They are China made decks made with Chinese maple not Noth American or Canadian maple and they are not the same decks as the pro models made in Mexico. It’s cheaper and easier to use china maple decks than to recycle old wood (decks) they just market it like that
@thelonelynow that sounds like a pretty bad experience! I love my Clouds for rough terrain, haven't tried the chrome cores though. I have Elites and found them super sticky too. I also have Rapidos but found them different - less sticky, different colour (Elites are more 'natural', Rapidos more 'bleached'), different smell, different feel - maybe the differences are all in the colouring??? I get they're made in the same factory by the same company, but is it possible they're different formulas?
Bronson raw’s are the worst bearings I’ve ever skated, most expensive too.(lasted 3 weeks) Haven’t made the mistake of paying more then $20 for bearings since.
Hey Ben - I just gotta say you are a true inspiration. I'm 37 and my son is 7. I recently just took up skating again after a long hiatus. It's been the perfect excuse to get out more and teach my son how to skate. We both really enjoy watching your videos and my son asks all the time if you've posted something new. Keep up the great content and we'd love to see more father and son skate sessions! Happy Father's day from one skater dad to another!
I snagged a pair of the new ATG Tensor Mag-Lights a while ago, and they feel like a perfect middle ground between Thunder and Indy in terms of turn response. (Probably a bit closer to an Indy.)
We've been asking a while. I don't know..seems like Ben may have been traumatized trying some Tensors back in the 90s or 2000s to where he won't even attempt now. I get it though...his style gravitates towards high pop, responsive turning, and heavier trucks. The old Tensors are the opposite of that. But I still think he should give the All Terrain Geometry ones a shot....given they're 55 mm tall (like normal Indy's) so more responsive and supposedly the king pin is quite low now. I think if he tries the Magnesium ATGs he'd like the great slideability....but he may not like the low weight (last video he said that he doesn't like the 149 titanium Indy's....he prefers the Standard heavier ones for the added heft to not rocket kickflips/heelflips. I'd still be interested in his opinion of the ATGs so looking forward to the day when he reviews some. One of us may just have mail him a pair of 8'5 ATGs.
Thank you Ben, I thought it was just me as I have been trying to find the sweet spot on my deck and went to Bones V3 99a 52mm wheels with Bronson G3 bearings...2weeks later and I have to pump so hard to get to the coping in our mini bowl I thought I was losing my mind. Well my super reds just arrived with my Formula 4 101a 53s and everything just works. Racing around the coping like a kid again. Thanks for not sugar coating these reviews...best!
I rode a set of G3s for about 5 years, periodically cleaning them. The cages eventually cracked, but it wasn't a big deal until much later in their life.
Ben I love everything you're doing and also love how lowkey your sales tactics are. But you're killing me without a link to your board shop in the description of your videos! Don't forget! Some ppl won't do the search I am about to do!
I’d like to see Andale Swiss bearings. But I am very happy to hear someone say how they feel about Bronson because I’ve been looking into skating again after many years(which I built a set up 2 years ago but wasn’t for me so I’m going to give it some kid at a park). I have some stuff that I like and also others interested in so we’ll see. But again I’m glad to hear someone talk about Bronson since I started with Reds ‘02 until ‘07 and still bought them but wanted to check out other ones for a new setup to relearn everything I guess.
@thelonelynow I rode 3 Polar 8.5" boards in a row earlier this year and they all had a fairly full nose similar to a Primitive or AWS nose that Ben reviewed in this video. Most of their models have that full nose shape, but not as much as an FA or WKND.
Completely agree about the "human touch" on PS Stix, I love me a BBS/Gen board and they last me longer than PS but man sometimes they just feel lifeless. PS feels heftier, more oomph to my pop and they have some very nice shapes. But like I said they usually start feeling pretty dead about a week sooner than my dlx boards. I usually pick up whats available at my local so mostly dlx but when a PS board pops up I usually snag it.
@thelonelynow Pretty sure he was joking ;) but man now i'm sad I just installed a set of china big balls - found em on sale a few weeks ago so decided to try em out. We'll have to see how long they last...
I bought the hype, and have been skating Bronson Raws for a good few months now, and they're easily outlasting any other bearing I've skated in the past 20 years or so. Every other bearing I skate usually gets kinda fucked, the shields get dented and I have to remove them, I have to grease and clean them more often than I care for etc... Usually they'll just fucking explode and leave the outer race stuck in the wheel, which is always fun. