Reviews
Best Electric Scooters of 2022
Published
2 years agoon
2021 was when we all returned to work, hoping everything would return to normal. Everything did return to normal as expected – including outrageous prices at the pump. Driving doesn’t have the same appeal as it used to, especially for those returning to city life. I haven’t owned a car since 2019 and have been patiently waiting for Elon to debut flying cars to make my city commute more bearable.
Well, disappointingly, 2021 did not bring us flying cars. But it did get us an onslaught of electric scooters. Traffic jams, rotating the block for parking, and expensive maintenance are things of the past. Electric scooters are replacing cars in cities, and there’s no better time to get one than now. What are you waiting for, gas prices to go down?
Unfortunately, the world of electric scooters is still a relative niche market, and you might not be able to tell a cheap Chinese knock-off brand from a reputable manufacturer. That’s why we decided to put together a list of the best electric and reputable scooters on the market today. We’ve tested about 20 electric scooters ourselves and have narrowed the list down to a few that we can confidently recommend. Enjoy!
Kaabo Mantis Pro SE from Voro Motors ($2299)
Let’s start with the biggest bang for your bucks electric scooter, the Kaabo Mantis Pro SE. SE stands for a special edition made in collaboration with Voro Motors. You can tell it’s an SE edition by the unique gold trims.
This scooter was designed for enthusiasts; however, it’s an easy one to recommend to anyone at this price range. Whatever you’re looking for in a scooter, whether it’s impressive build quality, craftsmanship, performance, portability (for its class), or value, the Kaabo Mantis Pro SE edition from Voro Motors has it all.
Packed with dual 1000W motors (combined 2000W), it’s the fastest and most powerful scooter on this list. The sheer power combined with world-class engineering lets you go from 0 – 15 miles in less than 2 seconds and max out at 45 miles per hour. That was not a typo. Yes…45 miles per hour. That’s twice the speed limit of most city roads.
Quick specs:
Price: $2299 (for 2022 24AH version)
Top speed: 45mph
Battery range: 40 miles
Scooter weight: 65lbs
Tires: 10″ tubed tires. 3″ wide
Max load: 330lbs
Motor: Dual 1000W Motors (2000W total)
Brakes: Zoom Hydraulic brakes
The Kaabo Mantis’ battery can last up to 45 miles, making it the longest-lasting scooter on this list. You can probably see why we put this one first.
The one downside would be the weight. At 65 lbs, it’s the heaviest scooter on this list. However, compared to most scooters in its class, this is one of the lightest high-performance scooters on the market.
You are getting something for all of that extra weight. The Kaabo Mantis is exceptionally well built and can handle up to 330lbs.
(Full review coming soon)
Shell Ride SR-5S ($649)
For those who don’t have $2299 to drop on a scooter, the Shell Ride SR-5S is the perfect alternative.
The Shell Ride SR-5S is a compact, fast, and reliable scooter with one of the best build qualities on a scooter at this price range. It’s hard to tell from pictures, but this scooter is exceptionally well built with a wobble-proof solid steel folding stem.
Everything about the SR-5S screams quality. Riding it around the city, we’ve never heard a single rattle or felt anything come loose. The handlebar is wide with a firm spatula grip. The bell is an actual bell instead of a spring-action mechanism used by cheaper scooters.
Quick specs:
Price: $629
Top speed: 15.5 – 20mph
Battery range: 18-20 miles
Scooter weight: 30.4lbs
Tires: 8.5″ semi-pneumatic
Max load: 220lbs
Motor: Front 350W Motor
Brakes: Rear disc brake & electric front brake
It has a range of 20 miles and a top speed of about 20 miles. These numbers will vary depending on your weight, road condition, and other environmental factors.
Three features separate the SR-5S from most other scooters. First is how secure and easy it is to fold and unfold the scooter. The stem uses a unique sheath sliding mechanism that lets you fold/unfold the scooter in less than 5 seconds. The locking mechanism is also secure, making it easier to carry around than most.
The second feature is how quickly the scooter starts up. Pressing the power button brings the scooter to life within 1 second, and you’re ready to go. The built-in display is simple, functional, and visible even on bright sunny days.
The third feature is the Shell Ride App. The SR-5S is one of few scooters with robust App integration. I was skeptical at first and thought the App may have been an after-thought. To my surprise, it’s an exceptionally well-designed interface that connects seamlessly with the scooter. You don’t need an App for any scooter, but it’s nice to see your average speed, total mileage, etc.
