So would you get a hover board?

only two have caught fire.

I would not. But isn't it the knockoffs that have caught fire?

for sure, yes

Rather not look like those kids with LED light up shoes.

http://www.wired.com/2015/12/why-hoverboards-keep-exploding/

I would not.  More so because of price than chance of fire.

Its been more than 2..I've heard about 4 already.  I have not heard what the brands were..only speculation that it was knock offs.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/12/14/technology/amazon-hoverboards/index.html

11 as of yesterday are reported

Aren't they all knock-offs?  I thought I'd heard a story (NPR) recently about this and that there is no known "original" or even a primary manufacturer. 

I just packed my son's up for return today.

Based on all the explosion and fire issues, Amazon stopped allowing them to be sold on their site and offered us a full refund, so I went for it.

My son is very, very happy to have had it for a little over one month  It really is fun to ride around on, and he got extremely good on it after banging up the baseboard paint-job all over the house during the learning curve.

He now has his money back and if a US manufacturer ends up filling the demand for a safe and reasonably priced version, I'm sure he'll buy another.

Meanwhile, I will sleep better at night knowing that thing is out of our house.

Not.  Was going to buy one for our grandson until reports of fire.  We'll wait until they can produce a safe one.

I got one two days ago and then got the email from Amazon. Maybe I should allow my daughter to use it before I send it back. I feel bad, it's the "only" thing she wanted  but I wasn't on board even before the fire situation. 

Im not frightened by the reports and the sensationalism.   There are hundreds of thousands of these out there. 

An interesting episode about hoverboards on the Planet Money podcast . . . 

http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/11/27/457404184/episode-666-the-hoverboard-life

Its more of an issue than just 2.  They are almost all made in China and the issue seems to be the batteries that are somehow unregulated.  Amazon has removed almost all of them from sales so that should tell you something.

They said that you should check the batteries.  If they are made by a well-known source familiar to you, they are more than likely okay.