AirWheel SE3 Blurs the Line Between Mobility and Fun

I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with the AirWheel SE3, an innovative luggage scooter that makes traveling fun and easy. It's designed to be friendly to air travelers, sized for carry-on, yet sporting both respectable capacity and much-appreciated personal mobility in an unassuming package.

Most combo products start out with good intentions, but end up doing a poor job of all or most of the things they offer. A jack-of-all-trades, but master of none, and in the modern world where products have evolved to be so refined and good at their jobs, accepting one that isn't very good at anything is a difficult pill to swallow.

Technically, the same can be said for this luggage scooter. It's not a particularly exciting scooter, nor is it the most capacious for its size class. But in this case, I am willing to make an exception because of just how valuable it is to be able to ride your suitcase.

It held just the right amount of casual clothes for a long weekend.Allan DeYong

This past September, I had a display table at Vintage Computer Festival Midwest in Schaumburg, Ill. This year it was in a new venue, the venerable Schaumburg Convention Center - a Renaissance hotel boasting many stories of luxury hotel rooms and even more convention space. Many conventions can be held at once (including the infamous DashCon)...

There had to be a mile of sidewalks alone at this place.Allan DeYong

Enter, the AirWheel SE3. Realistically, this was the best test I could give it short of international travel. Its owner informed me that it's best not to ride it in a U.S. airport, lest the rider be scolded at best or asked to leave at worst. A shame - the battery pack is designed to be easily removable, and within capacity limits so as to be legal for air travel. How I would love to have this thing to get me between gates during connections at some of everyone's least favorite airports.

It holds its own as personal transportation for the area immediately surrounding a vacation destination.Allan DeYong

At a top speed of 8mph, I got a solid 45 minutes of pedal-to-the-metal motoring out of it on flat, hard ground. The last 5 minutes or so of that, the scooter was beeping loudly to let me know that the battery was running low. With that frame of reference in mind, I took the suitcase with me to the convention, where it served me diligently and saved me lots of walking. In the convention center, however, where most of my trek between hotel room and exhibit table was carpet, the scooter struggled somewhat.

At full speed, the scooter travels about jogging or mild running speed - that is, on flat, hard ground. On mild convention center carpet, however, it slows to a moderate walking speed. This makes the scooter work hard constantly just to keep itself moving, cutting the ride time roughly in half, and the range even more. I was able to get one round trip in from hotel room, to table, and back to room, before the scooter needed a charge. It was only mildly embarrassing cruising down the long hallway to my hotel room with the scooter beeping loudly due to low battery voltage. To me, it felt as though the AirWheel was heralding my arrival to everyone I rode past, and drew far too much attention for comfort.

This was fairly easily dealt with, though. It is a suitcase after all! With my clothes unpacked in the hotel room, I was able to simply stash the charging adapter inside the suitcase and charge the battery at either of my two frequent locations. Either while resting in the hotel room, or exploring the convention floor with the suitcase stashed under my table. If I had extra battery packs, those, too, could be stashed in the suitcase. As part of its air-friendly design, the battery packs are simple and easy to remove and put back in.

This was about the limit of what the SE3 would do comfortably.Allan DeYong

A brief excursion outside showed that the AirWheel holds its own on mild outdoor terrain. It is right at home on sidewalks that are in good repair, and even maintained crosswalks. Crossing a several-lane thoroughfare was daunting though - the seated position made me wonder if people in larger cars would see me. Thankfully, at any time, the rider can simply collapse the scooter back into the suitcase and roll it behind them while walking if desired.

Who would ever suspect that this is a fun scooter?Allan DeYong

All the attention I got from the suitcase was positive. Interactions ranged from positive comments shouted from cars (some of which including language I won't repeat here), to hotel employees curious about range, speed and if it is still reasonably functional as luggage. I will definitely be getting my hands on the new version of this suitcase/scooter hybrid for the next convention I exhibit at. It's a game change for any con-goer, being a PEV (personal electric vehicle) that seemed to be accepted indoors, unlike a dedicated electric scooter, Segway, etc. It's a happy medium I am happy to sit on.