Scooters-Zappy Turbo Scooter-Christmas Gift Warning
Written: Dec 04 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: One of the faster Scooters available today.
Cons: Simply does not do what the manufacturer claims it will.
The Bottom Line: There are better scooters out there than this one.
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| PhoenixFlight's Full Review: Zappy Turbo |
I’ve been shopping for a motorized scooter to cruise the beach on now that the tourists have all gone home or back to school. With the holidays coming up fast as well, there are a lot of scooters to choose from. Some of them are fast. Some of them are slow. Some run on gas. And some have rechargeable batteries to get you where you want to go.
This opinion though has to do with why I did not purchase the Zappy Turbo Scooter manufactured by Zap.
Now being honest about this product, I will admit that it is one of the faster scooters available to you. It tops out somewhere between 18-19mph depending upon the size of the person riding it. It has two modes, Cruise and Turbo, to choose from which adjusts the top speed. Hey I don’t know about the rest of you but if I buy a Turbo, I’m going to use it. The difference in top speeds is only 3mph between the two so I say to the company, why bother?
Now, let me be brutally honest about this product.
The manufacturer claims that you will get 10 miles out of every charge but I found this to be a false claim. Not only will you not get 10 miles out of it but, depending upon your weight you may get considerably less. I am a big guy, weighing in at just over 205 on a Friday morning, after a 3 mile run, a bowl of Granola and a glass of OJ. The manufacturer claims the Zappy will carry up to 220 lbs. When I tested the Zappy (borrowed it from a friend who gushed, “It’s the best!”) I let it charge up over night. Typically the manual says that you need just about four hours to get the 24V (actually, two 12V batteries) battery fully charged. Yeah right!
If fully charged means that I am going to get 10 miles out of the Sappy, I mean Zappy, then even charging for eight hours I didn’t come close. I ranged about 5 ½ to 6 miles before this sluggish scooter slowed so severely (say that five times fast) that I had to recharge for another 4 (6) hours to get some more miles out of it. Factory mileage estimates sound like a lot but even if you got 10 and you never will, but it still isn’t enough when you factor in the charging time. After the fact that it takes so much time to charge there is a weight issue. The Zappy weighs as much as a small horse coming in at just about 45 pounds. This is a product that is supposedly made for ages 6 and above. I don’t know too many 6 year olds that can carry 45 pounds up a set of stairs. Heck, I don’t know a lot of full grown people that could carry 45 pounds up a set of stairs. Looking at the photo accompanying this product makes you think that it would be kind of awkward to carry the 45 pound Zappy. Well take heart. The Zappy’s handlebars fold down to make a neat carrying handle. That is if you can pick it up to carry it.
In closing I would like to address the stability of the Zappy. While it is easy to ride for someone like me that has surfed, skated, and snowboarded for the better part of my life, this may not be the case for a novice rider. The Zappy is just 9 inches wide where you stand. This is smaller than most men’s shoe sizes. The overall length of the Zappy is just a tad bit longer than three feet. Factor in that you are holding onto handlebars that are less than fifteen inches wide and you can see where I am going with this. If you are not an already accomplished rider of one of the types of equipment that I named above you are looking at a very strong possibility of bodily injury. Top this off with the twist throttle that the Sappy, I mean Zappy features. I have never figured out the reason why someone would manufacture a feature that I am supposed to twist and maintain a firm grip on at the same time. Simply fascinating craftsmanship if I do say so myself.
Ok, so who am I to tell you that you can’t ride a scooter? The problem with this one is that it simply it does not hold up to what the manufacturer says it will do. While I liked the speed, I didn’t like the distance I was able to travel, weight, stability or charging required to operate it.
Overall I have to say that my experience with the Zappy Turbo Scooter was less than favorable. For the $800 it costs to buy one of these I think my, your, money would be spent better elsewhere.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): N/A
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Epinions.com ID:
PhoenixFlight
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Member: Robert
Location: The Beaches of Sunny Southern California
Reviews written: 286
Trusted by: 104 members
About Me:
A Sharp, Snappy, Sophisticated, Scintillating, Sassy type of guy.
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