I was looking for personal transportation to get down to the gym near my house, found electric unicycles and was primed to get one when I realized I would look like an utter dipshit floating around on one.
Started poking around for ebikes but wanted something smaller, found esk8 and got hooked. Proceeded to build a board heavier than an ebike that I cant lock up 
- All in the name of convenience
They look so shaky haha.
Speed…
Luckily it’s in the past, don’t want any records anymore…
Chronic snowboarding withdrawal syndrome and a random youtube pushed me down the rabbit hole.
Ah the YouTube shuffle. So you like videos on electronics, soldering, etc? videos on making things? videos with longboarding and skateboarding? Here’s a bunch on all those things! Sweet! Eskate!
Say what you like about mr overbite. He does seem to be a very good ambassador for our fam.
Keep up the good work Casey.
Was going to say hobby but winding up @b264 is getting old.
Well my story is pretty much simple I was living in Germany, and was planning to move to UK which involved selling European car, I knew about electric skateboards for a really long time, so I just had idea to buy evolve carbon gt 2 in 1 and did that and moved to UK and rode for half year like 2k km and when wanted to switch to something better that’s how I entered to DIY esk8 stuff 
Oh and we were making cases for vesc since 2014-2015 I think
I really enjoy this hobby, it doesn’t replace my insured, fueled and environment destroying cars but it’s a fun hobby to tinker with between using real methods of transport.
Let’s see…use to love driving but after living in San Francisco for 4 years for school, cultivated my hate for driving and loving the convenience of not having a car and everything that came with it.
Worked down in Pasadena for a little while and biked to work for most of it…which was a little stressful because of always having to find a place to lock up the bike, then trying to carry it around when something would go wrong on it or if I have to go up stairs…
Then I moved back up to NorCal when the contract work ended and I was looking at electric bikes and single speed bikes for transportation, but was concerned with the heft of electric bikes and the high probability of the bike being stolen (freaking NorCal). So I decided I needed something electric but carry-able so I didn’t have to find a place to lock it.
Started researching different methods of electric transportation and thought of electric skateboards, because if a bike can be electrified, why not a skateboard. Came across Mellow…and was tempted to get it but my gut was telling me NAH and came across DIY on reddit and it lead me here.
Sucky part is…an electric skateboard can still be stolen here in NorCal…usually by mugging…
PS…I use to skateboard in elementary school but sucked at doing anything street, then started again when I lived in San Francisco…fun times 
.
esk8 is very much a real method of transport
It’s how I get my white girl special (Starbucks) every morning, and weekly refrigerator beer refill.
They are updateing where I live with bike Lanes everywhere now I have a fresh new bike lane all the way to the mall 5 miles away and a bike path for 95% of the way to my job only reason I don’t ride more cause Miami weather is tropical weather and in the summer it rains everyday usually more than once a day.
That fact is what changed things for me. When I realised they are a feasible means of transport not toys for kids. Although I am just about to drop down to the man cave and assemble the second iteration of my toy build now that all my ancillaries have arrived.
I’m at work right now, and got here on esk8, so … yeah
A lot of builds and most commercial boards are definitely “toys” and built as-such. But a lot of builds and some commercial boards are “tools” that can be used as transportation.
I feel like Toys are like my board where I push them very hard with settings etc, a commuter should be just as capable but just much more toned down so that it last longer.
My toy build is a dual 6374 12s carbon lowrider that I play on. My daily driver is a 10s hub motor Flexi deck that weighs nothing and never lets me down. Much lol.
Got a dual hub Santa Cruz cruiser for those old school days. Even has a kick pad on it 
. Tried it on the local skatepark but won’t be doing that again. Painful experience when you realise you’re not 20 anymore.
The thing I think separating the two … you can clearly see a difference …
Some people want to go 278mph and wear full titanium pads from head to toe and use 12S or 13S on 60V max circuitry. Clearly, these folks have/build “toys”.
Others have only a helmet (or multiple helmets) and often skate with shorts and a T-shirt and don’t like to exceed 20-30mph, ever. This is a hallmark of an esk8 being a “tool” and these are often the better boards designed for maximum reliability. Because if you’re running to the store to grab milk or to grab a burger on your lunch break, or going grocery shopping and carrying 40lbs home, suiting up for a full 50mph ride is a ridiculous notion and nobody has time for all that. I’d just rather go slower and not fall off or break my board because I have to be back at work in 30 minutes anyway and I’m really busy and don’t have time for a breakdown.
That’s why I call it my toy. I think that the fact that people are pushing the boundaries of performance does in fact help the more conservative among us. Most usable innovations do in fact come from some crazy bastard in a workshop somewhere trying to make the impossible possible. I will agree though that it is just as much fun to chuck your helmet on and go for a leisurely cruise as it is to blast off into the sunset with your wheels on fire. Truth be told the toy very rarely gets above 35 these days but it does it uphill and that’s the kicker for me. There’s only so much fun to be had in a straight line.