For me. I change decks when my performance begins to get limited. It actually has more to do with the grip wearing out and the nose and tail starting to razor tail. I can still skate well on it just not my best.
been skating girl and chocolates for about 10 years and did notice a drop of quality in their wood but kept with them cause their shape. Now there boards have been amazing lately
1 day shy of two weeks of skating chocolate 8.25 and broke the nose off on a flat ground heelfip and I've never had that happen so I dont know but I like the shape
I stood on an 8.5 Howard recently and liked the shape but didn’t set it up cause of crail’s reputation for suspect wood. It’s a real lesson to skate companies to keep product quality a priority. It takes a long time to shake off the stigma of using shitty wood.
Holy fuck your doing yourself a disservice with 2 crusty ass decks in a year homie. I understand things are tight for everyone but you can defs treat yourself to more than that
Dude, youve been really consistent on the flip tricks out of nose / tail slides. Would love a trick tip on how to get the leverage for flip tricks out of slides.
Instead of popping, you just "whip". Push down the front foot a little and use the upward momentum when lifting it, in combination with an initial slap on the tail (nose the other way round). Similar to flip tricks using a carpetboard (with griptape and shoes). screw off your trucks or take an old deck and try the usual flips until you have adjusted to the new ultra-lowness :) You'd be surprised how well this translates to flips off lipslides and stalls.
Just wanted to circle back and say I picked up an FA deck after your review a while back, the shape with the elongated nose, and I've really been loving it. Gives a lot more confidence when popping high at higher speeds, great little foot catch. Review was spot on.
I've only skated Girl/Chocolate since '00-01 when i was 9 I'm 27 now. I stick to the G027(8.25) G030 (8.38) and G053(8.5) I'm 6'4'' 170 pounds and a very mellow skater. I agree about the pressure cracks.. I get a few from time to time but I'm not a stair jumping joslin type. I think your right the newer wood is better but i wouldn't buy one if you skate big rails and jump big stair sets. Good video Ben
Excellent, thank you! I’m really happy to hear they improved. I’m just getting back into skating(at 36) and remember in the late 90s having a Rick Howard deck that was neon orange and it being the best ever for me because of the shape and it was about an inch longer than what everyone else was riding.
This is just my personal opinion, but my favorite woodshops are Chapman and PS Stix. They're by far the best wood and have excellent shapes that I enjoy and am familiar with. Back in 2010-ish, I used to ride a bunch of Dwindle boards because I had a skate buddy that was on flow for one of their companies, and I broke more boards in two years than I had in the previous 15. I've never broken an Alien, Habitat, Zoo York or 5-Boro board (back when chapman was making 5-boro shapes when I lived in New England in the early-mid 2000's). Even if I didn't break the Dwindle board, it got stupidly soggy after a couple weeks of skating the local plaza for a couple hours every night after work, as if I left it out in the rain every night and didn't bring it back inside my apartment and leave it in my painting studio room. I got a Santa Cruz board for free back in 2016, and it was also very good quality. I didn't love the shape, but it was poppy and solid well after a month of everyday skating. It just felt kinda tank-ish and heavy, but it was way bigger than the
Love the detail. Can always count on Ben to give the most detailed and honest reviews.... you're a great skater for a guy that paints with a sash brush ;)
Setting up a new board after years of not being on one. I got a boosted board recently and it pulled me back in. I used to skate on a team for my local surf n skate shop, so I was really fortunate with free boards n what not. The thing is we were skating 7.5s and 7.62s.. Crazy seeing all the boards are over 8” now. Should be interesting. Even my old team(most still skate) vouch for the bigger boards, but in 2006 they wouldn’t be caught dead on over 8”s lol. Feels good bein back!
Hey, i discovered your channel few days ago after thinking about jumping on a board again after more than 10 years break. Your reviews on many board are simply efficient, really like the way you analyse and point out everything on the boards you try. Moreover you got an incredible pop and height on your tricks ! finally i do love magenta layers on boards as well, it gives a punchy aspect to the deck haha !
I've been interested in getting Brophy's new model. He's known to be a stickler for his shape which I can appreciate and I hope the wood is the same as the one you have.
Hey Ben! Thank you so much for getting me into skateboarding. The reason I step on my board now is because of you. Could you do me a favour and review a Polar Skate Co. deck? It would be very helpful. Once again, thanks for inspiring me!
I f*cking love my polar deck. Skated mother/quasi and welcome before but this deck is in a new league. So much pop! I've got a boring popsicle shape right now, but i'm going to try their other shapes as well. Set up with normal indys by the way.
