The Wowgo Pioneer X5 is a prototypical street-wheeled $1000 flagship electrical skateboard, which comes with much more energy, battery, and bells and whistles than the Pioneer X4, a mid-range board promoting at $579.
Judging by the look and the $979 to $1079 price ticket, it was designed to be the newest rival to the Backfire Zealot X and Meepo Voyager Restricted, which all look particularly related at night time with the board lights on.
However first, let’s get into the specs.
Wowgo Pioneer X5 Specs:
| Value | $979 – $1079 |
| Battery | 504wh 14s2p 58.8v Samsung 50s Cell |
| Controller | Hobbywing 14s ESC |
| Prime Pace | 34 Mph (55 Kph) |
| Vary | 22 miles (35 km) |
| Deck | 8-Ply Canadian Maple And Fiberglass Composite |
| Motor | Twin 2500w 6368 160kv Belt Motors |
Deck – 8-Ply Canadian Maple And Fiberglass Composite:
Beginning with the deck, the Pioneer X5 deck consists of an 8-ply Canadian maple and fiberglass composite, with a distinguished concave just like that of the Exway Flex. The deck can be layered with padded foam grip tape which helps dampen highway vibrations. The deck has a medium flex—greater than the Backfire Zealot X and about as a lot because the Meepo Voyager.
Battery – 504wh 14s2p 58.8v Samsung 50s Cell:
Subsequent, the Pioneer X5 is powered by a 504Wh 58.8V Samsung 50s cell battery with a 14s2p configuration, an fascinating alternative because it’s just like the 14s2p on the Zealot X however has eight fewer cells than the 12s3p on the Meepo Voyager Restricted. It’s marketed at a spread of twenty-two miles (35 km) and we managed to hit simply that in our assessments.
ESC and Distant – Hobbywing 14s:
As for the ESC, Wowgo sticks with the golden customary Hobbywing 14s ESC which is paired with a regular OLED distant. Except you’re a beginner to the eskate scene, you’d know that the Hobbywing ESC offers {smooth} and intuitive management, from rocketing off from a standstill to buttery-smooth braking. The X5 Professional additionally comes with the Tuya Sensible App so you may customise your experience profile in your smartphone, together with key settings comparable to prime velocity, acceleration, and braking energy.
Motor – Twin 2500w 6368 160kv Belt Motors:
Subsequent, the Pioneer X5 runs on some hefty twin 2500W 6368 160KV belt Motors and Wowgo got here up with a novel design alternative and put covers over the belt drive, which is one thing you’d often see on gear drive motors, which protects them from mud and particles. The board offers substantial energy and is marketed to hit a prime velocity of 34mph (55 kph), which we managed to succeed in once we took it to the streets.
Vehicles – 45-Diploma Casting Vehicles Or 50-Diploma Cnc Vehicles:
Transferring onto the vans, the X5 provides two choices: 45-degree casting vans for $979 or 50-degree CNC vans for an additional $100. Wowgo despatched us the 50-degree CNC truck choice to overview. These are 50° CNC aluminum reverse kingpin precision vans which might be fairly huge at 9.2 inches. For reference, 8-inch vans are extra frequent with builds like this, and the additional width considerably impacts the experience profile, as we’ll clarify later.
For individuals who don’t want the additional sturdiness and peace of thoughts offered by CNC vans, it can save you $100 with the forged truck variant for $979. Nevertheless, for a board that may go 34 mph, we advocate the CNC vans for security. An fascinating characteristic of the X5 Professional’s truck setup is the distinction in base plate angles: the Professional mannequin has a 50° angle, whereas the usual model has a forty five° angle.
A 50-degree truck ought to flip extra sharply and shortly than a 45-degree truck if all else is stored equal. In case you are getting a Pioneer X5, simply get the CNC 50-degree vans. The rationale will grow to be fairly clear later.
Wheels – 105mm Galaxy Cloudwheels:
Subsequent, the Pioneer X5 makes use of 105mm Galaxy Cloudwheels, completely different from different 105mm wheels like Madwheelz 105 or Cloudwheel Discovery. This was our first expertise with the Cloudwheel Galaxy, which appears to have a bigger contact patch and is grippier than the Discovery Cloudwheels, although a bit much less gentle.
