RUBBER GRIP TAPE TO MAKE SKATEBOARDING SHOES LAST LONGER REVIEW & SKATE TEST 

The reason it started peeling is because you cut it wrong and because you didn't sand it. On their website there are cutting instructions so you don't mess up. I appreciate you trying the grip because I have been wanting this grip for awhile, and your the only "shoe reviewing" RU-vidr I trust. P.s - Witchaka ( I don't know how to spell it so I just typed it as I heard

I have used this griptape almost since they started selling online. My two cents: 1) Most of the "cons" are addressed by following the instalation guide in their website. Use a sharp razor, use the razor at the recommended angle or even more, leave a good amount of inset. This last one is the most crucial to avoid the peeling off. Peeling off is caused by some tricks setups/landings where your feet/shoe sole rubs the edge of the board, if you don't follow the instructions and leave the griptape edge close to the board edge (small inset), the feet/shoe sole will rub the griptape edge and peel it off. If you cut the griptape edge away from the board edge (1/4in to 3/8in away I would recommend), the feet/shoe sole rubbing won't catch the griptape edge so much and there will be no peeling off. 2) About the sweat drops, water or dust making it slippery, you can just swipe it on your clothes or some rag if you wish. I would rather do that every now and then during the session than having to come back home tired after just to apply shoe goo on my shoes to have them ready for next session. Oh yes, I haven't use any shoe goo in years, that's some money saved besides the shoes lasting more. 3) Shoes last way more, look way better. I have just changed some emericas reynolds 3 vulcs after more than a year of use. I changed not because some ripping or so, I changed them because they were so wear out that they didn't feel any sturdy any more, they felt so soft like flip flips after so much use (but there was no ripping at all). 4) The griptape eventually wears out, faster than a regular griptape I would say, this is because the rubber in the griptape wears out slowly (instead of your shoe) and losses the texture. There two ways to fight this: change the rubber griptape for a new one, this is still cheaper than getting shoes so often. And consider using vulc shoes preferably, they are softer so they wear out the rubber griptape slower and the vulcanized soles actually get better grip on this rubber griptape as they wear out.

Ive been skating in dkl grip tape since last winter. I couldn’t kickflip for a few months and it got frustrating so i took a break on skating. I came back and practiced tricks that didnt need a flick instead. After that i went back to flip tricks and tbh it felt a lot better and my board was flipping smoothly. I think its really worth taking the time to get used to it so your shoes can last a lot longer especially if u dont have a lot of money for shoes .

1. You used a dull razor amd directly on the website I remember seeing a recommendation for a FRESH razor 2. Also in the demo video I'm pretty sure was on the website (I could be wrong on where exactly I watched it) they were very specific on how to cut the grip to prevent the exact peeling you experienced

This grip tape does grip really good, but if you’re in a humid place and sweat a lot, just take this in consideration, from me sweating a lot having it drip on the actual grip it makes it super slippery, having wet hands from sweat aswell made it very difficult to skate as you usually grab your board from your tail or nose, give it a try though it’s pretty cheap but tradition griptape is just where it’s at

I used it for a while. I liked the fact that the wear and tear on the shoes was next to non existant and that it was really easy to rearrange my feet if I needed to setup for something. I even wrote a glowing review on their website. As time went on though I found stuff that I didn't like. One was that as easy as it was to rearrange your feet it didn't provide enough grip like if I for example landed with my body weight heel side and wanted to pull my board back. Often enough I'd just pull my foot off of the board instead of having the board follow me. Also when it gets dirty with dust, and that happens quickly enough in my opinion, it would get even less grippy. Also, once you start dropping sweat on it it could get outright slippery even with surprisingly little sweat. You can wipe it down to get rid of both dust and sweat but I found it too high maintenance for me. It can peel but nothing big if you follow the instructions though. At the end of the day I went back to regular grip tape. I enjoy putting it on ten times more than the DKL and it provides plenty of grip in all situations. I do miss the lack of damage on the shoes though and the ease of rearranging my feet. But all in all I think the cons outweigh the pros for me.