The one downside is the small 8.5 semi-pneumatic wheels. They’re a bit small for the speed this scooter can handle. At 12-15mph, you’ll be fine. However, at 18-20 mph, it can get risky on uneven roads.
If you’re looking for a lightweight and high-quality scooter to make short commutes in the city, you can’t go wrong with the Shell Ride SR-5S
Levy Plus Electric Scooter ($699)
The Levy Plus is one of the lightest and most portable scooters on this list. Despite weighing only 30 lbs, it’s capable of 18 mph with a range of 20 miles on cushy 10″ pneumatic tires.
Quick specs:
Price: $629
Top speed: 18 mph
Battery range: 20 miles
Scooter weight: 30lbs
Tires: 10″ pneumatic tires
Max load: 220lbs
Motor: Front 350W Motor
Brakes: Rear disc brake & electric front brake
The battery is removable, however we didn’t feel like this was a very useful feature. Given the scooter doesn’t come with an extra battery. That will be an added cost. So most of the time, you’re just plugging directly into the scooter to charge.
The 1-step latching mechanism to fold and unfold is quick, easy, and offers wobble-free operation. The Levy Plus is one of the most accessible and most convenient electric scooters. Using the Levy Plus, I could get to work, board public transit, and bring the scooter into Starbucks with ease.
My one complaint would be the lack of app integration. Given that Levy does have an App for their Fleet products, I felt one should’ve been published for their scooters.
Glion Balto ($799)
The Balto is already such a unique scooter that’s differentiating itself from anything on the market. We like that the team at Glion didn’t just use a copy/paste design and instead re-imagined what functionality would look like—introducing the Glion Balto, the only scooter that comes standard with a removable seat and grocery rack AND a high-torque 750W motor.
Quick specs:
Price: $799
Top speed: 17 mph
Battery range: 20 miles
Scooter weight: 38lbs
Tires: 12″ pneumatic tires
Max load: 255lbs
Motor: Front 750W Motor
Brakes: Rear disc brake & electric front brake
It has a top speed of about 17mph, a range of 20 miles, and a maximum load capacity of 255lbs. The removable 500W battery pack also doubles as a portable power station to charge your devices. However, you’ll need to buy a $139 inverted from Glion, sold separately, to use that feature. That may or may not be your favorite thing about the Balto.
What WILL be your favorite thing about the Balto are the massive 12″ pneumatic tires. These are the most oversized tires to have ever been fitted on a scooter. These tires are ready to take on poorly serviced city roads and potholes.
The one major downside with the Balto is portability. At 38lbs, the weight is manageable. However, it’s far too big even when folded to bring into public spaces. You’ll likely want to lock this outside on a bike rack.
I have to admit, the grocery rack in the back was not a selling point for me. However, I’ve grown to love it, especially when I need to make a quick trip to Aldi’s every week. If you’re looking to pick up girls on your scooter, look elsewhere (actually, don’t look at scooters altogether). But if you’re looking for an all-in-one scooter that’s great for commuting and grocery trips, there’s nothing better. The Glion Balto is screaming your name.
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Reviews
Writesonic Review: Is this the Best Content Writing Tool in 2023?
Published
2 weeks agoon
September 4, 2023AI-assisted content writing is becoming popular. However, many wonder how to use it and if it sounds authentic. Writesonic is one of the many AI writing assistants transforming content creation. This article will help you understand Writesonic better, along with its features. Continue reading to learn more.
Overview of Writesonic
Writesonic is an AI-powered writing software that can help anyone generate an article or social media post. Writesonic uses GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and the new GPT-4 32K. In addition to these powerhouse large language models (LLMs), it’s like having a freelance writer on call 24 hours a day. Input some keywords, product descriptions, or phrases to work with, and it will return computer-generated results.
Why even use this writing app? It can help you with the so-called writer’s block and solve problems with structured writing, such as headlines, meta descriptions, etc. It’s so good that it sits near the top of our list of best AI content generators for 2023.
Key Features of Writesonic
Many people come to Writesonic because of its AI writing tool. But as Writesonic evolves, it creates other opportunities for users to apply advanced AI tools to different areas of their
tasks. Below are the three remarkable features of Writesonic.
1. AI Article and Blog Writer
Writesonic’s flagship product is its AI writer. It allows you to create long-form content using a simple four-step process.
