Anyhill UM2 Review
Anyhill UM2 Specifications
- Top speed: 31 kmh 19 mph
- Range: 45 km 28 mph
- Motors: rear hub
- Power: 450 W real, 750 W peak
- Climb angle: 11.3 °
- Battery: 360 Wh, 36 V
- Battery type: removable battery LG
- Charging time: 5 h
- Avg. charging cost: US: $0.06, Canada: $0.03, UK: £0.11, EU: €0.11
- Weight: 20 kg 44 lbs
- Weight limit: 136 kg 300 lbs
- Tire size: 10 in
- Tire type: pneumatic
- Foldable: yes
- Foldable handlebars: no
- Build material: 6000 aluminum alloy
- Brakes: mechanical drum and eletronic regenerative braking
- Lights: head + rear + reflectors
- Control: LCD display
- Speed modes: 3
- Cruise control: yes
- App: yes
- Warranty: 1 year
- Return period: 30 days
Tests and measurements
- Speed tests (EScooterNerds): 31 kmh 19 mph
- Speed tests (third party): 30/32 kmh 18.6/20 mph
- Range tests (EScooterNerds): 43 km 27 mi
- Range tests (third party): 42/41 km 26/25 mi
- Braking distance tests (EScooterNerds): 5 m
- Braking distance tests (third party): 5.5 m
- Climb tests (EScooterNerds): 20
- Climb tests (third party): 15
- Weight limit tests (EScooterNerds): 91 kg 201 lbs
- Weight limit tests (third party): 104 kg 229 lbs
- Waterproofing tests (EScooterNerds): no issues in light rain
- Waterproofing tests (third party): no issues in light rain
Ratings and scores
Pros
- good value
- sturdy
- good brakes
- solid performance
Cons
- a bit pricey
When to buy
The Anyhill UM-2 is an ideal choice for urban commuters seeking a smooth, comfortable, balanced, and quiet ride. Recommended for beginners, it offers comfort, speed, and range. With a robust braking system and unique features like a removable battery, double kickstand, and quick folding mechanism, this scooter caters to those who value such attributes.
When not to buy
Experienced riders seeking higher speed and range should explore faster models. Also, for those into off-road rides, or needing to tackle bumpy or hilly terrains, this model may not be suitable.
In this comprehensive Anyhill UM-2 review, I’ll discuss all the advantages and drawbacks of this e-scooter. I did some tests on this model, and here, I’ll present the conclusions I came up with.
Basics
The Anyhill UM-2 electric scooter boasts excellent build quality and braking performance, as well as a modern and aesthetically pleasing look. Its detachable battery that you can charge, replace, or remove whenever you want sets this scooter apart from the rest.
While the Anyhill UM-2 would likely provide better ride quality if it had a suspension system, its design and the impressive features it comes with certainly make up for this minor flaw.
Unboxing
The scooter arrives well-packed in a cardboard box, which includes:
- the scooter
- a 42V 2A charger
- a couple of Allen keys
- a key for the battery
- a valve extension for tire inflation
- an instructions manual
Assembly
Assembling the Anyhill UM-2 is as easy as 1-2-3. All you need to do is the following:
- Align the two arrows and connect the cables
- Place the wire into the stem fully
- Put the 4 screws in (the first screw has to be placed only halfway into the hole. Once the rest of the screws are installed, you can tighten the first one)
- Assemble the brake cable
Build quality and design
Don’t let the price of this scooter make you think it offers low quality. In my opinion, the Anyhill UM-2 comes with a design and build quality that are way better than those of some way more expensive scooters out there.
Thanks to the swappable battery, 10-inch inflatable tires, impressive braking system, solid steering pole, three-speed modes, and double kickstand the Anyhill UM-2 comes with, this model provides a nice, smooth, and comfortable ride.
Known issues and problems
The Anyhill UM-2 offers a solid and smooth ride that any urban commuter will find enjoyable. However, considering the results from the tests I performed on this scooter and the issues I found reported by several owners, I can say this scooter comes with a few quirks and nuances.
Probably the most common issues regarding the Anyhill UM-2 are its weight and the low display visibility.
The scooter weighs 44 lbs / 20 kg without the battery, so some might find this weight a bit heavy for a commuter scooter (they usually weigh less than 33 lbs / 15 kg).
In direct sunlight, the display gets a bit washed out, which means you’ll have trouble reading all the data presented on the screen.
Another issue reported by some owners is the weight limit of the scooter. Some owners weighing over 250 lbs / 113 kg have had difficulties going up hills and reaching the maximum speed.
