheel that goes over 20 mph, I think faster wheels are dangerous and they shouldn't event be produced. A lot of people on the forums probably already know or have heard my stance on this from my long ninebot issues/feedback post from back when we (EUC community) wanted to control our firmware update.

I've gone at 18 mph on my KS 14C wheel (14") and that's a scary speed. The 16" tire and 800W motor should help. I get 25+ miles on it but I'm 5'6 , 133 lbs.

Once I get the V8 later this week, I'll start using it and I'll write a review eventually which will compare it to the V5F+. Hopefully I don't have any issues like the other guys!

I'd be interested to hear your opinions of the V8 having owned a V5F+ previously. Choosing between the two Inmotion wheels was my original dilemma and is documented in this thread.

Like you I don't want to go above 20mph so the V8 is almost there in that regards. I'd like to see a bit more range from it but of course that comes with a weight compromise which I didn't want.

I'm glad I didn't go with my last minute urge to pay extra for the KS 16S even though it offers much longer range and a top speed of 22mph (would allow safe cruising up to 20mph). I appreciate King Song offers better performance and has more of.a safety focus than Gotway but their QA/QC looks like it could be lacking. Several inital 16S wheels shipped without serial numbers applied. Firmware has previously been rolled out before apps were updated to work properly with them. Several reports of possible bad motors/hall sensors on some 16S wheels at the moment. Inaccurate voltage readings on the motherboard affecting the "fuel guage" and resulting in unnecessary tilt-back situations through unnecessary overcharge/low battery detection on several models. Maybe one day I'll be happy to accept this from a wheel in exchange for better performance/range, but it is unlikely, and most certainly not for my first one.

It doesn't hurt either that in my opinion the V8 is one of the best looking wheels out there (with the disco lights off or tastefully set). I'm not sure if I'd give the looks crown to the V5 or the V8. The Segway One S1 is a nice looking wheel too but lacks the trolley handle or even a headlight so they compromised a bit for their sleek look.

[LanghamP]

I too had difficulty choosing between the V5F+ and the V8. After a few weeks and watching every video, reading every review, I wasn't able to choose decisively which one, and went with the V5F+ because of reliability and refinement. V5 is an older wheel that has been through at least three iterations (V5, V5F, V5F+), and extensively tested by Inmotion's riders.

I would like to see a V5 vs V8 comparison by a rider who has owned both for some time.

[WARPed1701D]

Woohoo! Finally. It has arrived! Delivered quite late in the day and I only just got chance to open it.

Initial observations:

• Looks even better in real life. The default blue rotating LEDs are not as offensive as I expected (I'm sure some other patterns are)
• Lighter than expected. I had been stressing about excessive weight but the balanced and thin form factor and nice handle make carrying effortless.
• I can see big advantages to the kill switch under the carry handle. This should be standard on all EUC's of carryable weight IMO.
• I have the 2.15 Kenda tire. Inmotion promised @Jason McNeil these would ship with the 1.95 tire to avoid the scraping issues reported by existing users. I see no sign of scraping at the moment. Infact there are several millimeters of clearance in the problem area but I have not checked the tire pressure yet which could blow it out to the point of contact.
• Kenda tires stink!
• I may be wrong but I believe the directional tire is mounted in the wrong direction. This is a bit of a bummer as wet weather traction is a big deal in FL but I will look again tomorrow when it isn't so late. Again, I may be wrong.
• Integrated trolley handle is an awesome idea. I've only wheeled it around my lining room but there is no doubt this is (like the kill switch) will be invaluable for going about commuting, shopping, etc with the wheel.
• My Charge Doctor and protective foam tape were omitted from the package. I've emailed Jason to see where they are. As I'm a new rider I really wanted to put the foam tape up and over the carry handle before I rode it. This is where the official Inmotion cover doesn't reach. Might have to go to the auto store for some of @Rehab1s protective bumper stripping.
• The 2.5A eWheels fast charger is smaller and lighter than expected. This is great as I expect to occasionally carry it with me for a quick "coffee shop" boost on rare extended range journeys. 
• I am major bummed that SoloWheel has ruined this wheel for the USA. It looks like it was perfect at the old Inmotion price point. To Shane Chen I say this... May the flees of a thousand camels infest you arse!

More observations once I get chance. Alas. Now it is bed time for dreams of one wheeled freedom.

[Goodman]

Congrats on finally receiving your new wheel, the tyres are not fully pumped up try and pump them up. The scrapping doesn't happen until you put your full body weight onto the wheel with the tyres pumped up, hopefully you are lucky and it won't scrap. Have fun learning how to ride tomorrow .