- You’ll start with a topic; the AI will generate several titles/article ideas.
- After choosing a title, you’ll be given a few introduction options.
- Next, you’ll get outline options.
- Once you have selected a title, introduction, and outline, the program will generate your content.
A portion of the AI article generated with the title “How to Earn from TikTok Advertising
Writesonic’s AI article and blog writer is helpful for content creators, marketers, and businesses that need to produce content regularly. The tool supports content generation in 25 languages. It also allows users to set the tone of the content, ranging from exciting and professional to funny and dramatic. Writesonic can also mix different types of content creation within a single document so that you can easily create highly tailored pieces of content.
The tool can also rephrase content, expand sentences, and condense lengthy paragraphs, making it invaluable for enhancing and refining content.
2. Chatsonic AI Chat Assistant
Writesonic’s AI chat assistant mimics human-like conversation, providing users with a more interactive and engaging experience. It’s one of the better ChatGPT alternatives out there. Chatsonic brings multiple different skills to the table within the chat interface. It natively has access to the internet and current, live data to get you the most accurate responses. It can also handle requests to generate AI art and images.
3. Botsonic AI Conversational Chatbot
This feature increases customer interaction by providing personalized and interactive conversations. Developed to understand and respond to user inputs conversationally, it makes interactions more natural and engaging. It achieves this by building off OpenAI’s API and appending prompt instructions with user chat messages.
Businesses can leverage this feature to automate customer interactions, provide personalized recommendations, and engage users in interactive conversations. For instance, a travel agency can use Botsonic to provide customized travel recommendations based on a user’s preferences and previous interactions.
Any business can “train” the AI chatbot on their data by uploading knowledgebase articles or providing specific URLs from which the bot should get information. This allows users to benefit from GPT-4 with their in-house data explicitly written for a single business.
Pricing Plans
Writesonic offers various pricing plans to cater to different needs, from individual users to businesses and teams. The Pro plan is the plan most will get because it gives access to all the features.
Free Plan
The free plan allows you to try out all the features of Writesonic. It includes 10,000 words per month with a one-user limit. Some features include the following:
- a ChatGPT-like chatbot
- an AI chatbot builder
- 100+ AI templates
- browser extensions,
- one-click WordPress export
- support for 25+ languages.
It’s important to note that this is a “free plan” and not a “free trial.” Use it every month if you like; it does not expire.
Business Plan
Businesses and agencies needing a set amount of generated words per month will typically opt for this plan.
It costs $19 per month and includes 200,000 words. It offers all the features from the free plan, plus:
- access to GPT-4 and GPT-4 32K
- a factual and personalized article writer
- an unlimited no-code AI chatbot builder
- an article paraphrase/rewriter
- Writesonic API
- Surfer integration
- access to priority support.
Unlimited
The unlimited plan is best for individuals and freelancers.
It costs $20 per month for an unlimited number of words. This plan is subject to Writesonic’s Fair Use Policy. Some of the inclusions of the unlimited plan are:
Chatsonic: ChatGPT-like chatbot
- 100+ AI Templates
- AI Article Writer
- Browser Extensions
- 1-Click WordPress Export
- Zapier Integration
- Landing Page Generator
- Sonic Editor (Google Docs like Editor)
- Complete Article Rewriter
- Brand Voice
- Factual and Personalized Article Writer (AI Article Writer 5.0; Uses GPT-4 32K)
- API Access
Enterprise Plan
This plan is best for content teams and whole businesses. It offers custom packages, AI model development, onboarding, and better customer support.
Choosing this requires contacting sales for custom pricing.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Suitable for all different types of content
- Generates plagiarism-free content
- User-friendly dashboard
- Write engaging social media content
- Create perfectly optimized ad copy
- Works on all essential platforms
- Includes an AI art generator
Cons:
- Sometimes, the quality of content is not good enough
- Makes content mistakes that need to be fixed
Conclusion
Writesonic is a powerful tool to use for producing your written content. While many platforms offer content generation options, Writesonic can assist with almost anything you need to write. It has features tailored for specific types of content instead of just one tool to write all content.
However, Writesonic does not claim that its AI can create perfect content independently. Instead, it aims to be a tool where humans can leverage AI to speed up content generation while still producing quality outputs.
Reviews
Planner 5D Review: Is it a Reliable Tool for Interior Designers?