Another minor issue reported is the folding mechanism being a bit tricky. To be honest, this issue has only been reported by few owners, and if you ask me, it’s not that big of a deal.
Yes, the folding system can be tricky, but only so the first time you try folding or unfolding the scooter. Once you learn the trick about how to properly fold the scooter, folding it will become a breeze.
Now, I’ve found two more issues that might bother some people, and those are the speed and range of this scooter, but I’ll discuss them in the following sections.
Everyday use
The Anyhill UM-2 is intended for urban environments. You won’t have difficulties riding along bumpy streets or uneven sidewalks or going off of curbs and jumps. This model can handle some light off-roading, too. All of this can be mainly attributed to its well-balanced steering pole, inflatable pneumatic tires, and strong braking system.
However, contrary to what its name suggests, this scooter wasn’t built for climbing high and steeper hills.
Performance
Now, let’s see whether the Anyhill UM-2 is the ideal model for you in terms of performance.
Motor, power, and climbing
This model comes fitted with a 450W brushless motor, which can deliver nice torque. The motor is located in the rear and has a peak output of 750W.
As for its climb capability, this Anyhill scooter can handle up to 20-degree inclines, but whether this will be so in your case depends on several factors, such as your weight, the terrain you’ll be riding on, the wind speed, etc.
Personally, I didn’t have a really good climbing experience with this scooter – it only managed moderate hills.
However, a friend of mine (we weigh almost the same) tried climbing a 20-degree slope with his own Anyhill UM-2, and he did manage to climb it at around 17 mph / 27 kmh. The scooter rode at 12 mph / 19 kmh at the steepest part of the slope, though.
So, keep in mind that your scooter may slow down when climbing steeper parts of a hill, especially if you’re a heavier rider.
Batteries and range
The Anyhill UM-2 runs on a 36V 10aH detachable LG Li-ion battery and has a maximum range of 28 miles / 45 km.
The detachable battery, which is positioned inside the deck, is what sets this model apart from the rest of the competition.
First of all, it’s very easy to swap it. You just need to pull up the lever, unlock the battery, and take it out. I also recommend always locking the battery when you need to leave the scooter unattended as a safety precaution.
Being able to replace the battery is great for those who have long ranges to cover. Thus, if you own an extra battery, you can extend the range for up to 56 miles / 90 kilometers! Not too shabby for a budget scooter.
Also, in a few years, when the battery won’t hold as much charge, you can just replace it rather than tossing the scooter, like you’d have to do with some other scooters with hard-wired batteries.
As for the range, keep in mind that you might not be able to cover the 28 mi / 45 km range as advertised by the manufacturer, especially if you ride on hilly terrains a lot.
Speed and acceleration
The top speed of the Anyhill UM-2 is 20 mph / 32 kph, and thanks to the powerful motor and balanced throttle response, the scooter provides nice, smooth acceleration. I was able to achieve that speed easily.
There are 3 speed modes you can choose from. You can also set the desired speed by using the cruise control feature. This way, you’ll ride at a constant speed even if you come across a bump, and you’ll be able to focus more on the road ahead of you, rather than, say, your grip on the throttle. All this will allow you to have a relaxed and more comfortable ride.
Charging
Charging the Anyhill UM-2 from empty to full will take you around 5 hours. This model comes with a removable battery, which means you can charge it while it’s still in the scooter, or you can unlock it and take it home with you.
Weight limit
The weight limit of the Anyhill UM-2 is 300 lbs / 136 kg, which is more than the industry’s standard. Heavier riders should have no problem riding this scooter.
However, a few owners weighing over 260 lbs have complained that they had trouble reaching the top speed.
Features
Let’s go over the most important features of the Anyhill UM2.
Weight, folding mechanism, and portability
The Anyhill UM-2 weighs 44 lbs /20 kg. It’s obviously not the heaviest scooter out there, but it isn’t lightweight either.
So, some riders, especially smaller ones, might find this scooter a bit heavy, and wouldn’t want to carry it more than a couple of hundred feet.
This Anyhill model has a well-thought-out 1-second fast folding mechanism. It’s super-easy to fold, and once you do that, you can easily put it in the trunk or on the back seat of your car, anywhere in your home, under your desk at work, or take it on any public transportation.
Cockpit, handlebars, and controls
The handlebars of the Anyhill UM-2 are 46” high and 18” wide, and the handlebar grips are made of soft polymer.
The cockpit also contains a little bell, a thumb throttle, a speed display, and brake controls.
You can work everything through the buttons on the display, such as adjusting the speed settings, turning the lights on and off, or turning on the cruise control.
