Change this part of your skateboard and it changes everything!!!! 

Unfortunately… I heard dwindle is… dwindling. They fired bill Weiss owner of madness, team manager and brand manager for blind. Enjoi is done. It’s owned by an investment company. And they are doing what a lot of corporations do. It doesn’t work in skateboarding tho

That board looks incredible, it’s funny you mention the 90’s because it does look very much like a setup from that time 🤙

In all my years of skating I've never fingered one of my boards. Will have to try now, thank you Mr. Degros 😄💕👍

Ben glad to see you still doing your thing that’s how we stay young! Much love from Bay Area!

Just gotta say I really appreciate all the solid info you’ve put out throughout the years so we can make informed decisions about our setup and not just falling victim to marketing and hype.

100%. This is why I still shop in skate shops as opposed to buying boards online. Well one of the reasons. I favour BBS boards for this too. Always at least 2.5 in the tail, around 2 in the nose.

Something usually not mentioned with "fingers of flat" is that having more flat helps with getting a nice pop out of a noseslide or tailslide. With a tiny amount of flat sometimes you can just fall out of a slide when trying to get a little dip on the nose/tailslide before the pop out. Glad you touched on that. I never really understood why that happened until somewhat recently. When's the professor Schmitt designed Ben shape coming out? :^)

Much love and respect to you and your channel Ben.

This is good stuff. I've been skating in some capacity for more than 10 years and this is the first time I've ever heard about this. Most people only mention about length and width when talking geometry.

awesome review... love the detail and intricacy...you can always just drill new holes in the back truck area. i did that on a blank that i have had for like 17 yrs, lol.... one thing i find really confident inspiring is when the front bolts have less flat to the nose... your foot just sits perfect and you don't have to worry about pushing to hard because it wont make the back come up... man that just feels so good in bowls. tks.

about a month ago I switched from 14.5 wheel base to 14.25 and same thing, shorter board and same width but 100% accurate video. Everything you said makes sense now. Thank you for that

That was a very nice explanation of the geometry and effects on skating 🙏

Ben, I implore you to look into what’s happening with dwindle and to _not_ buy their products.

Second comment 😅 I'd been running Almost decks, *almost* exclusively for close to 20 years now, whenever it was that Almost Round 3 came out. I really like their shapes, both the twin tail and the regular long nose, and also really like that I can get steep and mellow concaves depending on how my feet are feeling that season. That said, as I mentioned in my other comment, I went to a flight deck ... and I'm not likely to ever go back. I do miss the familiarity of the Almost decks (ran 7.75 up until August this year), but the durability and pop out of the flight decks is kind of insane 😅

my first non kmart board was an almost (way past them being cool, only like 4 years ago lol) and i loved the mellow concave feel. I kinda dig the visual of how quick you have to catch your flatground tricks, you obvs have the chops for that, but i can understand that it might not feel super great, but interesting how it seems to lend itself to a transition/ledge kinda setup. Love your wisdom & analysis as always Ben

This video is like a Ben Degros and Vancouver Carpenter collab.

Limosine boards have been killing it for me, they are bareback but the shape feels better than any other bareback boards I’ve had. They definitely have that blunt but still popsicle nose

Bro ! Ive followed you for a couple years on your Vancouver carpenter channel. Just stumbled on your skate content !

You videos are very interesting. Been skating since 96' and you bring up a lot of shit I never really thought of.

Could you re-drill the tail truck back 1/4 inch to test your theory? Or do you think other variables like the kick angle or shape of the concave would be make this a bad match? Love the channel brother. Old head here, 90’s crew represent. ❤

For me I think 35 degrees is most favourable angle for the pop to start. In general I like both of the tips to be similar steepness so I could skate flat without thinking which is the nose and tail, it doesn't need to be a twin tip at all.

I have to say, in over 20 years of skating I'm not sure I've ever seen a board with such a pronounced visual difference between the nose and tail. Best possible board for this video, so good!

