I've had a lot of fun testing Unagi's new electric scooter, the Model One Voyager, a follow-up to the company's original Model One from 2019. Most of the electric scooters I end up testing are bulky and large, so it's always refreshing when something superlight arrives that I can carry down my narrow flight of stairs without breaking a sweat.
Seriously, the Model One Voyager feels pocketable. It's so easy to operate, fold down, and carry around, that it feels like everyone should have a little Unagi stowed away in a closet for those days when you really don't want to walk 15 minutes to the nearest train station.
Maiden Voyage
Unboxing and setting up the Voyager is simple, and the scooter paired quickly with the Unagi app (Android, iOS). It's one of the slickest escooter apps I've ever used, though it's fairly basic. There are no customizable speed settings, and you can't tweak the acceleration or anything like that.
Instead, you can switch between dual motor and single motor, choose a speed setting, turn on the headlight, and lock the scooter. (You can access many of these settings from the scooter's display as well.) I like that you can input your weight and height to get a precise measurement of how many more miles you can ride before the battery depletes. It's definitely more accurate than what it suggested without knowing this information. My only gripe is that it's impossible to figure out how to unpair the scooter when you want to pair it with another device.
Photograph: Unagi Scooters
The Voyager has a stainless steel hinge at the bottom of the stem you can push down with a click to make it fold. Lower the carbon-fiber tube, and it clicks into place to stay parallel with the deck. It's hands-down the best folding system I've ever used on a scooter, and it's just as easy to unfold. The scooter weighs roughly 30 pounds, so just grab the stem and trot away! It's so lightweight—thanks to a mix of materials including magnesium, aluminum, and carbon fiber—and since the deck and handlebars aren't too long, they don't snag on rails or bump into walls as you carry it.
As someone who's 6'4", the handlebars are a little low for me, but it's manageable. Don't expect to mount a phone on it though, there's not much space. The scooter's deck is relatively short too, so I couldn't comfortably put one foot behind the other. But the benefit of having such a compact and lightweight vehicle quells these shortcomings. It's much easier to carry it inside a store or coffee shop without the risk of toppling over a milk jug (yes, that happened once). I was able to put it underneath my seat on the subway, and it took up almost no space when I was going up a crowded elevator. It's just a lot less awkward to maneuver with than most other scooters.
English (US)