Mobility Mod

SNAPnGO Model 335: The Best All-In-One Mobility Scooter Value?

Synopsis: The best all-in-one mobility scooter value? Could be. The Glion SNAPnGO is a big step up in the mobility world, I highly recommend this scooter. After several months of real-world use, I am still excited to own this device and drive it every day. There is so much care and thought in the design that show up in little things, and Glion customer service has been stellar. The scooter is faster than many, with 3 speeds of up to 6 mph. It’s lightweight, has a FAA certified-for-travel removable 36V 6.6 aH Li-on battery with great range, ~ 6 miles.  Right Side Controls; power, lights, thumb throttle with LED battery indicator. Left Side Controls; forward/reverse, speed selector, horn. Regenerative braking plus dual rear drum brakes. Comfort-style seat rotates, has removable arm rests, and can be removed for travel. Optional travel seat lightens the scooter even more and makes it easier to move. Ships with charger, front nylon handlebar carrying bag, shopping baskets, rear-view mirror, two battery keys, everything you need to hit the ground running. It’s rated for 300 lbs., does great with my ~180, I can just barely ride on grass.

Everything has been thought through in a way that makes day-in-day-out use simple and uncomplicated. Runs and rides great, I ride it every day. It is comfortable, uncomplicated and has superior performance.

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My personal mobility has slowed, so I started seriously looking at actual mobility scooters. I have been using modified scooters for mobility, but I started looking at the possible advantages of a stable seat. I picked up a used Pride GoGo Elite Traveller from the local classifieds that needed some love. I found after driving the Elite Traveller, there were real benefits on a heavy pain day to being able to just sit, not even to have to balance. I have owned several Pride scooters that I have fixed and sold, and frankly, they are very well built. After taking many scooters apart, I find Pride scooters are super tough and dependable. The scooter pictured is about 14 years old and still going strong.

An opportunity appeared to pick up a SNAPnGO through a local lost-freight liquidator at a greatly reduced price. I can’t afford $1300 to try a scooter out. It was a great price, so I took a chance. There were a few scuffs, but everything was mechanically sound and it was still new in the box. When I got it home and put it through its paces, it was clear everything about the scooter was 100%. I registered the scooter with Glion and started riding.

Now I had two mobility scooters, and I could compare them head-to-head. In the end I could only keep one (much to my grandkids disappointment) and you already know how the story ends. I like the Pride GoGo Elite Traveller scooter very much. It’s solid, you can find parts, and you can easily find these scooters used for a good price. They break down into pieces so you can load them into any vehicle. But they are heavy, they have heavy lead-acid batteries, and they are slower, at ~4 mph.

The SNAPnGO folds quickly. I can easily load it in my car by myself. It goes faster, ~7 mph, and it’s fun to ride. The light weight makes it a very nimble riding experience. It turns easily and quickly. It has good acceleration and excellent braking. The battery is lightweight and removable so you can charge it away from the scooter and you can fly with it. Even though the battery is small, it lasts a surprisingly long time. Range is very good.

The original reason I bought this scooter was primarily to take it on an airline trip, so I wanted the optional travel seat. But I wanted just the post, as I already had a seat. I didn’t see just the post listed on Glion’s site, so I reached out. They sold me the seat post for a reasonable price and sent it out fast. I had it in two days. I’ve bought a lot of parts from multiple companies, Glion has been top-notch. This is a great scooter from a great company.

I would call this a relatively expensive scooter at $1299. But remember the unique things this scooter can do. It’s lightweight, folds, is faster than average and you can fly with it. You can fly with a lot of scooters, but only the smallest and lightest can be checked at the end of the loading ramp like this one. That’s a big difference. The alternatives to this scooter seem to be above $2K, so in that sense too it seems like a good value.

Cockpit/Controls

The right hand has a simple thumb throttle with a 3 light LED read-out. It also has the power button. Hold it down for a few seconds and the scooter turns on with the lights on. A quick additional touch to the power switch and the lights turn off. (I wish it was default no lights.) It would be nice to have a LCD screen with more information like voltage, speed, odometer but it’s not really necessary. Not really going fast or far with this vehicle. The LED lights seem pretty reliable as far as showing the state of the battery. The acceleration and responsiveness is best when the battery is fully charged, indicating green, but also has good performance throughout the discharge as you would expect with a Lithium battery. There are 3 speeds, but I pretty much keep it on the top speed. It also has a decent horn, not too wimpy, not to bold.  The hand brake on the right side controls the rear drum brakes and can be locked and used as a parking brake. Another interesting feature of this scooter is that when it is powered on it has a regenerative brake that makes the scooter a bit difficult to push forward. Turn the scooter off by holding the power button for a few seconds, and it freewheels and rolls easily. No brake lights, just lights, but they are bright and come in handy. I can easily ride at night.