I feel like this would be great if you skate dunks or any other expensive shoe

Learning a new flip trick requires a lot of failed attempts for me, that a lot of shoe wear. That always discouraged me from trying and persevering a new flip trick. With this griptape, that factor has left the equation. I tried a new flip trick as much as my energy, time and skill let me.

I’ve been skating DKL for about a year and really love it, but there are a few things I wish could be done better - but FIRST… The issue you had with the lines not being clean cut and the grip lifting up - solution 1: go back a second time but with the tip of the razor pointed down towards the top of the grip (as if you were cutting something with a box-cutter) about 1/4 inch from the edge of the board. Use just enough pressure to cute through the grip but not through the top ply of wood, and make sure you don’t go too far in since it’ll make it hard to sand down the edge. Solution 2: once the grip is inset by about half the width of a finger, sand down your edges as you would on a normal board except with downward strokes instead of side to side. These 2 steps make the grip stay on way better and not lift up. The things that I love about DKL? Better for your wallet, better for the environment, better for your thumbs/clothes/backpacks, saves your shoes (usually destroy a pair in 4-6 weeks, been skating the same shoes for 10-11 months and the only wear they have is from pushing & stopping). Things I wish they could improve on somehow? Dust/dirt/sand: this griptape tends to get super slippery when it gets dirty, the solution I’ve found is just keeping the shoes I skate it with in my bag when I’m not skating and not riding the board outside of the park. Even with that, I’ve got to use a toothbrush (not the same as for my teeth dw) with water to clean my soles sometimes and a damp rag to wipe the grip down (DAMP, not dripping wet, you’ll damage the wood otherwise) - these things can be a bit of a pain but I’d take it over having to take time to go to the shop and spend money on new shoes every month or two. Also, water/sweat: water is known for being a skateboard’s enemy, but this griptape exaggerates that tenfold. When I’m skating and dripping with sweat or trying to skate around a covered spot while it’s raining this stuff will not grip to my foot, it’s as bad as if it had no griptape on at all. Solution? Bring a small towel with you when you skate or wipe your face/head with your shirt to keep from sweating excessively onto your board, and if it’s raining just find an indoor spot instead of one that’s covered. What I’ve found works best is keeping the rubber grip for park skating only and taking 5 min at the beginning of my sessions to wipe my grip down with a damp rag & clean the soles of my shoes with a wet toothbrush then letting everything dry off for a few minutes as I do some mobility work & dynamic stretching, and for skating street or days where I’m a bit more rushed I just use a second board with sandpaper griptape. It’s really awesome, and I’m definitely gonna keep skating this stuff as long as they’re in business, you should give it a try :)

YOO the wireless mic made this video a million times better! The audio has been sketchy lately but this was on point! Well done my G!

The haircut makes me feel like I’m watching the ride channel reviews lmao

Waachucka? On my commuter board i use regular "anti-slip tape" from the hardware store. Grips fine for push-commuting, but it removes all the annoyances of sandpaper-grip tape when carrying it, like if going skate-train-skate: you dont tear up work clothes holding it; dont tear up other people who push past you and rub your board; can stick in a bag or tie it on the outside again without damaging anything. So was really useful back in 2019 using the trains etc. Just saying non-sandpaper tape has a great use-case outside of tricks. Also industrial stuff is pretty cheap, but you buy it in a roll, and have to stick 5-7 strips on instead of once like DLK stuff (which i've never tried).

I've been skating this grip for 2 years. It's not a 100% solution because it does wear down after a while and get slippery, BUT it absolutely does save your shoes. Does literally no damage to your shoes at all. And even with it wearing down, it's only 10 bucks, and 10 bucks is a lot less than a new pair of shoes every month lmao. Pro tip, stay out of dirt or dusty ground lol, wears down a lot more and gets more slippery with dust on it. If you skate park it honestly shouldn't be as big of an issue. In the street I'm constantly wiping off dust with my sweaty shirt lol

I like this style of content where you review something and talk about it while you skate. You should do it more often. It feels like it’s more informative, even though it’s only first impressions. Maybe you should try skating board rails if you haven’t… Idk

Been skating DKL for around 5 months. First off, I love how this almost doesn't wear off your shoes. But like i's been said, if it's a little bit damp or even wet where you skate, you won't feel any grip anymore with the DKL. Other than that I wish it would be more cheap where I live (Germany). It's around 25 Euros to get one sheet here, which is crazy. I will try SYS Griptape next, which is a german company and much cheaper to get here. Seems it keeps your shoes from getting ripped as well.. Let's see.

