Last Tuesday (18th April 2018) Boosted sent a shockwave through the eskate world by announcing not one, not two, but 4 new products.

They are:

Boosted Stealth – $1599

Boosted Plus – $1399

Boosted Mini X – $999

Boosted Mini S – $749

A keen eye can tell that the Boosted Plus looks exactly like the old Boosted board and the Boosted Stealth is nothing more than a grayscale version of it, but there are definitely some changes from the old 2nd Gen Boosted to the Boosted Plus and the Boosted Board is still selling the old 2nd Gen Boosted Dual+ XR at $1399.

As a dedicated follower of the eskate scene, there is only a small chance that you have not read hundreds of articles on the new Boosted boards, so I will just briefly go through the changes Boosted made and then will talk about how the new Boosted lineup relates to other existing boards on the market.

As the Boosted Plus is going to be the new default Boosted Board, we will begin there.

Boosted Plus

Introducing the new Boosted Plus.

As you can see from the stat chart that they are exactly the same board, for the most part.

There are a few changes on the material used:

a) Deck: Flexible Bamboo -> Super Flex Composite Deck

b) Wheels: Orangatang 85mm -> Boosted Stratus 85mm

c) Trucks: Composite Steel -> 190mm CNC Precision Machined

Are these changes upgrades or a move to streamline production to cut down cost? or perhaps a little of both?

We can’t know how these changes impact riding experience at this point and we will be waiting for early adopter’s feedback to know for sure.

But in short, Boosted Plus is basically the old Gen 2 Boosted Board Dual+ with the extended battery.

Boosted Stealth

Snap a photo of the Boosted Plus with a black and white filter and you get the Boosted Stealth.

Jokes aside, the Boosted Stealth gives you an extra 2mph (3kmh) higher top speed than the Boosted Plus.

It also comes with 5 riding modes as compared to Plus’s 4 riding modes, and that’s about it.

The significance of the Boosted Plus and the Boosted Stealth

The Boosted Plus and Boosted Stealth are just refreshes of the old Boosted Boards.

Those who are going to buy Boosted Boards will still have the latest version of Boosted Board to buy and for those who have never considered Boosted Boards as an option, will still be able to buy the same overpriced fancy board with weak specs.

Basically, these 2 boards have not changed the buying decision for consumers however, the next 2 might…

Boosted Mini S

The Boosted Mini S is almost the same exact classic Boosted Board but in a smaller package.

“Almost” because it uses a 1000W motor instead of the 2000W motor on the regular Boosted, and has a smaller air-travel friendly 99wh battery with a measly 7miles (11.3km) range.

From tester'[s early impression, the dual belt motor Boosted Mini has enough torque to meet most needs, but the main drawback is the Boosted Mini is as heavy as some its larger cousins at 15lbs(6.8kg)! Some airlines almost wouldn’t allow it as a standard carry-on just for that weight!

Frankly speaking, the Mini S is so bad on paper that it wouldn’t be competitive in the current market if it didn’t promise the refinement and brand name that comes with a Boosted product.

Boosted Mini X

The Boosted Mini X is the grayscale version of the Mini S.

With $250 extra, you get a tiny bit higher top-speed and 2 times the range.

It is also heavier at 16.8lbs (7.6kg) and like I said, some airlined won’t let you carry on anything with that weight – even if you manage to get the non-airline compatible 199wh battery on-board.

The significance of the Boosted Mini S & X

All of the sudden, we have two sub $1000 Boosted Boards that challenge the mid-range market.

Before this, those who are on a budget would have look elsewhere for a board. Now with the industry king Boosted offering its cheapest Mini S at $749, many will consider getting a Boosted Mini S instead.

I did a comparison of the Boosted Mini with some of the brands that I think worth considering, and to the relief of Boosted competitors, it wasn’t a clear-cut Boosted domination.

In fact, when compared, the recurring theme is that the Boosted Mini S is too weak in range and too heavy in weight to compare to boards of the same range, and at $999, the Boosted Mini X is up against boards that outperform it while also being on-par in quality and customer service.

For example, the Meepo 30″ at $399 is nearly half of the price of the Mini S yet outperforms it in range and top-speed. Of course, it definitely is not in the same league in terms of refinement and looks.

To put it simply, they serve different needs.

On the other hand, Riptide might be in real trouble as it’s lineup doesn’t differentiate themselves enough from the Mini S besides being a tad bit lighter.

The $999 price bracket is a crowded space and the Boosted Mini X will go head to head with the likes of Arc Aileron, Predator Banshee, Pulse Echo, Evolve One, and 29″ Metroboard Micro slim.

This time, to my surprise, Boosted Mini X doesn’t slack too much in specs, but the brand name itself doesn’t lend Boosted that much favor, as all of these boards are either made by well-loved brands, eg: Metroboard, Evolve and Arc or popular start-ups such as Predator and Pulse.

At the end of the day, the crowded mid-tier market definitely welcomes Boosted Mini X as one of the many good choices for an electric shortboard.

Summary

At the end of the day, the new line-up put forward by the Apple(r) of the electric skateboarding world is less impactful than the initial hubbub would have you believe.

3 out of 4 of the new lineup- the Boosted Plus, Stealth and Mini S continue to be products that charge above-average for their specs due to the refinement, brand name, and customer service the Boosted brand is famous for.

The Boosted Mini X however, landed right in the crowded mid-tier market and is actually competitive enough in specs that it should be considered by those who are otherwise jaded by the magic of the Boosted brand.

That’s something refreshing from the Boosted, isn’t it?

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