‘Hoverboard’ bursts into flames in mall
There are also reports of these hot items in Louisiana and Florida. The fires are being blamed on the lithium ion batteries.
First, they should stop calling them Hoverboards because they don’t hover, they roll. They are motorized skateboards at best. Second, no surprise, phones are exploding, computers are exploding, there more than enough people who think buying low quality products like that will make them cool, so there’s no incentive for manufacturers to bother produce anything better.
Lithium-ion batteries are my guess, too - those suckers burn incredibly hot. My experiences with them have been largely putting out blazing [del]drones[/del] model aircraft*, which is why my pickup has a fire extinguisher on board. I recommend one of those “universal” extinguishers good for every sort of fire cause if one of those batteries lights up it will set fire to everything burnable it touches or is near to.
Apparently, it’s the cheaper, off-brand hoverboards that are most prone to this. You want a high quality one made by a reputable company - in other words, don’t get cheap with these things.
- I admit I did deliberately torch one in the firepit out back - it was already getting “puffy” which is a sign of imminent failure and I wanted to see/deal with one in a confined and safe setting given that at the time I was using them quite a bit.
Are any of them made by a reputable company? My understanding is that they’re all “off-brand.”
What else are they called?
I’ve heard “rap scooters” but that just has a “wrong” feel.
Biffco.
You want the following things:
- A quality li-ion battery that’s well made, because those are less likely to self-destruct.
- A company that constructs the rest of the thing to
–A) not short out
–B) not put too much load on the battery
–C) have a good charger that won’t overcharge the battery
Get all of the above you shouldn’t have a problem, although there is always the possibility of some sort of fluke. If you have one and are still concerned about possible fire keep it in a garage or something with a concrete floor rather than a bedroom, and even in a fireproof cabinet such as used for storing paint or flammable chemicals when it’s not in use.
Batteries that swell are about to fail - put them outside, preferably away from anything flammable. Any battery that sustains damage should be replaced even if it seems to be OK.
Does anyone reputable make these hoverboards? Dunno, haven’t researched them much myself, I just know that cheap, crappy Li-ion batteries are more likely to fail that slightly more expensive but better manufactured ones, and improper charging can result in fire.
Damn, how many model aircraft have you gone through?
I do not want to be flying commercial after Christmas with other passenger’s Hoverboard gifts in carry-on or in the baggage hold.
Not sure, really - couple crashes, some of which I could rebuild, some of which I couldn’t, cannibalized a couple of crappily designed ones for parts for other airplanes, one succumbed to a touch-football game played by my nephews (the first one I built, in fact 
), one taken out by a jerkass who seemed to think everyone else’s aircraft were targets…
Really, if you’re going to fly model aircraft you’re going to lose a few. I flew them pretty steadily for about 10-15 years.
The flaming ones have (so far) belonged to other people, but I’m not going to just sit there and watch a bonfire happen. (There was also the guy who got his thumb sliced up in a prop - we told him not to toke and fly, you don’t alter your mental state until after you’re done flying. He latter admitted he was high when it happened. Whatever, we still rendered first aid and drove him to medical attention.) We have had a few bad Li-ion batteries at our household, but so far our storage and inspection routines have prevented serious damage to anything else.
Yeah, they all say that.
:rolleyes:
:dubious:
Yeah, but Marty burned the sports almanac, so Biff never started up his conglomerate.
Wasn’t one of the “original” brands that all the rich people bought PhunkeeDuck?
Unfortunately, they are still at rich-people prices. But, I kinda feel that’s where “hoverboard” pricing should be right now. Too early to get cheap quality versions.
I’ve heard “skegway” as a portmanteau of “skateboard” and “segway.” I’ve only just started seeing them over the last three or four months, so I never knew they were called “hoverboards” until now.
~ misread ~
Speaking of that:
http://consumerist.com/2015/12/10/your-hoverboard-is-no-longer-welcome-on-3-more-airlines/
Uniskateboards.
Same with e-cigs. They can not go in checked luggege.
Saw that. Perhaps we have some airline reps here who passed along our thread comments.