My friend had 1 and I've never seen a worse board.. It didn't snap (if he was better it probably would have) but it had tons of pressure cracks, instantly lost its concave and pop, had horrible razor tail (to the point he literally wore the nose and tail completely down) oh, and it did get chips on them and the plys separated too! My god a Walmart board would have been better than that crap. That was his first pro board.. A first board should be good for a long time.. My first pro board lasted 7 months until i gave up on it due to it finally losing its deep concave (was an element shape 3) best board I've ever had.. Let's hope they FINALLY made these better. I remember 1 person on their team said they used 1 deck a day!
Only separated plys deck i ever have. Even cheapest blanks unknown brands does not have so shitty quality as i have with girl deck.... Feels when u ride them after one week its made from carton literally....
@@acgwestsidesb6410 Crailtap NEVER cared. Decks can be made in China and still be good.. Or even great. Look at Mini Logo, Almost, Blind, Darkstar, Enjoi, Globe etc. They actually use good wood and have standards.. Crailtap NEVER had either.
@@acgwestsidesb6410 Price is also a factor.. Mini Logos are only 30 bucks retail so i would keep that in mind. I've never had a dlx board BUT i bet a Powell Flight deck would make it look weak.. But it would also be 30 dollars more. If a cheaper priced deck is better quality than a more expensive 1 then somethings wrong.
I’m setting up my second g30 Rick Howard Kodak 8.38-32.25 14.43” wb and even though it’s a slightly longer wheelbase it’s been very comfortable with indys
Great video. It's great to see someone from the same gen. Getting back into skating. I was really into skating back in early 2000's and then just stopped as soon as I started working and finding other hobbies. A few years ago we had a new skatepark built just down the street and we had some pros from back in the day demo the park. Watching these guys skate sparked my interest in skateboarding again and now I have a couple of decks I've been riding. I'm starting out slow but your channel has solid, straight to the point information that helps me now that I'm getting back into it. Keep up the great work.
That nollie noseslide nollie heel was nice!!! I rode girl decks pretty long but at one point I just couldn’t ignore the fact anymore that the wood was that Bad!i think I give it another try! Thanks,dude!!!
Thanks Ben, i bought a pro chocolate deck with same specs, really liked it, the magenta layer was the second from top, so after you grip it, it looked cool.
Please try skate some squarer decks like Polar or WKND some more interesting shapes coming from these brands ill be interested to see how they perform, awesome videos :)
Honestly I have been only skating girl or chocolate 8.125 and so impressed with the feel and the concave and shapes!!! Support the real company's girl chocolate and anti hero!
Uhhhh Deluxe distribution destroys all of those in terms of quality. It’s been proven over and over and Crail is just fucking sketchy in general, not even including the shitty wood. Skate REAL, their decks sold to the public are the EXACT same ones they give to their pro riders. You’d be surprised how many other brands give the public inferior product.
They’ve been dominating because their teams were always the best, their videos were always the best, their decks and product were always the best, when the owners are Carroll and Howard they’re guna be the best, and the best used to skate for them until leaving and starting their own brand (Koston and Mariano)
@@JohnDoe-zq1ho yes brother real decks are so good I skated a few after posting this comment and the shape lasted and was honestly had a hard time to snap any of them built so well! Had confidence it wasn't going to blow apart stomping tricks!
@John Doe I’ve snapped some Real decks like 20 minutes after setting them up. I love their shapes and fat big noses and their pop but sometimes its little things like air bubbles in the glue that can make a nose snap off like nothing. Girl and Choc aesthetically are the best. DLX boards are top notch but still, it’s the rider and chance.
I bought two girl boards and they both broke on a kick flip front board with in the first week of skating them. I will never skate another one again. But they have a nice shape i give them that much.
the nose on these boards are incredible, this video reminded me. I had a girl when I quit, skating a shop deck now and it just feels a bit off. I'll be getting a girl soon
I recently skated a chocolate for the first time and it felt great and never lost pop. Although I snapped it after 3 months, and I had never snapped a board before. It certainly wasn’t bad.