Published
3 weeks agoon
September 1, 2023Homeowners and interior designers save time and money using an interior design app. But, with so many online and mobile applications today, choosing the right interior design app may take time and effort. That’s why we’ll discuss Planner 5D, an app that harnesses creativity while planning and creating your own home. Let’s find out.
What is Planner 5D?
Planner 5D is an architecture tool that helps interior designers and home decorators create 2D or 3D floor plans. It allows amateurs to adjust the furniture sizes, walls, and colors to match the look of the building. Meanwhile, professionals can use it to create, save, and share designs with homeowners.
Planner 5D founders developed the app to help non-professionals visualize their future homes. With years of experience in design software development, they wanted to offer a simple tool to assist those who don’t have the means to hire an interior design agency.
Planner 5D works on various platforms, including web, iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows.
In just a few years, this Lithuania-based company has grown into a robust service with more than 64 million users and over 300 million interior design projects created.
Features of Planner 5D
Building a beautiful home with Planner 5D only requires three easy steps.
1. Layout and Design
2. Furnish and Edit
3. Visualize and Share
1. Layout and Design
- Use the 2D mode to create the house’s layout. The app provides a painter format and an automatic navigator to design floor plans by drawing lines on a grid line background.
- Once you’re done creating the floor plan and customizing measurements, you can add elements like walls, windows, and doorways to create a replica of the space you want to design. It’s good that the windows and door “snapped” directly to the walls and they automatically aligned at the right angle to the other walls.
- The details of these elements, such as their size and elevation from the floor, are also easy to adjust. This can be done by double-clicking on them and punching in the measurements in the toolbox found on the screen’s bottom.
- Continue adding the construction features until you have completed the layout of your physical space and are satisfied with how it looks.
- You can also use customizable preset templates if you prefer going through the easy route. These templates work nicely to familiarize yourself with different layouts, but we didn’t find them particularly useful. The free version only has a limited number of these template options.
- Using Planner 5D on mobile devices also presents a Capture Your Room feature to simplify the process. Once you give the camera access to the app, you can move your phone around to record the visual representation of the room, giving the app the data it needs to sketch it in 2D.
2. Edit and Customize
- Once you’re done creating the layout, click the Customize Interiors option to fill in the space according to your architectural taste.
- Add tables, chairs, unique floor textures, wall patterns, and more. You’d be glad to know that the catalog isn’t only restricted to indoor items but includes plenty of outdoor furniture like pools, fences, plants, and trees.
- With such an extensive collection of items organized in easy-to-find categories, the software dramatically simplifies the process, making it intuitive and beginner-friendly.
- You must drag the pieces out of the library and place them in your desired spot. Move them around or double-click on them to change their color, style, and other details.
3. Visualize and Share
- Complete your architectural drawing using the Render feature. The system will simulate your 2D sketch and the included elements in the most photorealistic way. It adds rich colors, lighting, and shadows to make your work look like a photograph.
- Compared to other software, Planner 5D gives you 3D models with a single tap instead of tinkering with existing 3D pieces.
- You can also quickly switch from 2D to 3D mode to view and compare how different combinations look. If you find a potential error or need any changes, swap back to the 2D designer format and tweak until satisfied. Since there’s no restriction regarding the number of revisions, you can spend as much time as you want to fine-tune for the perfect 3D modeling.
Pricing
You can use Planner 5D for free, but only some catalog items are available. This may restrict your design possibilities, which is why you may want to try your hands on the Premium Membership.
The premium subscription packages include the following:
- Individual: $19.99/month or $59.99/year, giving you access to the complete catalog, five textures, five renders, academy courses, and plan recognition.
- Commercial: $399.99/year, giving you access to all custom textures, 360° panorama, lifelike 4K renders, and custom branded profile.
However, if you’re not ready to subscribe to a complete package, you can purchase renders individually at $7.99 for 20 and up to $39.99 for 200 HD pics).
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Straightforward performance
- A rich collection of items
- Works across multiple platforms
- All-purpose solution
- Supports multiple languages
Cons
- The free version has many restrictions
- The web version loads the system and makes your computer sluggish
- There are too many pop-ups in the mobile version
- Sometimes, glitches when functioning
Final Verdict
Planner 5D is a meticulously crafted service that boasts seamless functionality across various platforms. Its user-friendly interface ensures a smooth experience, enabling swift project creation regardless of your chosen device. The process of selecting and modifying objects feels instinctive, while the presence of measurements in the 2D mode ensures effortless precision throughout your design journey. While the comprehensive features require a subscription, the free version provides ample opportunity to thoroughly explore the service before getting a premium plan.
