The Tynee Mini 3 doesn’t try to be overly fancy, offering just what most of us need in an electric skateboard: something that’s fast, fun, and most importantly – affordable.
The price for a brand new Tynee Mini 3 electric skateboard starts at just $559, putting this squarely in the budget category.
You can choose between several options, such as larger battery versions of the board, which will increase the price to as high as $729, but it’s still darn affordable when you look at what you get.
Tynee Mini 3 electric skateboard video review
What does it offer?
At just 16.3 lb or 7.4 kg, the Tynee Mini 3 is a lightweight electric shortboard that still packs in impressive power.
A pair of 850W motors offer a belt drive rear powertrain, though you can also opt for a pair of 700W hub motors if you prefer a quieter ride.
The belt drive allows more traditional rear wheels, and there, too you get a choice between 90mm or 105mm. I went with the larger diameter wheels for a slightly smoother ride.
The deck comes with 3mm padded grip tape up top for a bit of vibration dampening, plus a small kicktail in the deck for maneuvering. Down below the deck, you’ll find a chunky battery mount. Your choices for battery are either the 281 Wh or 393 Wh pack, with an estimated range of either 20 miles (32 km) or 26 miles (42 km), respectively.
The difference in the battery size results in a price gap of between $70-100, depending on which motors and wheels you go with, so I’d recommend upgrading to the larger battery if you’re at all concerned about range. It only adds barely over one pound, so the weight isn’t much different, but you get extra peace of mind knowing you can ride faster for longer without eating up so much battery charge.
With a top speed of 32 mph (52 km/h), if you’re pushing it fast most of the time, then you’ll be happy to have that extra battery capacity to increase your range.
For me personally, I generally tended to keep it under 25 mph (40 km/h) as my personal favorite sweet spot. It has the power to go higher, and you can use the different speed modes to limit your max speed, but I just don’t find the risk worth it, especially when riding on roads that I’m not familiar with.
While the board doesn’t come with many fancy features to ensure the price stays reasonable, it still has a few nice additions included in the design.
A rear tail light helps give you better visibility from behind as cars approach from the rear, though I always recommend a lighted helmet to give you higher-mounted lights as well. There’s a front bumper to keep you from cracking the nose of your board if you accidentally drive it into something (easier to do than you think when you put the remote in your pocket while forgetting to turn off the board), and there’s even an auto-on feature so the board turns on from the remote with you having to bend over and press the board’s “On” button.
There’s a brake pad under the kicktail, though I stick to using the motor braking from the remote. Even though I don’t brake with the tail, I do find that it makes a very nice handle for carrying the board around (and that’s one more advantage compared to a longboard, in that you can carry it without lifting the board higher to not drag on the ground).
The board doesn’t have the highest quality thousand-layer Canadian maple laminate board or the rarest and most expensive wheels, but it still rides great as a budget board. And considering most people who gravitate towards electric skateboards don’t already have a garage full of cars, keeping these prices reasonable is critical.
I love seeing more affordable entrants like these in the market as a way of opening up good performance and range to more riders without it costing an arm and a leg.
To me, the Tynee Mini 3 is a great board I’d recommend to friends and family who want a budget option that doesn’t break the bank. It carries enough features to be a comfortable and capable board yet remains accessible to students and anyone on a tight budget. That’s enough to get two thumbs up from me!
Author: Micah Toll
Source: Electrek
