Customer Reviews

Razor Ground Force Electric Go-Kart (Silver)

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I had a Power Wheels toy for my girls when they were 2 and 4. Now that my son was turning 4, I didn't want him driving around in a pink Barbie Jeep.

I went and bought the Ground Force but it is significantly faster - the Power Wheels tops out at 5mph (but also allows you to lock the speed to a max of 2.5mph), whereas the Ground Force has a max speed of 12mph.

I must say though, that I (a 40 year old man who weighs 165 pounds) LOVE this thing...It was fast, nimble and my neighbors got used to seeing me drive around the neighborhood. But, ahem, where was I? Oh yes, back to the kids.

My 6 and 9 year old daughters love this car since it is significantly faster than their old Power Wheel car. I was even able to take my 6 year old out with it when I went roller blading and she was able to keep up with me and then some (we went out for about an hour (so figure we went about 8-10 miles since we weren't going the full hour.

That being said, it is way too fast for my 4 year old...and even my 6 year old who knows how to drive was doing a series of figure 8's in the street at max speed and loving it...when she lost control and ran full speed into the curb...she was NOT a happy camper, although she wasn't seriously hurt.

The car does sit low though...so if a child were to run under an SUV...there is a very real chance the child could be seriously hurt though because their face would smack into the bumper...so PLEASE be mindful.

I allowed our friend's daughter who was 5 to drive the car in an very open field and she loved it...but ended up losing control as well and running into a play structure. She hurt hurt herself and broke the seatbelt because she panicked and went full speed into the structure...she wasn't seriously hurt...but I have definitely re-thought my stance about letting ANY child under 8 or 9 drive the cart by themselves.

Because there is no way to lock out the max speed...the children should be very carefully supervised. I do drive my 4 year old in my lap (and even drove him to pre-school one day in the morning (which he loved btw). Of course, I did look a bit stupid driving home in this go kart in the morning near the school...but my son was VERY excited! ;)

Please please be careful with this car with young children.

Our son received this for his 9th birthday and LOVES it. Unlike the review below, he had no problem acheiving 12+ mph.

If you're used to the Peg Perego electric toy ride-ons, this is very different. It's very solid throughout, mostly metal with hard plastic. There aren't any bells and whistles, just a variable speed forward throttle (no reverse) and brake, both of which work extremely well. This is a real go-kart: very low to the ground for tight cornering. The battery is built in, and with a very simple plug for charging -- but the trade off is that you can't stock multiple batteries for longer play time. Our son usually gets near the advertised 45 minutes of play time before recharges, and there is a nice indicator on the steering wheel warning of low charge.

You will need a fairly large smooth area (like a parking lot) for your kid to use this go-kart. It doesn't take bumps well being so low to the ground. The kart is small, so can fit in minivans/SUVs/wagons for transport.

Assembly is simple for those who are mechanically inclined, made challenging only by the poor manual (more on that below). You put the steering wheel on (it requires a plastic inset on top and bottom and to make sure the bottom bolt is very tight) and put the seat on (may require taping down the wires under the seat). Add the flag and you are done.

The one negative is that the provided manual is a joke, and Razor's customer service tells me that a new one is being written. I suspect that the relative lack of availability of this model (at least one national retailer has discontinued it) is due to the poor manual quality. When I say "joke", it is really LOL humorous. The mechanic who wrote it clearly was unhappy that any assembly was being left to the end user. It has comments like "use the provided tools only as a last resort" (they are actually fine) and a suggestion that you find a "real" mechanic to assemble it. It contains unhelpful advice, such as warning you the kart moves while in use, while not mentioning the need for plastic inserts with the steering wheel. The worst is that there is no discussion of the use of the product after assembly, such as what to do if the circuit breaker trips or how to maximize battery life (the customer service tells me that the battery should be used up before recharge, and that it should not be plugged in for more than 6 hours).

So, if you feel uncomfortable with a poor manual, I suggest delaying purchase of this until is fixed. Otherwise, this toy is outstanding.