Brakes
The Anyhill UM-2 comes with 2 types of braking systems – regenerative on the front and electronic on the rear wheel. Both systems work well and allow for strong, smooth, and quiet braking. In my experience, this was one of the nicest features of this scooter and I was pleasantly surprised, considering how scooters this cheap often don’t have very good brakes.
I recommend using a combination of the front and rear brakes, as braking is way faster then (but always brake with the rear first so that you don’t tip over).
Tires and deck
The Anyhill UM-2 comes with 10” pneumatic inflatable tires that make the ride ultra-smooth and comfortable, despite the scooter having no suspension. The tires should probably last for at least 12 months, given that you use the scooter reasonably.
The deck is 7.3” wide and 22.8” long. It’s grippy and made of thick, black silicone. The only flaw of the deck is that it gets dirty easily, but luckily, it’s incredibly easy to clean as well.
Kickstand
In my opinion, the kickstand of this model is one of the features that make this scooter stand out from the rest. The kickstand is double, meaning it goes the entire width of the deck. Thanks to this, rather than leaning, the scooter stands upright and has more balance when parked, be it on a flat surface, grass, sand, or dirt.
The kickstand is a bit loud when you fold it in, but other than that, it’s a brilliant feature with a novel and practical design.
Lights and night use
The Anyhill UM-2 comes with front and rear LED lights, and both of them are bright enough to be seen at night.
However, I think the front light is a bit low in position and riders would have better visibility at night if the front light was brighter.
Waterproofing
This model has an IP54 rating, which means riding it in some rain won’t cause it any damage. However, I wouldn’t ride it in heavy rain (even though I actually did that one time, and the scooter handled it just fine).
Also, the battery has an IPX6 rating, and it’s nicely protected in the deck, which means high-pressure water streams shouldn’t cause it any damage.
Anyway, the Anyhill warranty doesn’t cover water damage, so you should consider that when riding your scooter.
App
By just connecting the app with your phone, you’ll be able to track your scooter’s speed and battery life, turn on and off the lights, as well as lock and unlock the scooter.
Having this app support as a safety precaution is a good thing. Plus, this app doesn’t ask for any type of permission, as most scooter apps do, just for your location.
The app is available for both iPhone and Android.
How does the Anyhill UM-2 compare against other popular e-scooters?
The Anyhill UM-2 is often compared to the VSETT 8 and Anyhill UM-1. Let’s see how they compare to each other.
Anyhill UM-2 vs VSETT 8
Both models weigh the same, i.e. 44 lbs / 20 kg, and boast the same peak power.
The VSETT 8 has a bit higher top speed and higher range, but if you ask me, these differences are barely noticeable.
So, considering this and the fact that the VSETT 8 takes 6 hours longer to charge fully, comes with smaller tires, and has a lower weight limit, I’d say the Anyhill wins in several important aspects. I would recommend people stick with it in most cases.
Anyhill UM-2 vs Anyhill UM-1
The first obvious difference between the two is the size. The Anyhill UM-1 weighs 29.7 lbs / 13 kg, which means it’s considerably lighter than the UM-2.
On the other hand, the Anyhill UM-2 can reach higher speed and range, has better climbing capacity and weight load, and also provides a quieter, smoother ride than its counterpart.
So, if you ask me, I’d go for the Anyhill UM-2.
When not to buy the Anyhill UM-2?
If you’re an experienced rider or a speed addict, you should probably search for other models that have higher top speed and higher range. You can see my guide on the fastest scooters, or maybe my list of the best electric scooters under $1500 for something less intimidating.
Also, those that enjoy riding on bumpy, hilly, or off-road tracks won’t find this model to be the right fit for them. In that case, check out my guide on the best off-road electric scooters.
Verdict
I recommend you buy this model if you’re looking for a well-built commuter scooter that comes with an inexpensive price tag.
It’s also a great choice if you’re interested in a couple of innovative features that you don’t typically see in other models.
The removable battery is one of the biggest wins. If you anticipate to frequently carry this scooter up and down stairs or through different doors, the removable battery might save you a lot of trouble, since you can just lock the scooter outside and take the battery inside for charging.
I would even go as far as to say that many people will find the Anyhill UM-2 to be ideal for them since it provides a smooth, stable, and quiet ride.
Finally, I would recommend this model to any person out there who is brand new to scooting and looking to buy their first budget-friendly electric scooter. The Anyhill UM-2 may not go as fast as other models, but it certainly comes with excellent capabilities, great braking power, very formidable build quality, and offers a decent range thanks to its swappable battery.