Hey Ben, thanks for yet another informative video! I've been riding CCS Custom decks because I like to put stupid images on my boards, but I know very little about the decks other than width, wheelbase, and length - I'd be curious to see your take on how those perform

glad to see you back Ben 🖤🖤

Nice Menu Skate Shop hoodie!! Love the place dearly.

haha ok man, opened this video and I'm like he looks sooo familiar... that's because I've watched tons of your home improvement videos! And you skate! That's too good!

i love dsm boards, and i think they are often overlooked/underrated. granted there is a pretty wide variance of shapes among brands they make boards for, but they are consistently good quality.

i've skated the tail as nose for more than 10 years now and i dont regret it xD. Feels better to me

You're the best, Ben.

Hell yeah that was So Good 🙂🫠

I'm on an 8.25 Palace right now and it's the stiffest board I've ever skated despite the concave being on the mellower side. It feels slightly thicker than other boards too so it feels "big" for an 8.25. I think an 8.0 Dwindle would feel amazing with those qualities.

So stoked for a new vid ,Thanks for another amazing vid Ben , Much Love 🇿🇦🤘🏻❤️🛹

you're single-handedly going to bring back the market for sub 8" decks. 💪

This video was amazing such good work skating in between your topics great work much appreciated and your the best for the skate board community

Honestly most skater I know don’t care a board is a board just skate it 🤷🏾‍♂️ thinking like this will have you in your head a lot. Love you videos Ben don’t get me wrong your info is very useful for the ppl out there that freak out about there boards.

Love you DIY channel Ben!

hands down the most informativ skate channel

I love dwindle shapes, to fix the pop situation I found I get more pop when I ride them with Indy’s. Gives the tail a bit more angle and time to pop.

I'm short at 5'3 and my weight ranges between 160-190lbs depending on time of year. My short legs need a little help. Right now I have a girl G027 has 3 fingers of flat nose and tail. Nose is 6.75" long and the tail is slightly longer at 6.8" I have ace af1 and 54mm wheels speedlab sidecut. Feels good to me. I like a light pop makes it much easier for my to level kick flips in any stance. Plus a nice pinch point for mannys, nose and tail slides.

This is the exact deck I am riding at the minute. I love almost decks the shape of them is just perfect I think.

I just picked up a Globe deck and the tail is way steeper than I'm used to. I skated some Almost decks years ago, I might have to look into them again.

I had a thank you Daewon board about a year ago, it was exactly like this just as you've described. What made me give it away was front side flips were almost impossible with it.

Just got a new board today, and had the same problems with the pop. Was about to throw it away but then you posted this video 😂

Canada's 6th favorite son. You're not a decenzo, but you got some good knowledge

Andy Anderson talks about how his newest shape actually has less fingers of flat and he says it gives it better pop

Remember that 8.25 PS stix plan B sheffey deck you skated? The yellow one with the short tail that was only like 31.3 overall? That's the shape that made me realize how important FOF is. Even with the short tail some of my tricks instantly clicked. I dont know if it was a different mold or I just got one of the bottom of the stack but I havent found another one that felt quite the same yet. I've been skating the strangelove 8.25 x "31.75" (a little under 31.5 tip to tip) shape and its close but a little steeper in the tail.

Daddy's Switch frontside 180 heelflips & Switch backside tails slides Wooooo.

I don't know if its this spacing your talking about, or the carbon, or even the kick angle, but I got a flight deck finally and that thing has pop FOR DAYS. Don't know if you've had the chance yet, but I'd really like to see what you have to say about the Bones Formula X, I found the Dragons to be just a *little* too sticky but the Formula X's are absolutely great. Would be nice to have a video to reference for other opinions when homies ask at the park.

Monarch project boards are real good … stiff strong boards ..that resin 7

Legends never die kid….

you know that when ben posts I'm liking the video at 0:01. Keep it up!!!

After a couple years of watching this channel, Ben finally reviewed a deck that I have. Mine's an 8.5 and I think it has a longer wheelbase. I like the more blunt shape of it, but the nose is so long and steep it makes nollies hard to pop.

YES THIS WAS MY problem for my thunder trucks

Hey Ben I saw your nyjah deck video and you said you liked it in a sense and I feel like you would like April skateboards I was wondering if you have riden one yet.

I've noticed that same thing when I ride low trucks ( popping high without something to pop over).

Okay Ben we've called it leverage and the Pythagorean theorem for the past 35 years in the skateboarding world....

