The 10 Best Kick Scooters
Special Honors
SwiftyONE MK3 The SwiftyONE MK3 is a critically acclaimed adult scooter designed and engineered for the urban environment. It easily glides over mixed terrain on 16-inch, high-pressure pneumatic tires and offers front and rear brakes. The slim, heat-treated aluminum folding frame makes it suitable for carrying onto public transport and storing away when you've reached your destination. It arrives fully assembled, weighs less than 13 pounds, and can accommodate users up to 6'4" and 330 pounds. The company also offers models built for rough terrain and off-road trails, children, and fitness-oriented units made for low-impact cardio. swiftyscooters.com
Editor's Notes
April 08, 2021:
In this update, we removed the Fuzion X-3 Pro due to concerns with the low quality of its wheels, which can crack and break, causing a safety concern. We also removed the Mongoose Expo because of issues with its wheel bearings. The Hudora 230 Big Wheel was removed due to availability concerns.
We replaced the Razor A2 with the Razor A3, a similar model that offers many of the same features as the A2, like a wheelie bar and spring-less shock system. However, the A3 has bigger wheels, which makes for a smoother ride and better control.
New to the list, the Swagtron K8 is a good choice for adults looking for either a hobby or a way to commute. It comes with a bell attached to the handlebars, in case you need to get the attention of others on the road.
The LaScoota Sit N' Scoot is a good choice for young kids who need extra support. It features a removable seat and has a stable, self-balancing design. Its wheels also light up, providing a cool look and extra visibility.
The Osprey Offroad, unlike most other models, isn't limited to pavement and asphalt. Its large, high-traction tires allow it to be used on dirt trails.
January 07, 2020:
Scooters, whether they're of the electric variety or manual like the ones on this list, offer an excellent way to get around and are fun to ride. It's important to remember that they can still be dangerous, though, and whether you're an adult or a child you should always wear safety gear, including a helmet. When purchasing a scooter for kids, be sure to teach them about road safety and awareness, and caution them to stay well away from cars and stick to sidewalks and pavement. Children around toddler age should always be supervised when riding.
It's a good idea to regularly inspect your model to ensure it's in working condition. And while scooters are very durable, with some even meant for extreme tricks, many are still not designed to be rammed into other objects with heavy force. If you have a child who is rough on their belongings, you'll need to give theirs a once-over regularly so you know nothing is broken.
Joining the ranks today is the Hudora 230 Big Wheel, an excellent commuter choice, and the Fuzion X-3 Pro, a selection ideal for beginners to learn tricks. The Fuzion is great for its intended purpose, but be aware that it is not designed for advanced moves, so if your youngster is a quick learner, be prepared for them to outgrow it. To make room for these newly-added selections, we said goodbye to the Vokul VK3 Pro and Outon Pro, both of which became unavailable.
A Brief History Of The Scooter
It would not be until a decade after skateboarding had finally taken off as a distinctly recognized and celebrated sport that scooters finally came into their own.
The scooter as known to a modern audience has only been around for three or four generations, and for most of that time, scooters were at best produced using a cottage industry approach. Most early scooters were made by the same person (or parents of that person) who would ride the assembled unit, and usually consisted of wheels removed from roller skates and affixed to a simple wooden board. It would not be until a decade after skateboarding had finally taken off as a distinctly recognized and celebrated sport that scooters finally came into their own.
The first successful mass market scooter was the Honda Kick 'n Go, which the Japanese automaker released in 1974. This scooter used a tricycle type of chassis with two wheels in the front and a single wheel in the rear. The rear wheel was connected by a drive chain to a single pedal the rider could pump repeatedly to build up speed, speed which could then be regulated by a hand brake.
The Kick 'n Go scooters proved overwhelmingly popular among American youngsters, becoming a top selling holiday toy in the latter half of the 1970s. Many people noted, however, that using the attached pedal and gear system was no easier (and in fact was often more difficult) than simply pushing off the ground with a foot as the means of propulsion. The first Kick n' Go scooters had a weight limit of 100 pounds, much to the chagrin of many older kids and adults. The company released a second model in 1978 that could handle larger, heavier riders, and the Kick n' Go 2 was also an initial success, short lived though the popularity of these units would be.
Throughout the 1980s and 90s, the kick scooter became more popular and prevalent on sidewalks and in parks everywhere across America. The kick scooter, a wheeled vehicle powered by the rider pressing off the ground and controlled by an articulating handle bar, saw variations using pneumatic tires modeled after bicycle wheels and skateboard-style units with four wheels attached to underslung trucks (AKA axles).
Many kick scooters featured grip-style brakes common on bicycles, but by the turn of the 21st Century, a new design had emerged that would soon gain primacy in the kick scooter market. It was the Razor Scooter, first released in 1999 by The Sharper Image and soon known all over the world.
Choosing The Best Kick Scooter For Kids
When it comes to selecting the right scooter for a child, safety always comes first. The reliable rear spoon brake on the Razor Scooter is a great design for younger, inexperienced riders, as it mitigates the chance for a rider to fall forward over the handlebars during braking. The easy and responsive control offered by a Razor kick scooter also makes these units attractive options for the parent buying the scooter.
With their diminutive yet durable polyurethane wheels, telescoping handlebar shaft, and folding design, these scooters are also great for the home with limited storage or for the family that wants to bring their favorite toys along during travel.
However, for kids just starting to learn to use a scooter (or for kids who just haven't mastered their balance control yet) tricycle-style scooters can help maintain a rider's stability while also helping teach the fundamentals of board riding. A tricycle scooter isn't as suitable for tricks or speed, but that might be music to the ears of the concerned parent.
Choosing The Best Kick Scooter For Teens And Adults
If you're an adult or older teen looking to ride a scooter just for fun, then you can't really go wrong with any model, provided you select one that can support your weight and accommodate a rider of your height comfortably. As with younger riders, so too for older scooter enthusiasts: kick scooters with smaller wheels and decks allow for better trick and stunt skating, while options with larger wheels and longer decks are better for longer trips across town or even along well maintained trails.
If you want a scooter that can serve as a method of urban transportation, then an adult-sized Razor scooter is a fine choice. Nimble and responsive, these scooters can help the skilled rider wind through crowds and around obstacles with ease, and they are lightweight enough to be brought up and down stairs as needed. Carrying straps also help to make a smaller folding kick scooter a more viable method of transportation for the working commuter (or for the college student). If you have to hop off your scooter and onto a train or bus, or you simply need to catch an elevator up to your office or classroom, the ability to sling your "ride" under your arm or across your back makes a scooter a much more attractive option.
While today there are many electrically-powered scooters available, the enjoyment and exercise that comes with using a kick scooter make them the go-to choice for riders of all ages.