Update: The Pure Air is now available in a range of five different colours (black, grey, carbon, silver and mint green) and five different designs (blue camo, red camo, grey camo, pink camo and ice cream). These shades will quickly help your e-scooter stand out from the crowd.
Pure Electric also has some brilliant e-scooter deals running for a limited time. Unfortunately, the Pure Air is not part of this list, but you can get a £60 discount on the brilliant Pure Air Pro, which is our favourite e-scooter of 2020.
Original review: When leading UK e-scooter retailer Pure Electric released its first in-house electric scooter, the Pure Air Pro, it seemed to be a shoo-in for a positive review. As indeed it was: we gave the Pure Air Pro five stars and a Best Buy award, praising its class-leading water-resistant design, comfortable 10in pneumatic tyres and remarkable 120kg max capacity.
Now, Pure Electric is capitalising on the success of its flagship e-scooter by launching the Pure Air, a cheaper variant of the Pro that retains all of the features listed above at just two-thirds of the original price. On the face of it, the only drawback here is the Pure Air’s weight: at 16.5kg, it’s the heaviest e-scooter in the sub-£400 price bracket. So is it worth the weight? Read on to find out.
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Pure Air review: What you need to know
Before jumping into the review, we must point out that personal electric scooters are still illegal to ride on both roads and pavements in the UK. The government has recently legalised the use of rental e-scooters in some UK cities, but you can be fined and receive points on your driving license if you’re caught riding your own electric scooter.
The Pure Air comes in two colours, black and grey – although the latter isn’t available at launch. It has a one-year manufacturer’s warranty and can be serviced at any of Pure Electric’s 13 stores across the country. The e-scooter has a top speed of 15.5 mph, a maximum range of 18.6 miles and its 36V battery takes about 4.5hrs to charge from empty.
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Pure Air review: Price and competition
Priced at £399, the Pure Air sits in direct competition with the new Xiaomi 1S electric scooter – the successor to the worldwide best-selling Xiaomi M365 – that costs £499. Both the Pure Air and 1S share the same motor wattage (250W), top speed, range and charge time (5.5hrs).
But the Xiaomi 1S falls short when it comes to the three main features I mentioned at the top of the page – namely water resistance, maximum load and tyre size. Like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 1S is only IP54-rated for water-resistance; in layman’s terms, this means you can ride in a drizzle, but not heavy rains like the Pure Air. It can also only accommodate a rider weight of 100kg and has smaller 8.5in pneumatic tyres.
You’ll need to shell out £20 more to get tyres with pre-inserted puncture prevention fluid, too. In comparison, the Pure Air comes with puncture-prevention fluid as default, which means you can ride it straight out of the box.
Two areas where the Xiaomi 1S does have the edge are weight and Bluetooth connectivity. The 1S weighs 12.5kgs, which is a whole four kgs less than the Pure Air and it comes with an app that lets you update your firmware and enable useful features like Motor Lock and Cruise Control. The Pure Air was supposed to get an app shortly after launch, but this feature has since been delayed.
Pure Air review: Design and setup
When I unboxed the Pure Air, I expected to find a very similar design to the Pure Air Pro, but I was surprised to see that it has an entirely different folding and locking mechanism, along with a distinct headlight, display unit and deck.
After you remove the e-scooter from the box, you’ll need to attach the handlebar to the stem using the four screws and Allen key provided, but that’s the only bit of self-assembly required. The e-scooter comes part-charged, but you should charge it fully before riding it for the first time by connecting the charger provided to the charging port near the rear wheel.
Most e-scooters (including the Pure Air Pro) let you simply snap the stem into place to secure it in its upright position, but the Pure Air is unique in that you need to set the stem upright, then screw the circular clamp on the front of the stem by rotating clockwise until its tight. Similarly, when you want to fold it, simply unscrew the circular clamp, then fold the e-scooter by locking the steel latch below the display to the hook on the rear fender.
The Pure Air has all the features you’d want in a good e-scooter including a mechanical brake and bell that sit within easy reach of the left grip, an accelerator throttle just below the right handle grip, a firm kickstand, and finally reflectors on both sides of the front wheel for added visibility.
I don’t particularly like its squishy handlebar grips but, as I noted with the Pure Air Pro, it’s a minor gripe because you barely notice this once you start riding. On a more positive note, the scooter barely has any wires sticking out to spoil its appearance. Both e-scooters also have a wider deck than most other models, meaning you can comfortably rest both your legs while riding.
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Pure Air review: Features
Like most e-scooters, the Pure Air’s display is in the middle of the handlebar. Long-press the power button to turn on the e-scooter and you’ll see your riding mode, light indicator, speed (in km/h) and five battery indicator bars.
Double-tapping the scooter’s power button lets you switch between its three riding modes: a red “s” denotes Speed mode, which has a maximum top speed of 15.5 mph; a white “s” denotes Medium mode which has a top speed of 12.5mph; while no “s” indicates Eco mode, which maxes out at under 9.5mph. This final mode gives you the most battery life, as you’d expect.