I really appreciate this video for how technical you explain things, I think I quit skating backin the day after a few incidents of lumbar strain injury (where I tore a muscle in my back after landing). I've been thinking about buying a new board and I want it to be perfect this time! I have an old waterlogged baker with independents and sometimes I step on it for a few minutes, and I still have my basic kickflips and stuff and it's a little bit flat and I like it. I can flick the board without messing up the top of my shoe. I'm 5'8 and a little heavier in my upper body, I'll probably get a wider board and do some warm-ups and excercise in the future before riding. I've been doing handstands because I had surgery on my back for a lipoma due to a metal alice pack, but I might also try doing my abdominals and squats. Some people are just very light naturally for their height, but I'm not unfortunately. But that hasn't stopped anybody who wants it! I'll never be pro at my age, but I can skate and have a 100% fun by myself.

I’ve always had kind of a “madness” about moisture ruining my board’s pop. When I see Ben skating these damp looking spots with puddles everywhere I wonder if I’ve been driving myself crazy for nothing.

I really like the almost impact decks, I can skate those without my knees hurting after every trick.

I skate 8.75s and it's harder to find what I like locally(plus my local skate shop is pretty lame), so I shop online, hard to notice stuff like this online. I mostly stick to brands I know I like(anti hero, krooked, and the other deluxe decks). I just got my first ever uma land sled shaped deck(8.7) and am actually loving it. I do branch out to something new sometimes but it doesn't always work out. Edit: That does look like a nice shape. I wanted to try hockey/whatever that squared/blunt brand was but they only go to 8.5s. Many companies stop at 8.5 or 8.62, I would have loved to support Shane O'neills or Daewons brands but none of those make my size, Almost doesn't either. Tried going down but couldn't, hard to go back down in size once you go up.

Fingers of flat feels so good, I don't ride low trucks and small wheels though. I'm tall and too little flat makes boards feel cramped. I got a Girl Couch deck with 13 7/8" wheelbase and about a mile of flat at the tail and it feels nice and roomy to pop.

I noticed this right away going from riding my Deathwish board and then jumping on my Santa Cruz....the Cruz has a bit of a longer tail and I was barely getting the nose off the ground because my back foot was naturally not sitting far enough back...I checked and the wheelbase was longer and the tail was longer on this particular Santa Cruz board....so measurements do make a difference.

Really looking forward to your mellow concave steep kicks Blind review. All my last decks were Enjoi(-Dwindle) steep kicks and after some madness with trucks, what I figured out was that if deck is 8.5-ish it really needs trucks more invards to have more leverage (like Ace Classics) and when it's 8 inch deck it works the best with trucks that make wb bigger, like Thunder-Venture.

The kicks are the opposite of what we rode in 90-91. Tail kicks were around 20 degrees and nose kicks were around 15.

Wasn't this already in your last video with Professor Schmitt?

Now, I dig why I couldnt do a flip as high as i did it switch. Kinda concerned me.👍

Hey ben i think it be really awesome if you did another Fa board review, i notice they are all each kinda different

thx for all your in detail math and explanations. I feel like it helped me a lot finding a setup to come back after more than 15 years off skateboarding. never thought on stuff like that back then around the 2000s :) at the age of 40 I´m a bit tired of adapting to a new shape every time I change my deck. I don´t want to waste my limited time either. After 2 or 3 "trys" I ended up with an 8.25 /14.25 twin tail. The few I tried so far all felt kind of mellow. Ok, but could be better. Maybe someone got a recommandation for twin tails with a concave at the steeper end? Anyways, thx again for you great work, Ben. Keep it up. Greetz from germany

Board companies (and wood shops) should start reporting the “fingers of flat” measurement for each deck pattern

I never understood why asymmetrical decks have remained the norm. I ride Ishod's deck and the freedom to not worry about what side you're popping off of is such a relief, especially when flipping around.

Don't mean to be rude but when it comes to how quick the pop is, the fingers of flat is not what matters but rather all of the following: 1. how long the nose/tail is starting from the wheelbase 2. how high the tip of the nose/tail is compared to the flat part of your board 3. how high your trucks are 4. how big your wheels are. What you say about the feebles/smiths and nose/tailsildes is on point though.

