Raldey MT-V3 Review – Special to me.
You might not know it, but Raldey is actually a famous brand. They were the manufacturer for some of the big-name companies inside and outside of China. They also own the IP for electric skateboard manufacturing in China, so everybody in the eskate business knows about them.
And recently, Raldey has taken steps to enter the consumer market.
Before I performed my review, I had heard that there were flaws in the ride ‘feel’ for the other Raldey boards, so I didn’t get my hopes up. But after trying it… I am pretty excited to share what I found!
Radley MT-V3
Let’s cut to the chase and start by comparing the marketed specs with our test result.
- Top Speed: 29mph/ 45kmh —— (Our test: 22mph/ 35kmh)
-
Range: 15mil/ 25km —— (Our test: 15.5 miles/ 25km)
(4.4AH Samsung 22p, 10s2p) - Weight: 18.7lbs/ 8.5kg
- Charge Time: 120min
- Price: 599USD with shipping included.
- Features: IP55 Waterproof, 120mm Semi-AT wheels, remote with telemetry, swappable PU-sleeves
-
Now, let’s look at the parts used.
Deck
-
For the deck, Raldey uses an 8 ply Canada Maple deck with W concave, with a little bit of micro drop. My feet felt really comfortable on it. It has some flex to it, but nothing crazy, this isn’t a bamboo deck after all.
Enclosure
And this enclosure, I love it. It is a full-length plastic enclosure that has a look of carbon fiber. It allows the deck to flex, while keeping the internals protected. I especially love how this enclosure keeps the internals of the board neat and tidy – as a matter of fact, I plan to use it for many of my future DIY builds.
Back to the Raldey, inside the enclosure, we have the ESC. Raldey told me this ESC is proprietary, and if it’s not, I sure can’t tell. It looks like a Hobbywing casing, but the remote pairs to a LingYi ESC and the board has a kick push to turn on just like any LingYi ESC.
Riding experiences on Raldey MT-V3
Speed Control
And since we are at it, let’s talk about the speed control. Simply put, I’m amazed by it. Whatever this thing is, it is absolutely smooth like any Hobbywing ESC; and both the acceleration and the braking are plenty strong, just like those of a LingYi ESC. For me, it is perfect.
Both acceleration and braking have 4 strength levels that you can adjust irrespective of each other. Personally, I put both acceleration and braking into the highest “pro” mode, as the speed changes are so precise and silky that I don’t need to tame it down.
Yes, I know there will be people who want the brakes to be even stronger, especially those who are accustomed to Pro strength braking in traditional LingYi ESC, but I’m sure they are in the minority here.
Power and Torque
Now, let’s talk about power. This pair of 900W hub motors only gets me to 22mph (35kmh), though I may not have tried hard enough on the top speed test – but anyhow, I’m usually not in a ‘need for speed’ mindset when I’m riding a semi-AT. What the Raldey MT V3 brings is not speed, but torque. Large wheels with hub motors usually mean poor torque, but this Raldey MT V3 is a BEAST when it comes to climbing hills. We rode up a pretty steep hill and it doesn’t even feel like a challenge to this board.
And when it comes to rough terrain, this good boy fit right in. 120mm Rubber wheels means a fairly good grip, and they take away lots of the vibrations. Let’s just say this is a more appropriate off-road wheel than the cloud wheels, which felt more delicate.
Trucks
The wide 9-inch truck is not branded and is nothing to write home about. The bushings were not the best, and the truck has a little bit of “slop” and doesn’t return to center as well as branded trucks and bushings. It is, however, wide and stable.
Why so excited? Verdict:
So, why am I so excited about this board?
When I started researching electric skateboards in 2016, my goal was to find myself a beginner-friendly eskate to commute in a small town with less than perfect roads. After 4 years, after reviewing countless eskates, I would say this Raldey board is the perfect board for that purpose.
Big wheels to handle poor roads, a stable ride that is easy to learn, plenty of range for commuting and great torque for uphill situations; Perfect control that allows half of my brain to turn off during rides, not too heavy to lug around, and waterproof in case it rains. Honestly, as a lazy person who doesn’t like to hold a screwdriver, I prefer hub motors that simply work, over belt drives that need more upkeep. Let’s put it this way: if I were to DIY myself a commuter board, it would end up almost exactly the same as Raldey MT-V3… well, maybe with better bushing.
Simply put, to anyone new to the hobby who is thinking about getting an eskate for commuting, this is the perfect board. Period.