Regardless of your expertise, the Planner 5D app is undeniably worth considering.
Are you finally at that point where you can finally build your dream home? If you are, try designing it first with a simple floor plan maker for free. Here’s a list of the best ones!
1. Cedreo
Cedreo is a great online floor plan maker for professional and personal use. It’s best to go through the tutorial first to get a glimpse of how the floor plan maker works. Their free plan maker doesn’t only let you add furnishing to your floor plan but also lets you choose materials for walls and flooring.
If you need a simple floor plan maker for free, the Floor Plan Creator should be at the top of your list. It has features like creating different-shaped rooms, wall drawings, and stairs. Plus, there’s an app you can download too.
2. Floor Plan Creator
3. Planner 5D
You don’t need an architectural background to use the free Planner 5D floor plan creator. It’s jam-packed with features that will help you visualize your future home. From furniture to outdoor items, Planner5D has it for you. When using this floor plan maker, make sure that you sign up so it won’t prompt you every time you click on various floor plan elements.
4. Visual Paradigm
Unlike other floor plan makers in this list, Visual Paradigm gives you ready-to-use templates for residential and commercial properties. Here, you can change up the placements of elements like walls and furniture. Plus, you can export the image without registering on the site when you’re good with a draft of your floor plan.
5. Home by Me
Home by Me is another simple floor plan maker for free that’s beginner-friendly. It’s easy to visualize your dream home thanks to their furnishing and decoration features. Plus, you can choose among branded household items and furniture as part of your imagined floor plan.
6. Sweet Home 3D
Although their site is not updated, Sweet Home 3D is one other floor plan maker to use. To start, you can choose among different homes and bedroom types. Or you could use an empty plan. Similar to other floor plan makers in this list, you can move things around and visualize your dream home with walls, doors, and furniture. Sweet Home 3D is also available for download as software.
7. Kozikaza
When you use Kozikaza, you can create a new plan or one from a current one, or form a new shape. Like some floor plans in this list, you don’t need to sign up for an account. In this online software, you can decorate the interior and exterior. One feature not seen in most floor plan makers is the electrical setting to add plugs and electric applications.
8. ArchiPlain
Here’s another no-fuss and simple floor plan maker free to use. Although ArchiPlain doesn’t have 3D renderings, it’s still worth a try. Beginners, real estate agents, and interior designers can use this floor plan maker.
9. Homestyler
Homestyler is one of the free best floor plan makers online, from templated house and room designs to empty plans. This is a perfect tool for professionals, but those who want to build their dream home can also enjoy envisioning their new home.
10. PlanningWiz
When you open PlanningWiz, you have three options, provide room measurements, open a saved design, OR start with sample designs. You can start with sample designs, especially if you have no experience using floor plan makers. In addition, you can also draw flooring, rooms, walls and add furniture as needed.
11. Roomle
Unlike most floor plan makers in this list, Roomle immediately has 3D renders of furniture and appliances for your dream home. It doesn’t have the grids you usually see in floor plan makers. You have to draw lines for rooms and add the furniture as needed. To start here, you need to sign up to play around with the floor plan maker.
12. Smartdraw
SmartDraw can seem intimidating to non-professionals, but it will help create a simple floor plan. You can start with an empty plan or use preloaded room templates to make it easier and faster for you to produce a floor plan. It may not have the sophisticated 3D rendering, but it’s a great starting point for those who want to envision their dream home.
14. MagicPlan
MagicPlan is an app available both on the Play and App Store. It’s ideal for those on the go and want to design their dream home anywhere. The basic features are there, but you need to upgrade to unlock other objects to get more out of the app.
15. Room Planner
Here’s another floor plan maker available as an app. As compared to Magic Plan, Room Planner has a more simple approach to adding objects and walls. Plus, there’s a wide selection of objects to choose from to help you create your dream home.
16. Floorplanner
Here’s another simple floor plan maker for free to use. When using Floorplanner, you have to sign up first to access their service. From there, you can choose among a room wizard, an image upload, or an empty plan. If you’re a beginner, the Room Wizard is the best choice in designing your floor plan.
For other content and articles, read more here at Owner’s Mag!