Newest Christmas Gift Craze - Hoverboards....just curious...

[jrmasm]

My 11 dd wants one. Only reason she's not getting one is because we're going to Disney in the summer so my budget is pretty small for Xmas this year.

I have no problem with her saving her own money to buy one. She's used one several times with no issues.

 

[luvsJack]

Dd said she would wait until they acrually hover lol.

 

[mombrontrent]

Huh. I don't know. My kids don't watch TV (meaning most of the "fad" things pass us by) but my students certainly do. Maybe I just haven't been paying attention. I only live an hour from Washington DC so I'm not in the boondocks.

My kids watch TV but only Netflix so they don't see commercials. Now my kids know about them and I have seen them in the mall but I have yet to see somebody actually riding one outside on the street, just demo-ing in the mall.

 

[MickeySP]

My DGD(7) wants one, when her parents said NO! She started in on the grandparents - this is a Mom & Dad call. So nope she's not getting one at least this year.

 

[soccerdad72]

My 15 year old bought one a few months ago. He paid like $300 - got it off Amazon from a Chinese supplier, so it took 4-5 weeks to come. Most you'll see in catalogs and such are about $500, I think.

He has no problem on the thing, but I've yet to try it. I'm not nearly as agile as he is, though.

 

[katie111]

My DS12 wants one but is not getting it. He wants an iPhone too so he's not getting both. Plus I think they are dangerous. My nephew who is 9 is getting one from his grandparents which i think is just crazy. I think he's way too young snd he's also a total daredevil so I think it could be a disaster.

 

[mom2rtk]

My DS12 wants one but is not getting it. He wants an iPhone too so he's not getting both. Plus I think they are dangerous. My nephew who is 9 is getting one from his grandparents which i think is just crazy. I think he's way too young snd he's also a total daredevil so I think it could be a disaster.

But don't you want to see if he can text and hover at the same time?

 

[pjlla]

FWIW..... DS asked to buy one with his first paycheck this summer (he is 17). I was hesitant, but agreed. He got it in about 3 weeks and loves it! The learning curve was zero! That being said, he has ridden a Segway several times and the concept is identical (but without the handle bar). I was able to ride it fairly well the first or second try (I also have ridden a Segway several times). DS has also allowed friends to ride (with parental permission) and even had the school principal on it once (but he tried to show off by jumping off it and fell).

I could definitely see the possibility of an injury.... if you are riding at top speed and the board hits a rock or crack and stops short, you would definitely keep going.... but certainly no more dangerous than a skateboard, Ripstick, or the like. Use caution, wear a helmet (and knee pads and wrist guards if you are so inclined), and start slow and it should be fine.

Yes, I have heard the news reports about the fires..... and it does cause me pause, since DS keeps his in the home office and charges it there.... but I'm thinking of asking him to start storing it in the garage.

But all of that being said, you know yourself and your child best and if you feel it should be a "no go" then go with your gut! .................P

 

[AppleDumpling]

I am very leery of them, but would probably allow it for an older kid, say 12 or over, who is coordinated or athletic. Definitely would wear a helmet and use it in a controlled area- i.e., an empty parking lot or park, not on a street or sidewalk with heavy traffic.

I'm sure it's a lot harder to use than it looks. I think it will be a popular fad for at least a few years, similar to the Razor scooters, and like the Razors will also have a high incidence of injuries. Also, Heelys, which I think were worse because kids would wear them in stores and crowded public places like WDW, and zip in and out, cutting people off or ramming into them. (Glad that fad has died!)

 

[LJSquishy]

I don't think they're any more dangerous than other motorized toys (other than the ones setting fire, of course!). I totally want one!

 

[Kitty 34]

If the price was much lower I probably would have bought one for one of my sons when they were older (mid teens anyway) but then we were the kind of parents that built tree houses/ forts bought bikes, skateboards, trampolines, paintball guns, BB guns, and other items that could cause bodily harm. Our boys lived thru all of them which made us very lucky parents!!!

 

[Tinkermommy]

I have only seen two guys using them both times in the crowded Atlanta airport.

I hate to say it but my first thought was "hipster dufus."

 

[CampbellzSoup]

It's just amazing how it works though isn't it?

 

[kimmar067]

It depends on where you get them. They range from 150 on up. Doesn't really matter who you get it from as they are all made on factories in China and every factory is just churning out as many of these as they can while the trend is hot. When this trend is over they will move on to the next thing. I read that some brands are even made in the same exact factory and the company that sells them just boxes them in different boxes and their logo and then charges more than the same one that another company is selling even though they are exactly the same.

...commercialism at its finest.

 

[Dr Gunnie]

We bought my 10 year old son one for Christmas. Tracking shows it should be here Thursday. I will have to ues a lot of restraint not to play with it first.

 

[kimmar067]

....does anyone know why they spontaneously combust?

 

[anniemae]

This fad has not come to our house thankfully! I just googled it and it is just a skateboard, but with 2 big wheels on the end. Not sure what the hype is? I must be missing something. I watched a video of various people falling. I am so glad nobody asked for one!

 

[MomofKatie]

This fad has not come to our house thankfully! I just googled it and it is just a skateboard, but with 2 big wheels on the end. Not sure what the hype is? I must be missing something. I watched a video of various people falling. I am so glad nobody asked for one!

I think it is more like a Segway without the handle- it is powered so that when you are on it and lean the way you want to go, it goes.

 

[wilkeliza]

....does anyone know why they spontaneously combust?

Cheap batteries with chargers that are too powerful.

Same thing that could happen if you use an un-authorized 3rd party charger with your phone.

 

[WorldWacky]

I am very leery of them, but would probably allow it for an older kid, say 12 or over, who is coordinated or athletic. Definitely would wear a helmet and use it in a controlled area- i.e., an empty parking lot or park, not on a street or sidewalk with heavy traffic.

I'm sure it's a lot harder to use than it looks. I think it will be a popular fad for at least a few years, similar to the Razor scooters, and like the Razors will also have a high incidence of injuries. Also, Heelys, which I think were worse because kids would wear them in stores and crowded public places like WDW, and zip in and out, cutting people off or ramming into them. (Glad that fad has died!)

There's a kid in our neighborhood that hot one over the summer. I hadn't heard any buzz about them until more recently. At the time I saw him riding in the street I thought to myself, "My kids are never getting one of those thing!"
Your post, AppleDumpling, struck me because at Walmart last week, I was nearly run over by a worker racing around the store in his Heely's! Twice I was almost hit. I couldn't believe this guy was allowed to wear them at work!