3 tips on how to avoid buying a hoverboard that might explode

folarin okunola

December 8, 2015 11:08 AM

The popularity given to these fun devices has led to an unprecedented boom in sales and therefore manufacturing of hoverboards. Manufacturers can literally not make enough of these things.

Hoverboard

There is no denying that ‘hoverboards’ are easily the hottest toy/gadget of this holiday season. There is most likely a 90% chance that you know someone that wants one.

The popularity given to these fun devices has led to an unprecedented boom in sales and therefore manufacturing of hoverboards. Manufacturers can literally not make enough of these things.

The thing with this kind of demand is that some manufacturers will be tempted to cut corners just to keep up with their contemporaries.

Low-quality lithum-ion batteries and chargers can sometimes catch fire. There have been several reports in the US of hoverboards catching fire, and just last week, about 15,000 unsafe hoverboards entering the UK were seized. Some airlines have also deemed them unsafe as luggage.

So how do you get one that will definitely not explode? Unfortunately, there is no clear cut answer to that, but there are some generally guidelines you can follow. Here are three of them:

READ: 180-year old law makes riding hoverboards in public illegal

There is no ready-made recipe for a ‘safe’ and/or ‘unsafe’ hoverboard, so just follow these guidelines, and trust your gut. If your gut tells you it might not be safe, it probably isn’t safe.

folarin okunola