Best Electric Skateboard: Boosted Board Gen 2 vs. Inboard M1

This article originally appeared on LEVRevolution.com
There’s nothing like a good ol’ fashioned showdown, and for this article we’re going to compare and contrast two of the best electric skateboards on the market: the Inboard M1 and the 2nd Generation of Boosted Board Dual and Dual+ .
In some ways the two are similar and in other ways they’re not, but if you’ve been scratching your head for some time trying to figure out which of these electric skateboards will be right for you, wonder no more.
Without further adieu, lets jump right in and check out which of these two boards is the best electric skateboard!
Power
To most riders, nothing is more important than power. When we talk about power in terms of an electric skateboard, we’re mostly referring to the watts. Generally speaking, when you’ve got a higher wattage, you’re going to have a more powerful board.
According to their tech specs, the Inboard M1 has a max of 1,600 watts. That certainly puts it on the higher end of electric skateboards, and it beats out the Boosted Board Dual by about 100 watts. Although, the Dual+ (the higher end model) crushes Inboard by offering a max wattage of 2,000 watts so you can go screaming along at 22mphs (put it this way, that’s enough to get you pulled over in a school zone).
Similarly, with the Boosted Dual+ you can climb hills with a 25% grade of incline, which is pretty astounding. The Dual can only climb grades of 20% and the M1 brings up the rear with a lackluster ability to climb grades of only 15%. If you live in the flatlands, the M1 is probably fine, but if you’re in a place with any kind of hills, look to the Boosted boards.
Winner: Boosted Dual+
Battery
Of course, one of the drawbacks with having a higher wattage is that you also have to expect a shortened battery life. Both electric skateboards offer rechargeable lithium ion batteries, which is very good considering how poorly lead acid batteries perform. Likewise, both boards have a lightening fast 90-minute charge time.
The edge here seems to be with the Inboard M1. Their battery offers a range of 7–10 miles on a charge while the Boosted Skateboard Dual and Dual+ only offer 6–7 miles on a charge. Those additional three miles can make all the difference when deciding on a board for your commute.
Although, Boosted is offering an Extended Range Battery Pack that will lengthen your ride distance to just about 12–14 miles. Currently, that would make it one of the most powerful electric skateboard batteries on the market. Unfortunately, these battery packs are not yet available to the consumer, and they’re also going to cost a cool $400 when they come out, skyrocketing the total cost of your board.
It’s also important to remember that the Boosted batteries had some issues in the past. The company assures us that the issue is resolved and there haven’t been any problems since the recall.
Winner: Inboard M1
Deck
Electric skateboard manufacturers usually use one of two kinds of decks: a composite deck usually made of carbon fiber, or a wooden deck made mostly of bamboo.
We’ve written a lot about what kind of deck you might want on your electric skateboard so we won’t go too much into it here. Head on over to our article about choosing your electric skateboard deck if you’re looking for more on that subject.
Both of the Boosted skateboards use a bamboo composite over a maple core. What they’ve done is teamed up with vaunted longboard company Loaded to help design their decks. The result is a smooth and responsive longboard deck that is as flexible as it is strong.
Inboard similarly uses a wood core composite but with a carbon fiber exterior to make the board a bit more stiff but the ride much more safe.
Both boards weigh about 14 pounds so there’s not much a difference there.
For the most part, the choice of deck will come down to personal preference so we always suggest you get out there and take one for a spin before you buy. But because they put a little more thought into their construction, we’re going to give the edge of Boosted here.
Winner: Boosted Dual and Dual+
And the Winner is…
The Boosted Dual+ seems to be the clear winner of this best electric skateboard review — it’s more powerful, has a better feel and, once the extended battery comes out, will have a longer battery life.
At $1,499 it’s more expensive than many electric skateboards on the market, but only slightly costlier than Inboard’s $1,299 M1.
There’s plenty to consider when buying your electric skateboard so do some research with our Electric Skateboard Buyer’s Guide and also be sure to brush up on some common mistakes to avoid when you’re shopping for your first electric skateboard.
Good luck and happy riding!
