Circooter Raptor Pro Review: Full Power at a Lower Price
With dual motors and a handful of safety features, the Raptor Pro was more than I expected.
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The Circooter Raptor Pro electric scooter is a bit of an anomaly. Coming in at the price of many single-motor, last-mile scooters, the Raptor Pro has several features you're more likely to find standard only on pricier rides. Not the least of which are powerful dual 800-watt motors. While there's no single feature that blows me away, it does check a lot of boxes and is an overall competent and reliable scooter.
Design
For $1,099, the Raptor Pro has a lot to offer, and I'm not just talking about features. This isn't a small scooter. It weighs 63 pounds and can support a maximum payload of 440 pounds. That's a lot. It's one of the highest-rated weight limits I've seen on a scooter its size. Two solid 10-inch knobby rubber tires support that weight, which means no flats. However, this does make the ride a little hard, even with the scooter's hydraulic suspension.
The scooter's battery size is modest, but the Circooter has two charging ports, one on either side of the scooter, which can cut charging time in half and gives you more flexibility. This way, if you lean it on a wall, you don't have to worry about the scooter's weight on the cable.
The Raptor Pro's solid rubber rear tire, along with mechanical disc brake.
The deck is rubberized and offers a good grip. The handlebar height is high enough to relieve pressure on your palms, helped by the comfortable ergonomic grips, and the wide display mounted on it shows vital information such as speed, battery life and riding mode. And the display is easy to read in daylight.
The folding mechanism for collapsing the handlebar to the deck for storage is a kind I've seen on more and more scooters: a twist knob with a C-clamp. If tightened enough, the steering tube won't wiggle, which is great. The only issue is that it requires a strong hand to tighten sufficiently; adding a quick-release pin in the next iteration would increase safety just in case the knob loosened while riding.
This is the stem C-clamp locking knob.
Features
The Raptor Pro comes with dual, 800-watt motors and is rated for a top speed of 28 mph. It's powered by a 48-volt, 20-amp-hour battery that can be charged in seven hours with a single charger and three and a half hours with two. A single charge can last up to 31 miles under ideal conditions.
For nighttime riding, the Raptor Pro has dual front headlights, lights on the side of the deck, and a single rear light. In addition, it has front and rear signal lights and one of my favorite features on any micro-mobility rideable: an electric horn. Electric scooters and e-bikes travel too fast for a little ding on a bell to alert pedestrians or be heard through a closed car window. For the Raptor Pro, the horn is nice and loud and the headlights even flash when you hit the horn. The rear taillight and side deck lights also illuminate when you brake.
The Raptor Pro's side deck lights go on when you hit the brakes.
A screenshot of the Raptor Pro's iOS app.
There's a companion mobile app for both iOS and Android. With it, you can lock the scooter, which uses its motors to create resistance to make it impossible to ride off. The scooter also emits a beeping sound. The only drawback is that the display is on while in this mode and may attract attention.
The app also keeps track of total miles traveled, and users can toggle from kick-start to throttle-start. The ride modes can be changed in the app along with turning on and off the headlights. On the scooter's display, you can also see the battery life in percentage, instead of the bars. It'll record data from your rides, too. The Raptor Pro also ships with a handlebar bag that's great for storing the scooter's charger or a phone.
Performance
Again, Circooter says the scooter has a top speed of 28 mph. I could consistently reach about 23 mph and sometimes about 26 mph. I'm a plus-size rider, though, so I have no doubt the Raptor Pro can hit 28 mph. The motor has ample power and acceleration. It quickly got me up to speed, and on inclines I didn't notice a significant slowdown.
The headlights flash when you hit the horn.
This scooter also worked well for my girlfriend, who isn't a fan of bigger, higher-end models. She found it powerful but not threatening. My teenage son also took it for a spin and didn't find its performance overpowering. The thumb throttle kept acceleration smooth, and the Raptor Pro isn't herky-jerky like some scooters. The Raptor Pro can be run on a single-motor or both and has three ride modes: Eco, Standard and Turbo. Each one enables the scooter to go a little faster. You can also toggle between using one or both motors. You do this by pressing the headlight button three times, which is odd because the scooter has an M button for switching through info on the display. That's more logical to me for cycling the motors than the headlight button.
The Raptor Pro handles various terrains well, from city streets to going off road. The scooter's battery life is also commendable. Though the company claims a max range of 31 miles, tests with lighter riders than me were closer to 20 miles. We ride on the faster side, which cuts down on performance. The dual mechanical disc brakes work well, too.
The Raptor Pro's rubber deck.
The front and rear fenders kept me from getting wet when riding through some puddles. And for folks worried about being caught in a storm, the Raptor Pro has an IPX4 rating.
Overall, the Circooter Raptor Pro performed better than expected for a scooter at its price. It isn't cheap at $1,099, but it has the features and performance of a more expensive scooter. With the lights to make riders more visible and a loud horn, it has lots of safety features. Plus, the app offers extras like being able to lock the scooter. But for people looking to stay under the $1,000 mark, Circooter offers a single-motor version for $849 called the Raptor. If you're bigger or need to ride on a lot of hills, or simply like to go faster, the Pro's powerful dual motors are worth paying extra for.