The Pure Air has an adjustable headlight that you can move up or down, which is the first time I’ve come across such a feature. By default, the headlight and taillight come on automatically whenever you switch on the e-scooter. To turn them off, press the power button once.
When you turn on the Pure Air, you’ll briefly notice a Bluetooth and lock icon. However, this is a little misleading since neither the Pure Air Pro or the Pure Air have Bluetooth functionality yet. They’re expected to receive it over the coming weeks and when it arrives, Pure promises you’ll be able to check your mileage, battery percentage, toggle the lights and activate motor lock (which locks the scooter’s wheels, making it more difficult to steal) using its mobile app.
One feature that won’t be arriving with Bluetooth functionality, though, is cruise control – something that’s now the default on Xiaomi and Ninebot-Segway’s range of e-scooters. This mode lets you release the accelerator throttle when you ride at a constant speed for a few seconds. While it’s not a make-or-break feature, it certainly would have been nice to have.
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Pure Air review: Comfort and performance
Before you start riding the Pure Air, you should ensure that you set your riding mode because it’s a little challenging to do this when riding. You should also toggle the lights on or off depending on whether you’re riding during the daytime or night.
To set the e-scooter in motion all you need to do then is give it a kick start, then gently press the accelerator throttle. On a straight, flat surface, the scooter can reach its top speed of 15.5mph in about seven seconds. I prefer riding in Speed mode and modulating the speed using the throttle, as opposed to continually shifting between modes.
Of course, Speed mode guzzles up your battery the fastest, but I still got about three full hours of riding. Because the Pure Air coasts when you let go of the accelerator throttle, it’s easy to control your speed without having to be too heavy-handed with the brakes once you get the hang of it. For reference, I found that it took a leisurely 15 seconds to come to a complete stop from the top speed.
Most e-scooters today come with solid rubber wheels, which means you don’t have to ever worry about getting a puncture or indeed inflating them. However, these wheels often result in shudders when riding on uneven surfaces, which is why I almost always prefer the ride quality of pneumatic wheels. I could feel every bump in the road when riding the Ninebot Segway on pavements, but the same cracks were barely noticeable on the Pure Air.
Pneumatic wheels are one of the main reasons the Xiaomi M365 remains one of my favourite e-scooters. However, even compared to the Xiaomi, the Pure Air offers a much smoother overall ride, regardless of whether you’re riding on roads or pavements. It even tackles the occasional small pothole in the street without much fuss.
The scooter has a mechanical brake near its left handlebar, which activates a drum brake and an e-brake simultaneously. The latter puts some power back into the battery as it brings you to a halt. Unlike other e-scooters with e-braking, I noticed that the Pure Air was far less jerky. This handlebar also houses the mechanical bell that I often needed to use because the motor is extremely quiet, even when climbing hills.
One minor annoyance with the e-scooter was a hissing sound when braking, but Pure Electric clarified that this fades away as you keep riding. The brakes bring you to a complete stop from your top speed in less than three seconds. If you feel this is too quick, you can adjust the drum brake sensitivity by manually turning the dial-screw near the rear wheel. Some e-scooters let you step on the rear fender for additional braking impact, but you can’t do this on the Pure Air.
Most e-scooters come with a warning saying that you shouldn’t ride them in puddles or heavy rain, but the Pure Air manual says no such thing. This makes it – along with the Pure Air Pro – one of the only options for riding in less-than-favourable weather conditions. I put this to the test on one particularly rainy day and was pleasantly surprised to note that riding in puddles didn’t result in any water splashing, and the scooter quickly came to a halt, without skidding, even on wet roads.
The Pure Air has a maximum range of 18.5 miles but, of course, this depends on your riding mode, weight and riding conditions. The five battery indicator bars give you a good idea of your remaining battery level, with each bar roughly denoting about 20% of charge. Usefully, when you’re running really low, the final bar starts blinking to indicate that you should probably switch to Eco mode and charge it as soon as you can.
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Pure Air review: Verdict
When the Pure Air Pro launched, we found it difficult to wholeheartedly recommend it over the Xiaomi M365 Pro because it cost about £80 more. However, a recent price drop means both models cost the same amount now, making it a tricky choice for most.
In terms of the battle for the budget e-scooter crown, however, we can confidently say that the Pure Air takes the top spot. At £399, it’s tough to beat its combination of features at this price point. The only downside of the e-scooter is that it weighs 4kgs more than the Xiaomi 1S. But when you consider the fact that it can be ridden comfortably in all weather conditions, accommodate 120kg easily and can be easily serviced, it’s fair to say that the Pure Air far outweighs its competition.
Pure Air Specifications
| Top speed | 15.5mph |
| Range | 18.6 miles |
| E-scooter weight | 16.5 kg |
| Max. rider weight | 120 kg |
| Motor power | 250W |
| Charge time | 4.5 hours |
| Wheels | Pneumatic |
The post Pure Air electric scooter review: Our favourite budget e-scooter now comes in a range of colours and designs appeared first on abangtech.
source https://abangtech.com/pure-air-electric-scooter-review-our-favourite-budget-e-scooter-now-comes-in-a-range-of-colours-and-designs/
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