A lot happened in the world of esk8 in 2017. As we rapidly accelerate into 2018 (without voltage sag!) I thought it would be worthwhile to think through the last year and recall some of the events and trends of 2017. All of us are growing and learning in a very new industry; esk8 is still finding its place socially and culturally. If you’re here reading this, you’re a part of a worldwide community of passionate designers/engineers/artists/makers that are shaping this space. You’re a leader.
I’m sure I’m missing some key insights here, so pls feel free to add! I tried to avoid specific brands, so we can focus on trends rather than any specific product or vendor.
The cheap pre-builts are getting better. Even a year ago, inexpensive pre-built esk8s were laughably bad. Those early $600 abominations were just a total joke to all of us in the DIY world, and lead to many broken hearts for uninformed consumers. This year a handful low-cost builds hit the market and are actually kinda-sorta good!
Battery Options For at least a few years, options for esk8 batteries were DIY packs built with Samsung 18650 25R or some flavor of LIPO packs. This year there’s been an increase in the use of the Samsung 30Q cells, which seem to be catching up in availability and value with the 25R.
Hub Motors are here Hub motors are available and have gotten much better. There’s a growing market for them as large manufacturers are pumping out parts for prebuilt boards. The quality of some of these kits are questionable, but a year ago we had few options and they weren’t that good. Some claim that recent hub motor desings even outperform belt-driven systems (I will pause here while a massive debate ensues…)
Racing and Meetups SoCal Performance Meetups are picking up momentum, and reflect an increasing emphasis in our DIY community on speed and performance. Organized racing might gain even more popularity in 2018. There’s planning underway for an ESK8 Convention in 2018.
Younger Forum members are getting more active, it seems like the record for “youngest esk8 builder” was handed off three times this year!
More options from new shops – There are handful of new vendors for DIY esk8 parts. I won’t try to name all the names here, but it’s clear that there is growing demand for parts and vendors are stepping up to make it easier and more satisfying to build your own esk8.
Direct Access to manufacturers It’s always been possible to find a manufacturer to make a part, and to find factories that will direct-wholesale specific parts. But this year, with a few new sites and the increased offerings from overseas wholesalers, DIYers now have more access to units that were difficult to access only a year ago.
The DIY community keeps pushing the limits - There’s no shortage of innovation happening here on the forum. New mounts, new wheels, new drivetrain concepts, new deck designs, new custom remotes, custom software, apps, artful design, lighting and embedded wiring, can all be found in the threads of this forum. If you take some time and poke around, you can see design elements first introduced here surfacing in mass productions.
VESC 4.12 going strong – Many of us are using a 4.XX VESC that has been improved since the reference design was released. The addition of custom firmware from the DIY community also gained popularity this year.
VESC 6 – VESC 6 rolled out this year. For a while now VESC 4.12 has been the DIY ESC of choice and we are all deeply indebted to Benjamin Vedder for sharing his original design. VESC 6 is bound to deliver in terms of performance and quality. Enthusiastic debates ensued regarding the new trademarks associated with the release 
By the numbers – the forum has around 7,800 registered users and has recorded about 29 MILLION page views since it started. Seems like only yesterday that @onloop was announcing the 1 million view mark!
One thing is certain, this sport/passion/art/industry is not slowing down!
Happy New Year Everyone! Steez up 2018!
Halloween was like 2 months ago