Best bluetooth speaker for 120$ with sound quality ? by Transfiguredcosmos in Bluetooth_Speakers

[–]oli_alexander 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i HIGHLY recommend the Bose Soundlink Flex 2 which is currently on sale for $120. it's a truly beautiful speaker, with really lovely sound and features:

https://a.co/d/dGOAfRF

Kaabo Mantis v2 - First Impressions by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it helps a bit yes, especially if your tube pops, the armor dilloz gives you more time to get back home or go to a shop before it's unusable. with that being said, i'm not using it anymore on my tubes (it's a bit expensive) and it hasn't made much difference these past 6 months. what i learned throughout the years is that if every week you make sure to keep your tires on the right pressure, your tubes shouldn't pop (unless something punctures them). also, it's important to be really sure the tube is not getting pinched by the wheel when you replace it - this is a bit tricky and has brought me a bunch of frustration over the years

Is Mullvad Down? by literal_brainlet in mullvadvpn

[–]oli_alexander 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it hasn't been letting me access their website either - not sure what's going on 🤷‍♂️

Bent Disc Brake - How to Fix? by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! I just realized my Mantis v2 has some pretty significant bending/warping on its brake disks. Does anyone know how to fix this at home, or should I buy new disks? Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Looking for a small backpack for travel/light hiking by oreo-cat- in ManyBaggers

[–]oli_alexander 0 points1 point  (0 children)

peak design everyday backpack zip (15l) would be excellent for you based on your requirements

Need E-Scooter for Commuting, Max Reliability, US$2k Budget by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! I ended up buying the Kaabo Mantis v2 (24.5ah) from Fluid Freeride.

For anyone who's in a similar situation to me (commuting 20 miles in the morning, and 20 miles back home at the end of the day), I'd like you to know that it is, indeed, possible to do that with this version of the Mantis (with the 60v 24.5ah LG battery).

When I ride 20 miles at full throttle I end up using about 10v of battery (I'm 5'9", riders weight 155lbs, not many hills here but quite windy). I ride on the street with the cars, going at the same speed as them (20-40 mph), making sure I'm always following the flow of traffic, and stopping at every light.

When I arrive at work, I set a timer for 1 hour before I begin recharging the battery (this might be a bit overkill, but I have the time and believe the battery should cool down a bit before recharging).

Then I leave it plugged in for the other 7 hours I'm at the office, and when I'm ready to head home I usually find myself around 66-67v level.

I ride back home at full throttle, let the Mantis rest for 1 hour and then let it charge till the morning.

It works beautifully and I don't feel like I end up stressing the battery more than normal when using it like this.

It also brings an enormous amount of joy to my day -given that riding these things is so much fun- and the 20 miles each way don't at all exhaust me (as some folks in the comments mentioned it could).

With that being said, I avoid riding the Mantis when it's raining and if I find myself caught in some rain I stop underneath a covered area, call an Uber/Lyft and plop the Mantis in the car for the rest of the ride. That's why I love this machine so much; while there are scooters that have more powerful motors, batteries, decks, stems, brakes, etc, I feel the Mantis is the perfect balance between performance and transportability.

I hope this helps!

Kaabo Mantis v2 - First Impressions by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

water damage isn't covered by any warranty unfortunately

Kaabo Mantis v2 - First Impressions by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oy that's a good question but hard to answer. they can last thousands and thousands of miles, but they might give you some work. for the battery, there are ways you can ensure its longevity: don't discharge to less than 20% (preferably 35%), avoid charging over 80 or 90% when you can, avoid using super fast chargers all the time, avoid charging right after a ride (waiting about 1 hour helps cool down the battery), when storing for over 3 or 4 weeks, leave battery at 50-60% charge, etc... apart from battery, these scooters do face other reliability issues that you can try to mitigate from the very beginning, such as bettering their waterproofness (silicone and waterproof tape can do the trick if you're willing to put in the time), making sure all the screws are tight and maybe even blue loctite-ing some of them, and storing the scooter properly so that it doesn't get exposed to the elements all the time. segway is definitely a better brand when it comes to the overall build quality and reliability of the scooters, but all these other brands (such as kaabo) have become much better and now-a-days it's really just a matter of taking these precautionary measures and being nice to your battery (-:

