Kickboard USA - Online050

As scooters go, the Maxi Kickboard is maxi-fun, and the Mini Kickboard is, well, also maxi-fun. Or, in the words of our test kids as they flew down the sidewalk, Awesome!

The first big smile belonged to our test parents upon realizing that these scooters require almost no assembly out of the box. The wheels are already in place, so all you have to do is click the upright shaft into the base - and you're ready to roll. The hardest part, really, is converting the specs from the metric system. The Maxi Kickboard has a stated load capacity of 50 kilograms. Um? Don't worry, we've done the math for you: 110 pounds. The Mini Kickboard's weight limit is 20 kg - er, 44 pounds. The Maxi is suitable for kids approximately 150 centimeters tall (a couple of pancakes short of five feet); the Mini is for kids about 120 cm (a board book or two under four feet).

The Maxi Kickboard (for ages 6 and up) does have an adjustable shaft for varying heights, but the Mini (ages 3 and up) does not.

The scooters are designed for easy balance, having two wheels in front spread wide by an axle, so even the little ones can ride without much fear of tipping over. Our testers picked up on the handling and front wheel steering pretty quickly; scooter novices might need a little more practice, but not much. A brake pedal over the back wheel makes for smooth stops.

The main difference between the two scooters (besides the size) is the handlebar: The Mini has a traditional T-bar, while the Maxi has a ball grip - a simple, spongy rubber knob on top of the shaft. The hard plastic base might not be as sleek, futuristic, and cool-looking as the all-metal Razor scooters, but the funky-at-first-sight ball grip on the Maxi Kickboard makes up a few extra style points for the older kids.

Ride on!