Adam Savage rides 'The Smile Machine', and viewers want to know the price
His city test of a solar-paneled cargo scooter drew more than a thousand comments in its first day and a half, about the price, the bike lanes and how much he loves the packaging.
Adam Savage’s Tested
Story of Why this story? The video drew 942 comments in its first day, 7.9 times a normal first day on this channel (119).
Adam Savage Meets The Smile Machine
Lots of opinions, ordinary views. "Adam Savage Meets The Smile Machine" has gathered over 1,100 comments in its first day and a half, close to eight times what a Tested video usually collects on its first day. Its audience is about the usual size. What stands out is how much those viewers had to say.
The machine is an experimental cargo scooter, made by Lightfoot according to the video's chapters, with solar panels built into its body so it can charge anywhere the sun reaches. Adam shot the video himself and Norman Chan edited it. He unboxes the scooter, rides it around the city and explains why a small last-mile electric vehicle like this makes sense to him.
The most discussed question is one the video does not answer: what it costs. Many commenters went looking and posted what they found. Others noticed that the riding footage barely starts before a car drifts into the bike lane. Several point out, fondly, that Adam seems just as taken with the cardboard and the velcro as with the scooter. One viewer says a friend saw a strange solar moped going by in the city and only realized later who was riding it.
There is plenty of free engineering advice too: turn signals, a mud guard over the front wheel, a bag shaped to fit the cargo space.
The next day Adam was back in his own shop, rolling in a Monarch 10EE lathe to replace the one he had used for more than a decade.
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What viewers say
Adam is like my Cat. He likes the box more than the contents.
@BuzZzKillerSee it on YouTubeRiding footage starts and immediately a car is weaving into the bike lane.
@billybong10See it on YouTubeA friend saw you tooling around on this - without realizing it was you! He was more interested in just the fact that it was a funky little solar electric moped thingy. Sent me the photo. "Holy crap, what is Adam Savage riding‽"
"Wait, that was Adam Savage?"@AnonymousFreakYTSee it on YouTube
7 more comments
I love how you're also excited about the velcro and the cardboard!
@TheCatMan777See it on YouTubeSuper cool product. The thought of riding a dual sided semi-truck radiator down the street makes me very happy.
@IamjustaMisfitSee it on YouTubeAdam is like me, he saves any packaging materials that look like they might be useful. Unlike me, I imagine he actually does find a use for them eventually.
@FunnyHaHa420See it on YouTube"no I'm not showing you the bitting of my keys!"
<immediately shows us the bitting on the keys when he puts the keys in the slot>@garthorSee it on YouTubeA nice useful project would be to make a bag/backpack that slots into the storage space that you can use for grocery shopping.
@TroubledbadgerSee it on YouTubeI'd like it to have illuminated turn signals.
@discordiandaveSee it on YouTubeNow THAT is a solarpunk vehicle! I love it! I've been thinking about solar powered scooters / motorbikes for a couple of years now, a bit different looking but still awesome to see something like it actually existing.
And I love your endorsement of micromobility ♥ I myself get around exclusively by bicycle, cargo bike and train, but I do live in Belgium where that is a lot easier.@hananas2See it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
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- Channel
- Adam Savage’s Tested
- Subscribers
- 7,290,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 5,789,738
- Channel views, pace per day
- 731,076 (on a normal day: 789,709)
- Video published
- October 6, 2026
- Video views so far
- 262,842 (2 days online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 123,780 (on a normal day: 181,901)
The numbers
The views look like a normal Tested upload. The comment section is the part that doesn't.
💡 Test your knowledge
Before MythBusters, Adam Savage worked as a model maker on films such as the Star Wars prequels. Which effects company was it?
Savage built models at George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic, including work on the Star Wars prequels, before he joined MythBusters.
