I always hear them before I see them: the electric whine of the motor, the rattle of the wheels on the pavement. Before I know it, a Boosted Board and its rider whizzes past me, leaving me coughing in their dust and wondering why I simply couldn’t be as cool as them. As I start walking again, I peer down at my plodding feet, suddenly feeling so slow, so ordinary, so obsolete.

I think back to my first day on campus, which was evidently the first day of Golden Bear Orientation, and remember how shocked I was to learn how big campus is. After touring campus with my orientation group, I had slumped in my bed in the Unit 2 Residence Halls that night with a sweaty shirt, aching legs and throbbing feet, wondering how I would ever get used to walking so far every day. For all the things I had heard UC Berkeley was known for, no one had ever told me about the sheer size of it (a fun 1,232 acres) or that it was built into the side of a massive hill.

For the rest of the day, everywhere I go, the unnamed phantom rider haunts me, jeers at me, asks me why the hell I walk so slowly. Painfully aware of my inferiority, I finally succumb to the overwhelming envy and look to Google to quell my desire. As I navigate my way to the Boosted Boards website, I envision myself just as cool as that guy, whizzing through campus, never feeling left behind again. But I suddenly stop — breath caught in my throat — my train of thought derailed, flipped over and on fire. The cheapest board, even with a student discount, is over $600.

Since the inception of Boosted in 2012 and the release of its first electric skateboard in 2014, it has slowly been gaining traction among consumers, finally exploding into the mainstream in 2018 with its newest line of skateboards, which includes two longboards, and for the first time, two shortboards. The company has enjoyed popularity particularly on college campuses, where its skateboards’ several-mile range and relative portability prove perfect for the transportation needs of the average student.

Since the inception of Boosted in 2012 and the release of its first electric skateboard in 2014, it has slowly been gaining traction among consumers, finally exploding into the mainstream in 2018.

Boosted’s popularity has spawned a bevy of knock-off boards from similar, skateboard-exclusive brands ranging from Inboard Technology, Inc. to Chinese smartphone companies such as Xiaomi. The electric skateboard market has quickly proliferated into a diverse landscape of competing products, but Boosted Board remains, as tech YouTube journalist Marques Brownlee notes, “the Tesla of electric skateboards.”

Just as Elon Musk’s popular line of electric cars is hardly the first of its kind, Boosted did not invent the electric skateboard. But it was certainly the first to successfully market it to the mainstream consumer with promises of great innovation. And just like Tesla’s cars, Boosted Boards have become vaunted symbols of status, inspiring envy and awe in many who are left in their dust.

But with a price tag that often exceeds the boundaries of most college students’ bank accounts, are the boards really worth it? While a Boosted Board offers convenient, quick and effortlessly cool transportation, it doesn’t sell without its own set of gripes. It’s awkwardly heavy and a hassle to carry, it needs to be charged every night, it would be relatively easy to steal if set aside for too long and perhaps worst of all, it comes with a steep learning curve. While those who have skateboarded before will find the transition smooth, those of us who have never stepped foot on the grip tape will likely end up looking like a newborn goose trying to swim after its mother, flapping about and making a fool of ourselves.

But with a price tag that often exceeds the boundaries of most college students’ bank accounts, are the boards really worth it?

Is all that initial trouble worth the money? The cheapest Boosted Board on sale right now, the Boosted Mini S, one of Boosted’s two shortboards, is up for a cool $749 before tax. The next cheapest, the Boosted Mini X, which offers slight performance upgrades over the Mini S and, more importantly, differently colored wheels, is $999. The Boosted Plus, the newest rendition of the company’s very first longboard, is $1,399, and the Boosted Stealth is $1,599.

For those prices, I realized that I could easily purchase two, three, even four very functional — if not exceptional — bicycles, which would offer me faster, healthier and oftentimes more practical transportation. While bikes are notorious for getting their wheels stolen here on campus, owning one would provide the opportunity to travel much greater distances, and I would never have to lug it around in case the battery runs out. Sure, I’m probably going to have to buy multiple locks for it, and it certainly won’t offer me the same amount of social status. With the massive savings over a Boosted Board that my bank account will surely appreciate, however, a bike would arguably make up for its lack of clout.

To Boosted or not to Boosted? That is the question — the answer to which ultimately comes down to what you find most important: social status or practicality and price. As much as we hate to say it, walking to, from and around campus is entirely reasonable and convenient, even if it means waking up 20 minutes earlier to make it to your 8 a.m. No one “needs” a Boosted board or a bike, unless you were unfortunate enough to get an apartment three miles from campus.

For all those who desire a mode of transportation faster than their own two feet, myself included, the issue boils down to a simple question: Is the clout offered by the Boosted board (which is incredible, if I haven’t made that clear) enough to ignore both its exorbitant price tag and the benefits of choosing a bike? If it is, then pull the trigger. If that hurdle is just a little too high — if it makes you hesitate even just a little — opt for a bike, however mundane. You won’t be the coolest kid on the block, but you will still be able to sleep those 20 precious minutes longer.

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Contact Andrew Koh at [email protected].