I found this out skating a welcome shaped deck. I like 14.25 wheel base but this shaped deck has 15" and it felt oddly light on the back foot which I couldn't figure out but I noticed that it has atleast 3 fingers of flat on the tail.

Watched your skate videos Then I needed to fix drywall at the house I didn't know if I was going crazy or if the guy in the drywall videos looked really familiar

Ben, random questions that maybe you've mentioned before: what are the dimensions of your tennis court (along the fences)? Seems like the perfect size to fit in everything you'd ever want to skate. Cheers from Ensenada, México!

If you’re having trouble getting pop unless you have something to go over… then it’s a bit of a mental block

Yeah alot of.boards are different ill say this now though your ability isnt improved much by what deck you ride find a size that suits you. your footwork and persistence will make you gain skill along with practice there is no secret to skateboarding. It's just like every other sport how good you become depends on how much effort you put in.🙏

Love these types of videos from you Ben! Just a thought when you mentioned shifting the holes back on the tail, there’s a tool/guide for that by chem skate you could try out to drill extra holes back. I know you said you’re done with the madness tho haha

I have a weird board that has zero fingers of flat on both front and back and steep kicks. Flip Lancer Mountain deck. I'm used to having a pocket to put my feet in. That deck doesn't have that. I'm used to skating Powell Popsicle shaped decks, which are pretty mellow concave as well as kicks. I think they normally have 2 to 3 fingers of flat. Oddly, the board I feel I can ollie best on is a Powell JM Duran deck that has a 17" wheelbase. I think the long wheelbase is amplifying in the weight of the front truck or something. I'm riding Indy 159 hollow forgeds on that deck.

Thanks pops! Woo!

14“ wheelbase Almost works best with Thunder trucks for me. I find classic indies to be impossible to ride with Almost decks. But there are 14.2“ wb 8“ decks from almost

Now to measure the fingers of flat on my new board and let the madness commence 😝

Could you do a beginner guide for adults? I never managed to learn how to do it when younger, but it's something I want to learn. Not the tricks part, just basic riding on the street (getting over kerbs , pavement etc).

Good review

dawg ur a scientist

So how about a deck that has the fingers of flat at one end, say the tail, you skate your tail for your grinds etc and then a steep nose to pop that you skate when you want the pop

Hmm but why did you say you couldn't pop your tricks but then found were able to pop over the rail, isn't pop the energy from your snap, where if you snap harder you pop higher?

I like There to be as little flat before the tail, Io me its not heavier, but the nose comes up higher and sharper so can be snapped higher with less effort.Lots of flat fires the pop into the ground for me

Now I'd like to hear more about the differences with cast vs forged baseplates as far as flat, angles, pop, manuals etc. I'm kind of lost in that madness.

Every single skateboard brand is about to dwindle and mostly sell out to bigger markets. All the core company owners have made as much as they will ever make and will soon be in debt if not already due to the coming change. Take the money and run. You are what you love.

Maybe try a blind I have one and it’s tail is much more pronounced than that one might like it love your content keep it up and btw I’m also an older skater that’s also a carpenter 🤟🏻

re-drill the holes yourself, just use an old baseplate for a guide

I like riding my Enjoi board, itʻs unfortunate what happened to the team, Louie Barletta leaving, skaters not getting paid. Its got great pop and shape. Sadly it will be the last one I ride, because without Louie Barletta is it really Enjoi.

There's a reason Wenning always skated those pockets

The promodels feld a bit better quality, stiffer longer poppier as the cheaper teamlogo boards wood felt a bit different. Rode 3 years almost always wanted to skate them the longest (lasting)compared to other brands i tried.. Miss them but into twintails now. Always felt at home insantly on every almost board and no number 1-5 press is soooo nice also when getting a new one. Really hope they make twintails soon they are missing out. Love your reviews, thanks.

1:41 illuminati confirmed

Fingers to flat should be included info when purchasing a deck

My best ability was with a short fast tail. Had pop and got spin quick. 1990 91 I think

Almost board sales after this video 📈📈📈📈

Do you guys like doing board slides on a concaved deck or mellow deck?

Hi Ben, have you tried any april deck?