I skated dkl for about a year. It is possible to cut it in a way that prevents peeling. Sharp blade and cut as horizontally along the top of the board as you can. The reason I stopped skating it is because after 4-5 sessions it gets pretty slick with dust. I would have to wipe it off after every other try, and even regripped a couple boards. It probably was a bit cheaper than new shoes, but it wears out quick and new shoes every month or two are more fun than new grip every few weeks. It is great for beginners learning flip tricks though, keep it clean and you can dial in kickflips without churning through shoes.

hey I sk8 DKL grip tape to. Your grip tape keeps on peeling because you didn't cut it in enough. Cutting the grip tape in prevents it from peeling. Cutting it in a bit more is like sanding down the sides of the regular sandpaper style grip but for rubber grip.

I skated this grip for a long time and it feels great when doing flat ground

I can feel a shoe review.

pls do the same thing with two set ups. would be amazing to see witch works easyer

Big respect✊! I Appreciate the honest review. I have my reservations about the grip and the problems you had with the grip are for sure something for dkl to examine and perhaps improve upon. It does take some practice gripping, if not a bit extra time. Hopefully dkl would see this so that that can make further improvements. When people ask about the grip at the park I always let them try it out so I love that you did that as well❤

I might get this since i don’t really do tricks. i just cruise around with my board and this would stop my fingers/clothes getting shredded every time they make contact with the board

This is honestly the best skate vid I’ve seen in a while from any page amazing and entertaining 🔥🔥

You should try supergluing the edges so they won’t peel anymore.

Ive been skating it for a couple months now and I cant go back to normal grip this has also saved me so much more time with my shoes compared to regular grip. I used to have to skate any shoe i could find but now i have one pair that last way more and to me the grip feels the same might be a bit smoother but I always sanded my grip to be a bit smoother anyways.

bruh, you need to file it, cut it, cut it better, then file it again to prevent it from peeling on missed tricks

The peeling issue can be fixed by smoothing out the edges so that there isn't a big lip from where the griptape ends. I'd say for beginners it's definitely a better option than standard griptape because you'll be flicking so much trying to learn flip tricks that you'd ruin your shoes without landing a single trick. For more experienced skaters it's more about if you prefer your shoes lasting longer or not. It's hard to beat the feel of regular griptape that's for sure, but I went back to sandpaper for like one session, and I immediately noticed a bunch of wear happening on my shoes just from that one session. So I don't know it's kind of hard for me to go back to sandpaper. I hate how $70 shoes last like a month or two.

Finally got a chance to buy them laces. Stoked to try them out

I want to try dunks but don’t feel like destroying a $250 pair of shoes in a week. Maybe I’ll give this a try on my next setup :)

Thanks for doing this! Want to try it

i really like this different type of editing/filming

Actually, you're supposed to sand the edge of the grip down. it should have come with a little thing of sandpaper attached to some instructions.

You need to file down the edge of the DKL grip like crazy! Way more than with reagular grip. You are supposed to file it until it starts showing the clear stuff under it which I guess is the glue. And you need a fresh razor blade. I had a dull razor blade the first time I gripped the DKL and I didn't file it down properly and it peeled off so bad. The next time I did my homework and checked out how it was supposed to get done, and my grip stayed solid without any peeling the entire life of the grip. One negative thing about the grip is that it will wear down, to the point when you can see the board through the grip tape, so after a while you need to re-grip your board with a fresh sheet. That is still 10 times cheaper than buying shoes all the time. I skated DKL for a full year and I never needed to get new shoes. I am back on regular grip now, but the DKL is actually really good if you want to save money! 😀 Another thing, it does NOT skate well in the rain! 😀 Wachaaakkkaaaah!!!!!!

