These Ridiculous Rocket Skates Are Just Plain Wrong

Even Wile E. Coyote wouldn’t like ’em.

Just as flying squirrels don’t really fly and hoverboards don’t really hover, Acton’s R5 RocketSkates ($399) don’t really feature rockets. They are, however, interesting-looking skates. So let’s take a look at them.


After a 90-minute charge, they can supposedly go up to 7 MPH with a top range of five miles. As compared to an “actual” hoverboard, which takes a fifth the time to power up and goes more than twice as fast and twice as far.


Based on our personal experience with an earlier model a couple of years ago at the Consumer Electronics Show, they’re awkward to use and suffer from a steeper learning curve than either front- or side-facing self-balancing scooters—or for that matter, inline skates that actually provide exercise. To make matters worse, they’re controlled with either a remote or an app on your phone. Trust us, you’ll want to have your hands free.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjb0BBkydwY

So they’re not as easy or stable as hoverboards—which are already on shaky ground themselves as it is—or as futuristic as these fun-looking skates. And in the end, not only will they not help you catch The Roadrunner, but these rocket skates just seem awkward all around.

Photos by Acton Inc