Lights:
The board additionally integrates an LED lighting system that emits a brilliant orange glow and flashes when braking, including each type and security for night time driving. The LEDs give off a definite orange glow, brilliant sufficient to show heads throughout daylight however actually shining throughout low-light and nighttime rides.
When it comes to performance, the LED system provides three modes: fixed, respiratory, and flashing. These are not any unusual LEDs; the board makes use of COB (Chip-On-Board) LEDs, that are densely packed, providing rather more intense gentle than typical LED strips you’d discover on-line. However they do drain your battery, so to maximise vary, you may need to tone down the sunshine present.
Specs Abstract of the Wowgo Pioneer X5
It’s clear that the WowGo Pioneer X5 isn’t competing on value, as there are a lot of $1000 boards with 12s3p and even 12s4p batteries, equally highly effective motors, solid vans, and branded wheels. That being mentioned, on specs alone, it’s nonetheless on par with the likes of Backfire Zealot X, probably the most fashionable boards for this value.
It definitely has a whole spec sheet that guarantees a fantastic—if not distinctive—experience, so let’s focus on that subsequent.
Trip Expertise on the Wowgo Pioneer X5
As we mentioned earlier than, the Pioneer X5 was constructed with energy in thoughts. From our expertise, its torque and energy rivals even the likes of the Meepo Voyager X Restricted, which in flip feels extra highly effective than the Backfire Zealot X. And this was performed on objective because the board was arrange particularly to harness that energy.
This energy is firstly complemented by the board’s stability with the selection of wider 9.2-inch vans, which, as we talked about, are considerably wider than the 8-inch vans discovered on Meepo and Backfire counterparts. Secondly, due to the Hobbywing ESC, the Pioneer X5 delivers very intuitive and {smooth} velocity management and is paired with the grippy 105mm wheels that preserve you safe on rougher roads. This 14s Hobbywing is definitely tuned to maximise energy. And highly effective it’s, you will have to brace your self for the acceleration that the board has to supply.
Subsequent, the deck’s medium flex isn’t bouncy sufficient to really feel unstable at excessive speeds, and the pronounced concave helps us lock our toes onto the deck whereas going quick.
We’re fairly stunned that Wowgo packed a lot energy on the X5. It felt extra highly effective than Zealot X, and Meepo Voyager Restricted, and people boards are already extraordinarily highly effective.
Click on right here to learn our overview of the Meepo Voyager Restricted
Click on right here to learn our overview of the Backfire Zealot X
We’re particularly stunned as a result of this was not what Wowgo tends to do. Once we discuss packing numerous warmth on the board, we sometimes consider Meepo, and maybe Tynee with their shortboards, however that is the primary time a Wowgo board went on this path.
Nevertheless, this power-oriented setup additionally means the board isn’t precisely made for carving. Regardless of the 50-degree vans, the turning radius continues to be huge, and the board isn’t very nimble with turns. Rider weight may make a distinction: most of our group weighs 154 lbs and located the board exhausting to show, whereas one in all our 198 lbs buddies discovered it fairly manageable. We predict the 9.2-inch vans could be overkill, making the board too steady and never maneuverable sufficient, however we heard switching to softer bushings can assist with this.
As for highway really feel, the 105mm Galaxy wheels are first rate at dealing with vibrations. Not like the Cloudwheel Discovery which has a foam core, the 105mm Galaxy feels tougher and takes away much less vibration. Fortunately, the wheels aren’t working alone right here. The versatile deck and the froth grip tape all contribute in making the board snug even when the highway circumstances are in any other case.
Verdict – Wowgo Pioneer X5
We’re a bit saddened that Wowgo selected to not follow the experience profile that began with the WowGo X3 and continued with the Pioneer X4. These predecessors have been identified for silky {smooth} experience and buttery {smooth} carving, emphasizing softer wheels, extra versatile deck, and really responsive vans. As an alternative, for the Pioneer X5, Wowgo took a unique flip completely making it an absolute beast. It has one in all, if not probably the most highly effective acceleration amongst its opponents. And to cater to energy, it makes use of huge vans that preserve you straight and regular. With that mentioned, we see Wowgo Pioneer X5 as a board finest for a smaller set of individuals—those that need excessive energy whereas prioritizing stability or, in different phrases, those that desire a board that beats even Meepo within the thrill recreation.
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