I've been using it the passed two days and I can say that I love it. I probably won't be going back to regular grip anytime soon. The flick on it is immaculate and I can wear my favorite shoes when I skate while not worrying about destroying them (at most it'll leave some dirt marks which are easily wiped off). It's a 10/10 for me. The installation was a bitch though, since the razor they sent was so sharp it kept getting caught on my board making it hard to get that 1/4 inch inset.

Just a thought . Surfers have been using rubber grip for decades. If you are just out to cruise it works a treat available at Surf stores everywhere. Love it on my electric skateboard. Not to good for tricks though. But ok to flip with practice.

This was long overdue wachaka since u review shoes. But yeah u gota make sure u really grip it goo and sand it down reeeaal good. Sandpaper is a nono, u need a file. The screws, u can cut a bit around the hole to prevent that bit. My grip job is pretty decent but some weird shit got on it so its peeling a lot at the tail. If it wasnt for that itd still be on good. But i want to get a new sheet either way. Cant say too much on how it feels since im still a super noob

You actually have to sand the grip down a. Bit. Mine came with a plastic sander thingy. It also helps to inset the grip like 1/4 inch from the edge of the board so it doesn’t peel off

Reminds me of foam griptape on fingerboards

You're really lucky to do not skate in a dusty environment with the DKL grip tape, haha, otherwise you have to clean it quite often. I skate mostly in concrete skateparks, so that it annoyed me a lot when I tried DKL. To prevent peeling you could use a file (I believe they sell files as well...) to sand a grip tape down, but this has to be done in the beginning. No matter how good your razor is it is still hard to do a good grip job in comparison with a standard grip tape.

I’m pretty sure it peeled because you didn’t inset it. There’s a little slip that comes with the grip that shows how much to unset it so it doesn’t peel. Also good review! and.. Wichaka.

I've used this for 3 years now and I can't go back to normal grip. Yeah it's a pain to apply on decks but it's well worth it in my opinion

Didn't install according to directions. That's why it didn't stay stuck down. I tried this grip its pretty cool. But hard to install

Try it with the joslin 1 I just got the grip tape from Braille and the joslins for Christmas and it's awesome

Wachaka…I got both white and black laces and they’re pretty dope

Love how while you were doing nollie flips there was a dude teaching 2 kids how to ride

Flatground is one thing but if you skate transition you'll notice the decreased grip on your sole. That can get sketchy real quick.

cool video man i like your angles

They recommend using new shoes om the griptape so it grips better

Yea u gotta sand the edges with a coarse file but sandpaper might work ur just trying to taper the edge off so its harder to curl up. Also tilt inwards as you cut. I've tried this a couple times when I had a pair of emericas or vans I knew i wouldn't be able to get another pair of. Its not too weird and you get used to it the issue is it smoothes out after a few sessions which is DANGEROUS. I'm pretty sure 8/10 of the injuries I've had were because either my shoes or my grip were too smooth. If they could make it a little more durable and last atleast the life of a deck then I'd probably switch.

WACHAKA ! Nice video, skateboarding may change with the time to evolve in a more pratical way ! Btw it could be really cool that you sell your shoe laces to other country than US like Europe !

I ride with dkl and as long as you’re not skating very dusty places the grip holds up great with every session. It’s an odd feeling but shoe wear is not at all something I’ve had to worry about which allows u to skate everything without mental blocks, or u having to avoid doing certain tricks that wear the shoe down heavier than others

First I came 11 seconds after the vid came out lol I am speed Edit: Also love the content keep it up

So you do need to send on the edges on dkl griptape, stop it from peeling up, I've been using the stuff for about a year now. Also helps to let it sit for one day to let the grip set on the board.