The handlebars are a good width, the scooter turns tightly. One thing I noticed about the foot rests, they are slightly wider than the back wheels so it the front won’t fit through a space, you are not going to get through and accidentally catch the back wheels. Nice touch. At first I thought the footrests looked a little large and funny, but I end up using all the space. It is nice to be able to change my seating position and my foot positions. You can also use the space in the front of the footrest as a handle when you trolley the scooter. Nice touch!

The seat is a super-comfortable mobility scooter seat. Pretty much the same seat as was on my Elite Traveller, almost interchangeable, but not quite. The arm rests fold up and down, but I removed them for extra comfort. Without the arms I don’t feel as pinned in. There is a latch under the seat that you lift to change directions of the seat so you can get out sideways if you like. You also lift the lever when you want to remove the seat. When you remove the seat there is a convenient holder for the seat center post. To use the optional travel seat you keep the center post in and the travel seat post slides inside. You end up sitting a little bit higher, and the handlebars feel the perfect height when using the travel seat. In fact, I would say the travel seat is a performance upgrade. You sit higher, the scooter is much lighter with the smaller seat, and it performs even better!

DRIVE TRAIN

36V, 6.6 aH Lithium battery. There’s a lot to like about the battery setup. First, it meets FAA guidelines and Glion will provide you the manufacturing document you need for travel if you ask. The shape of the battery is excellent with a fold-down carrying handle. It has an on/off switch and 5.5mm charging port. The blade connection design is super solid. The battery is very easy to take on and off, and it comes with 2 keys for locking and removing it on your scooter. Comes with a 2A charger, charges in 2-3 hours. I use a Luna Cycles charger and charge to 80 percent a majority of the time. I like the Luna chargers because you can vary the charging amperage and the charge percentage.

The SNAPnGO is front-wheel drive. The motor seems just right for my size of ~180 lbs. I can climb inclines and drive over most grass. The motor is pretty quiet and is responsive. The acceleration is good. One thing about any 3 wheeled scooter, they can be a little tippy, especially turning tight when going uphill or downhill. The SNAPnGO is so light, sometimes it feels like it can tip easier than the Elite Traveller, but because it is so light it’s easier to correct. Once that heavy Pride scooter started tipping, there wasn’t as much I could do to stop it. I tipped it once. But I’ve yet to tip over on the SNAPnGO. EDIT: During the timeframe of writing this, I finally did tip over. I hit a driveway lip covered in wet leaves at less than a 90 degreee angle. The front tire slid sideways until the back tires hit, and then I tipped. It was slow, easy to manage, and with such a lightweight scooter, it was easier to deal with than a heavy scooter. Was not hurt in any way.

CHASIS

Although the frame has a simple design, it’s advanced. Everything has a purpose. The folding mechanism is solid. You push forward on the steering column and step on the release and the scooter folds quickly. The seat post comes out in slides into it’s holding tube. There is also a holding tube for the travel seat.  There is a loop bar on the back that makes the back easy to grab and it protects the battery.

This will drive over the lip of my driveway, but without any suspension or pneumatic tires, it’s a jolt. I like solid tires because I never have to worry about flats. The back wheels on the SNAPnGO are a good size and roll easily. No problems there.

FOLDING

Folding the scooter is easy. You first remove the seat, then the post, putting it in the holder on the frame, push the handlebars forward and step down on the aluminum release lever located at the front of the deck and that’s it! Folds down to a size that should fit into most any car. You can see it here in the trunk of an older Honda Accord. Scooter folds down, seat placed upside-down on top of it.

Turning Radius

I can do a Y-turn on a sidewalk.

What I like Better About a Traditional Pride Scooter

Forward/reverse controller, tiller handle adjustable, neutral handle.

In the end, it’s a great mobility device. I’m putting together a video that will show everything. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.