I've bought a g052 something the almost simmetrical Mike mo 8.25...the most mellow deck I've ever got it's awesome! The other brands (dlx) are too steep
the DOA flat as fuck board is amazing. Like you, I'm waiting until the next drop and I'm going to pick up 3 of them. the boards should be stocked in a week
Check out the Santa Cruz tech and the Pow Parelta tech. One is sizes and the other is like ply difference seems like 2 carbon plys I always liked girl decks always had pop but could never find one for me, size and feel would always come across something better fitting, but would still get any of those new 3 techs, never ridden any of those companys
I haven’t rode anything from crailtap in many many years. I’ve always really liked their shapes, however they do seem to crack and chip really quickly. Although this is 4yrs old, I would consider going back to crailtap.
I don't know, i tried to keep loving girl/chocolate for so long.... but now they (might) be back to ok wood, it's too late, too many good small board companies that deserve my love and appreciation.
probably not my money won't be going to old guys who don't skate while the young kids rip so hard. also the old dudes who rip so hard still and have made their own board companies. They were good in the day but they abused it by giving me shit wood and great films. I love them but yeah.
Great video as always, I was wondering if you have ever skated a Baker OG shape board? I love them was wandering when you get time to do a review to see what you thought. I'm an older skater also 34, but when I started back it took me forever to find a board that felt right and Baker OG wood was it.
As a long time fan/supporter of Girl and Chocolate I'm so stoked they are making some decent boards again. I might just head to Anti-Social later this afternoon and pick one up. Thanks for the review Ben 👍
Been skating 25 years, that being said I've skated countless Girls, and they all have been phenomenal. Not even once did I have a shitty board from the crail. They have always had an amazing and sought after product
I like my Simon Bannerot pro model decks! Enough to have three new on the back up! Torn between 8.25 an 8.5. Though. Switching sizes every other day just to try and narrow it down but I like riding both.
Totally would rock this set up.. I switch between Thunder team hollows 147 and Venture Hi Hollows 5.2 w 51mm wheels on a 8 to 8.12 and if I skate anything hi impact I'll go to a 8.25 w thunder 148.
I will try a Girl deck for the first time in the days that coming up. I bought a ''Carroll Coco Deck'', shape: G016, width: 8.375'' length: 31.75 with a wheelbase: 14.25''. Also this will be something like a little transition because I skate 8.25'' or 8.28 (my currently deck is an Antihero 8.28'' length: 31.75 with a wheelbase: 14.12'', I think this is one of the rare sizes that some companies only do) anyway, I the Antihero is really comfortable for all basic flatground tricks..not really for manuals or big ramps. I'm curious to see how this deck will get me! And yea, I'm not a big fan of big wheelbases..I like my feet to be closer. Nice video like always! Greetings from Italy and our pasta and lasagna!
Girl made my favourite video (yeah right) and had the best team (mccrank!) And! I love the graphics and branding... But I just can't reconcile sending NA wood overseas, and then shipping it back. That trip is completely avoidable as proven by most every other skateboard manufacturers. Heck, I'm even looking for mellow concaves! Still can't support that unneseccary shipping ... Oh well .. maybe a Canadian shop will start carrying DOA flat as fuck decks..
Hey Ben, do you happen to know where Girl are manufacturing their boards now? I know it's new wood, but any idea of the woodshop that's producing them?
You convinced me to buy the mike mo basketball 8 inch deck. I hope it has the same nose and tail as the Brandon Biebal deck. It has the same width and length.
Kevin Nyitrai same, I ended up getting a little tired of such mellow shapes so I set up a polar since it’s hard to find a scumco in the silver spoon concave. But the 8.3 shape is the best
I heard several years back that girl boards went from US made (or whatever) to China made... I did notice the change in the quality and so I stopped buying them. I might have to give them a try again now 🤔
I was really not sure if it meant they were made for girls lol so have not bought one but there are some new Sanrio branded Girl decks that I really want
I'm not going to be switching trucks for a while. I have found my happy place and just need to roll with it for a while. It gets frustrating changing setups all the time.
You should try a creature deck. I'm skating the hallucinations 2 everslick with 144 Indys and 53 mm spitfire lock ins and it's awesome. They have that mellow concave and the shape is great. I think you'd like it.
Ben, love your content! Seen your videos on stretching and I wanted to ask if u could do a video of the psoas muscle, mine is hurting so much i cant even do 180s thank you very much and keep skating
Girl and Chocolate are two out of a handful of brands that do 8.25 with a 14 wb. I think Zero has them and Darkstar and maybe Toy Machine. Most 8.25's are 14.25 and up. The Indy's on the short WB are extra poppy.
Hey Ben, That´s my favorite shape ever. Like You, I learned many tricks skating that shape so I always go back to it. I am curious to what size indy´s you put there? I always feel the thunder´s give it a more dynamic and tech feel.
