Rollplay Wave Catcher Electric Scooter Review

Reviewed by David Savage

With the way things are at the moment, parents across the country – and indeed the world – are looking for ways to entertain the kids and to stimulate them both mentally and physically. For the first couple of weeks of the ‘new normal’, we focussed a lot on the educational side of things and making sure the girls were learning and mentally stimulated, but as time has passed, that has become somewhat less important and we’ve just been trying to keep them entertained and happy. My partner is a teacher, and she knows that a parent, even one who is a qualified teacher, can’t and shouldn’t attempt to replace formal schooling. Kids are different at school to what we’re used to, and often, trying to bring school home can muddy the waters somewhat and lead to stress all round. So we’ve been sticking to a couple of hours of learning a day, interspersed with trying to make sure we get the kids outside as often as possible for fresh air and fun.

We are really fortunate to live on a very quiet, private road, so we’ve been able to get the kids out on their bikes and scooters a lot (obviously at a safe social distance from anyone else!), so we jumped at the opportunity to be able to try out the Wave Catcher from Rollplay. The Wave Catcher is an electric scooter / surfboard / skateboard hybrid that allows children aged 8+ to ‘roadsurf’ at speeds of up to 10mph / 16kmph. The Wave Catcher features a 24v lithium ion battery which provides up to one hour’s runtime on a charge as well as a foot brake, skateboard style back wheels for a stable ride and a dual push button throttle allowing you to use either hand to control the speed. It is suitable for weights up to 65kg, and even has a speed limiter so you can limit it to 5mph whilst the kids are getting used to it or if the area you are using isn’t suitable for faster speeds.

The Wave Catcher arrived really securely packed and with the bare minimum of plastic in the box; the packing and padding was almost exclusively cardboard, which is great to see. It does require a minimal amount of set up and assembly, but the instructions for this are clear and it really doesn’t take long. The handlebar needs to be screwed in and the battery connected, but the Allen key is provided along with the two screws that you need to use. The plastic foot for the brake pedal also needs screwing into place, but this only takes a moment and the screw head is a standard Phillips, so most people will have one in their toolbox. From there, all you need to do is plug it in to charge and wait!

The wall charger plugs directly into the side of the scooter deck and the indicator light changes from red to green to indicate that the battery is charged. A full charge takes around six hours, although the first charge should be for a minimum of twelve hours, and this will allow for a runtime of up to one hour. There are two buttons on the side of the scooter: a red power button to switch it on as well as a green limiter button. If the green limiter light is illuminated, the maximum speed is halved from 10mph down to 5mph, which is a great safety feature for younger or less confident riders. This button is located well out of the way of the handlebars and your feet, so there is no risk of it being accidentally pressed and the kids shooting off faster than anyone was expecting!

Once the Wave Catcher was charged up, we were ready to get going! You will need a helmet as a minimum for safety, and knee and elbow pads would be a good idea too. The kids are aged 10 (but she’s a big 10!), and 8, so both are under the 65kg weight limit. We are lucky that we live on a private road on a quiet estate as electric scooters shouldn’t really be used on the footpaths or public roads.

Getting going is really easy – the kids started scooter going in the way that you would with a standard, manual scooter and once your scooting speed hits 3mph, you press one of the throttle buttons and the electric motor takes over and you’re away! Working like this is a great safety feature as it makes it much less likely that someone will accidentally start the scooter going!

The kids have had an absolutely fantastic time on the scooter! The build quality is fantastic and whilst it isn’t overly heavy, it does have some weight which is pretty reassuring when you’re considering the outlay and that you obviously want it to last for a long time. One of the kids is very confident when it comes to things like this, whereas the other is a lot more nervous and risk averse. Having said that, they both had the measure of the Wave Catcher in a matter of minutes and were confidently steering and riding it in no time at all.

The 10-year-old said that the way it steered was great and she loved that she was able to ride it both like a scooter and a skateboard. Because of the clever design of the handle and the dual throttle, it can be ridden by both left and right handers equally as well if you’re using it sideways like a skateboard. The throttle operates only when it’s pressed down, which means if you want to slow down slightly or come to a gentle stop, this can be done just by releasing the throttle and allowing it to roll to a stop. The brake pedal at the back works really well if you want to stop yourself a little more urgently or if you are on a downhill surface.

The Wave Catcher can certainly pick up some speed, especially if you are riding it downhill. I would absolutely suggest that you get used to it on the flat before attempting on even a slight decline as it really does move pretty quickly, and I’m not sure I would advise using it on more severe downhills at all. It coped pretty well on the slight inclines that we have too – better for the 8-year-old than the 10-year-old, but I think that’s to be expected and even then, it did cope. We mostly used ours in the speed-limited mode as for the time being, all of the normal spots we might go to are closed and I was wary of the kids using it too fast around other peoples’ cars and property. We did give it a quick blast in the faster mode; it certainly goes at a real lick, and the girls can’t wait to put it through its paces when we can get to the skate parks and the other places we take our equally fantastic Nighthawk.

This is an absolutely superb product – the battery lasted pretty close to the quoted hour run time and the kids had an absolute blast on it. It folds down quickly and easily to either put in the boot of the car or in a cupboard under the stairs, and we also liked that it auto powers off after 30 minutes of inactivity to preserve the battery. I feel a lot more at ease with the kids zooming around at 10mph than I thought I might, and that’s because of some of the great safety features that Rollplay have managed to build into it. We think that the black and red design looks cool and would appeal to both boys and girls, be they 8 or be they a teenager.

I don’t hesitate to rate this at 5/5 – it’s well worth the cost and is a lovely treat for the kids now they’re missing their friends and their routines. It’s a great way to get them outdoors, and they’ve been running alongside one another as they play with it, so it’s also helping to keep them fit, active and exercised.

Safety comes first for ROLLPLAY who recommend wearing a helmet and appropriate protective clothing when riding their vehicles. Children should be supervised at all times by a responsible adult. All products can only be used on private properties or designated race tracks.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £199.99

For more information, visit rollplay.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.