My AirWheel arrived today, a lot more battered than expected but I suppose my purchase price reflected its condition.
I practiced for over an hour in total, going from "gee this fun" to "gee this is impossible" to "hey look I'm doing it" (followed by jumping off abruptly).
After about an hour I got the hang of starting off and keeping going. I can't really turn too well yet. I can only vaguely influence its direction but I did almost manage a turn in the road before having to stop off.
When I plan to stop, I can slow it down and step off. Nothing too graceful yet. Lots more practice required. I can see developing a skill on this device will be quite rewarding making the experience much more serene.
Like Gihgehls found, it was very tiresome and I managed to work up a sweat. Probably all the jumping off and walking back to the start in my case.
I started off by leaning against a wall and moving along it. But as soon as I moved away from the wall I had to step off. I persevered and persevered.
Luckily it comes with a strap that you can use to stop it from toppling over when you step off. It stopped it getting even more banged up than it already was.
I found going a little faster made it easier to control. Although the constant beeping every time I exceeded the envelope was abit annoying. A bit like the Segway beeping when you turn with one foot off the mat - but louder.
I agree that having ridden a Segway is not much help in terms of the required skill. But, the keeping your legs bent and loose and the observation side of things - and hazard perception etc., put me in good stead. I thought back to the "Unofficial Segway code" guide I put together - and much of the advice is relevant (but much of it was common sense anyway I guess).
I really enjoyed progressing from bumbling buffoon to just a slightly bumbling buffoon! I'll practice again tomorrow, weather permitted. Much more control is required.
I have the x6 model so it is heaver than the lighter x3 - 11.5KG versus 9.8KG. And it felt quite heavy to me - heavier than I thought it would. You couldn't really carry it very far but it is light enough to pick up and maybe take it onto a train or bus, or easily pop it in the back of your car. But I'm not the strongest guy on the planet.
I think once I develop more control I will be able to better comment on its characteristics compared to the Segway.