It's got to a point for me that I'd be annoyed if say DKL went out of business and I wouldn't be able to buy that griptape anymore. I don't want to go back to abrasive griptape. I've been skating for 23 years and I'm so done with shredding my shoes, laces, jeans, thumb and even my hoody 😅 Yeah they do have more room for improvement like the sticky backing needs to be stronger but they are making iterations so I'm looking forward to gen 8.

Changing the game with the shoe laces

That white Vans with black sole is fire

I think rubber grip tape sticks more on your shoes as the sides are made of some sort of rubber. Regular griptape sands down your sides of your shoes but has less friction and doesn't stick as much allowing flip tricks to be easier. Correct me if i am wrong tho haha i havent skated in a long time.

Thank u Christian I and a few others asked for this

Video Suggestion: Best shoes to wear with DKL Griptape.

I have a perfect solution that works for the peeling , I used clear gorilla glue around the edges and I spread the glue with a Q tip and I have been skating for months and still no sign of peeling

maybe "scoring" the board before applying the grip might help?

When I had this grip to get the wholes for the hardware I used the razor blade and had to cut the holes

how about testing the VANS new bmx "specific" shoes, how bout the slip on's?

This stuff is ok... It grips like jessup when new. It doesn't last even a quarter as long as regular grip tape. Also unless you're skating a really clean surface, your shoes won't rip but they'll get really grungy (light colors obviously). With that being said I've figured out... 1. How to cut it properly so it doesn't peel. 2. How to make it last longer. 3. How to make it work when using patches of it.

Interesting! i was wondering how this grip was.

Dude! PLEASE! International shipping with the laces!!! Send them to México

Colorado been like 90+ degrees everyday

Just seen this grip on TikTok and I thought might watch a proper review and now I still don’t know if I wanna skate it

I liked that it didn't damage my shoes, but it basically grips like very old grip tape. if you don't mind that, I suggest it. but it just doesn't grip your shoes as well

Where is that skatepark? It looks sooo sick.

This is the only grip I skate it just takes a while to apply it correctly

File down the edges and it won’t peel up at all. Downside : if you have any pets that shed in your house, that hair will get stuck allll over the grip, and it is hard to get the hair off. Also, it will start to bald and get slippery in high flick areas (like the sole of a shoe). You should have a rag on hand to wet and clean the grip if it starts feeling slippery. Takes some getting used to, and I ended up switching back to regular grip.

I tried it today and it feels the same like the regular grip tape I recommend

Can you make a shoe review over last resort

Super annoying, was trying to buy this grip a year or two ago but they don’t ship outside the US

I tried it last year and about 3 months in it lost most of the grip, the edges also came up around that time

Whachakka! That’s how u spell it Love the vid, might have to try this stuff out

Bro literally the first 45 seconds had me dying

You’re very graceful at falling. I’d be broken after a few of those. 🤣

That double flip was Cray cray on the start

watchaka hey Christian it's me can you review the new balance Jamie foy plz

My friend got sent a package from dkl and can you review the es avant

video 62 asking for a review of the gilbert crockett vans

Please review the Louie Lopez mid

you definitely need to sand it down i’ve been skating it for a while it’s not quite as convenient as regular grip tape but if you cut it well and sand it well then it doesn’t peel much and preforms pretty well also it’s very easy to clean if it gets dusty just use a wet wipe or wet paper towel to clean it off

This is the same type of grip I use for my pro handboard

You should skate the Manual Hi Ish

@Christian Flores have u tried the Nike Jessup mash up grip if u can get it please review it

Could you review the Es Silo Sc or the es quattro

What deck is that??

I haven’t gone back since this grip changed my life

does anyone know how this griptape is on slides or grinds on rough concrete edges?

gotta love the chunky dunkys on the thumbnail

what shoes are those ...i dig em alot !!!

Need to sand edges with filer 1/4 inch in

I think you actually are supposed to file down the edges with a real metal file, could be wrong

What’s that skatepark called

Where is this park? That place looks awesome

Wtf, was that the skatepark from skaterXL?

Whaa-Chakka Ancient skate term for endearment ❤