Tomoloo L1 Review

The Tomoloo L1 electric Scooter

The Tomoloo had testers scratching their heads at its inconsistent comportment. When the scooter was having a good day it was a top performer. Given the reasonable price point, this product would have been up for an award. However, this scooter proved to be temperamental, often refusing to cruise at its top speed, requiring testers to cycle the on/ off button with mixed results. Of particular note was the product's variable max speed; perhaps from a malfunctioning cruise control.

Performance Comparison

In a focused effort to isolate and analyze the top electric scooters on the market we have combed the web, compiled customer critiques, manufacturer innovations, and redundancies and finally bought nine of the most promising electric scooters for head-to-head testing. We have divided our analysis into five critical categories that, when satisfactorily addressed, comprise a quality scooter. Below is an in-depth discussion of the Tomoloo's performance in each.

The Tomoloo's dashboard screen showing a full battery charge.

Range

Range tests are comprised of two parts: travel radius and battery charge time. Travel radius is subdivided into the effective range and the maximum range. Effective range refers to the number of miles a scooter can cruise at its max speed on flat ground. The maximum range refers to the number of miles a scooter will go at any speed. The distinction is necessary as many scooters' max speed will decrease at the end of their battery's life

The Tomoloo has an effective range of 10.9 and a maximum rage of 11.7 miles. The battery recharges in four hours and forty minutes, close to the average for the class.

The Tomoloo cruising at full tilt for a maximum of 10.9 effective miles.

Power

For the purpose of this review, power is defined as hill ascending ability and maximum flat ground speed. The hill climbing analysis was conducted first on a 3.5% grade. If this hill was surmounted, then the scooter was run up a a much steeper 10.5% grade. While the Tomoloo was the top performer in the speed assessment - maxing out at just over 15 mph - the 3.5% grade slowed the scooter by 3-5 mph and the 10.5% grade brought the scooter to a standstill well short of the ¼ mile hill crest.

Ride

Ride is an assessment of the vibration a scooter transfers to the rider when passing over bumpy terrain such as cracks in the sidewalk. Having tested many of these scooters we know that this metric is primarily an assessment of the tire type. The Tomoloo's tires are pneumatic which absorb much of the road's inconsistencies. Accordingly, they offer one of the smoothest rides in the fleet.

The Tomoloo's electronic front, disk rear brake system actuated by a single hand lever.

Braking

Given the cruising speed of the Tomoloo - which is pretty darn fast - it's a good thing that it has good brakes. With both a front electronic and rear fender brake, testers were happy with the power felt on rapid flat ground stops and the steadiness during controlled descents.

The Tomoloo's redundant steering column folding mechanism.

Portability

Weight, folded dimensions, folding ease, carrying latch utility, transporting, and effort are the focus of the portability assessment. The Tomoloo checks all the boxes in this metric, leaving testers with little in the way of critique.

Value

When this scooter was working properly it was a top performer. However, it often failed to work at its full capacity. As such, we can not assign a high value to the Tomoloo. It's just too frustrating to have a purchase not work when it was just pulled out of the box.

Conclusion

The Tomoloo raised expectations with a top-notch design but ultimately left testers wondering why the thing only worked right some of the time. As a result of our mixed experience with this product, we can not in good faith recommend it; especially at the price.