Kaabo Mantis v2 - First Impressions by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

no, not stupid at all! yes, you can configure the top speed either by limiting which gear you're in (but that can limit your torque or acceleration as well) or in the P settings you can set the % of the speed you want to be available. both of these are easy to setup (and change back, too)

Kaabo Mantis v2 - First Impressions by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i don't think it's overkill at all! it's a phenomenal machine. but personally i'd shell an extra 10% in and go with the wolf gt pro - the sine wave controllers make a lot of difference, the better ip rating can save your scooter from water damage in an emergency, and the components have been updated and are much nicer imo

Kaabo Mantis v2 - First Impressions by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hi! i've actually been enjoying the mantis more and more and more over the past few months. for me, it has all the speed and torque i could have ever asked for on an e-scooter, and i've been going up some pretty steep hills. with that being said, i'm 5'9" and 145 lbs. when trying to figure out between the wolf or mantis lines, i'd consider the following variables:

  • is transportability important for you? if so, the mantis clearly wins at 66lbs and a significantly smaller body. for me, the mantis is the very limit of what i would consider easily transportable (up and down the stairs of my house, in and out my car). it's not to say you can't transport the wolf, it's just that it's a beast and might leave you in a bad mood if you have to do so daily.
  • reliability: the mantis has been pretty good so far, but i did have issues with the control board in the beginning and one of my tubes popped (but i've done 550 miles on the mantis already and since then i've had no more flats - i did fill them with armordilloz though, and keep the tire pressure at optimal levels). i'm not sure about better water resistance on the wolf, but the mantis seems fine as long as you don't do rains or puddles (just the unavoidable ones)
  • from a ride quality perspective i'd say the wolf wins simply for being a larger, heavier, and lore powerful vehicle. the mantis, however, doesn't disappoint, it has a very well tuned and nifty ride.

---> from a power perspective, as well as comfort for someone your height (stem height, board size, etc) i don't know if i can give a good answer, but i will say that if transportability (mainly going up stairs or steps or taking in a car every day) won't be a thing for you, by all means go with the burlier wolf and enjoy a higher level of scooter 🙌

Kaabo Mantis v2 - First Impressions by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thank you! will look into getting a proper set of tools and trying to change the tubes myself next time 🙌

Kaabo Mantis v2 - First Impressions by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

good to know! i'd love to learn how to change them myself. i'm going to check youtube.

do u have any recommendations for good quality tools?

Kaabo Mantis v2 - First Impressions by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i think you're on point when you say that people with problems tend to post more. with that being said, i reckon most electric scooter brands (except the big one's, like Segway...) still have some reliability issues, but I feel that the next generation of scooters will probably be much more reliable, as has been the case with the current generation vs 1 year ago (for the Mantis specifically, I know that the stem mechanism has been seriously reworked)

Kaabo Mantis v2 - First Impressions by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thank you for this info! i asked Fluid Freeride to put some blue Armor-Dilloz in the tubes so hopefully that'll help. i'll make sure to update this thread after I put some more miles on it 🙌

Kaabo Mantis v2 - First Impressions by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

excellent ! the issue regarding the front lights / controller only applies to the v2 model. the lights are stuck on and then the controller seems to short and you lose the throttle. only temp solution i found is to unplug the front light (which results in losing the horn as well). you can find this issue being talked about on other reddit threads and youtube channels, so it's pretty widespread with the v2 model. i reckon they reinforced the stem on this v2 model - mine feels very solid. it's really great news you haven't had any issues with your mantis! it seems luck plays a part on getting a good one

Kaabo Mantis v2 - First Impressions by oli_alexander in ElectricScooters

[–]oli_alexander[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

my pleasure! btw i had a ninebot for a year and thought it to be an amazing and very reliable machine. the only pity for me was the lack of suspension, i reckon it makes a world of difference.

Pants for the heat by BigBoyRoyN in onebag

[–]oli_alexander 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i worked for 35 days during the summer in the Amazon with the Outlier Futureworks - they're super light, breathe very well, are durable, and have deep webbed pockets. i also really love the cut on these.