I had second thoughts after reading the negative review about this item...but WOW am I ever glad I didn't listen to THAT review! I bought this for my 6 year old son and he is having an absolute BLAST with this item. I was very impressed with the all steel construction and the top speed is more like 15 mph as opposed to the 12 mph claim on the box. Over all I think this is an EXCELLENT value for the price in workmanship, quality, and the simple fact that this thing is just ALOT of FUN!!!

First off I did not buy this for it's intended use. It is for dad. The kids drive Powerwheels and I wanted something (cheap) to chase them in. I weight 220 lbs and this moves me 9 mph on level ground. I emailed Razor, they rate the GroundForce for 120# because of the wheel/frame size (the bigger scooters use the same controller/motor combo and rate 220#). I drive on flat level ground - hills are a no go with me in it. Seems durable so far and made like any kid's toy - it is not a professional go kart and the price reflects it. That said I have no troubles at all with it, my 3.5 yr old drives it (very fast) - but he is a good driver. This is great for any kid that can handle a 12v Powerwheel competently. Since buying it I have replaced - for performance only - the controller with a 36v model, added another 12v battery and swapped motors for a 750w and now we have some fun (it looks like a science fair project now) but tops out around 25 mph with me driving. NICE.

I bought this toy for my 9 yo son and he loves it. The only complaint we have is that it doesn't go over grass very well, but with the tiny tires, we really didn't expect it to. We haven't had any problems with the battery and charger as others have. My son would highly recommend it!

My eight year old son is in love with this go-kart. It's fast enough and easy to handle. The kids in our neighborhood can't ride it enough.

I was also on the fence due to the negative reviews. However, I ended up purchasing one as a Christmas present for my 6 year old. I have to tell you, this is one great toy. We live on a slightly steep grade and the Ground Force is able to easily pull the hill. The battery lasts at least 40 minutes even with this punishment. I would have to guess that the max speed is 15 mph easily. This is also one tough toy. The steel frame takes a real beating from my child and continues to perform.

All in all, this is one of the best toy purchases I have made and I think it will be around for a long time to come!

We noticed when we got this gokart that the tires were not in very good alignment. There was no way to align the tires. The tires don't have a lot of tread on them and now they are really worn after just a few months. Now our Razor gokart won't turn at all when my son rides it. Even though he's turning the steering wheel, it continues to go straight. It's not able to make corners at all and sits in our garage after just a couple of months of play.

The charger has been fine for us. No problems with the battery. They recalled all the older models of this gokart, but seemed to have gotten all the bugs fixed when we bought ours in May 2005. We ran the battery down and charged it each time we used it. The tires though keep us from using it. Proper alignment and replacements would probably make it a favorite toy again.

It was a great toy for a little while.

We purchased 2 of these little go carts for our girls. Neither of them are operable. Our first go cart's chain broke and fell off on the 3rd use. The second go cart's thumb throttle got stuck and almost killed my child during the first use. Razor's management team WOULD NOT take my call. The phone associate only repeats like a broken record "I'M SORRY" but the parts will take 3-4 weeks to arrive. They should be ashamed, selling products with shoddy workmanship and not offering any kind of compensation for their incompetence. I will never purchase another Razor product and recommend that no one else does either. The fact that no one seemed concerned with my daughters saftey and our overall satisfaction is unacceptable.

I bought this go cart in May 2005. My kids didn't get to ride it for even an hour before the belt broke. An extra belt was stored in the cart so we replaced the broken one, adjusted the tension and let the kids ride again. Again, no more than an hour later, the belt broke again. I called Razor, and they sent a replacement belt which took over an hour to put on because you have to take the back wheel and axel apart. Two hours after fixing it, it broke again. Called Razor again, sent replacement belt, again. Changed belt AGAIN, BROKE AGAIN! Called Razor a last time, and was told they would send one more belt but we would have to pay $5.00 for each belt after. Was told they could not take cart back.In my opinion, there was something wrong with the belt gear. So unless you have time and money to spend on this item, DON'T BUY IT! It's sitting in our shed and has been since July.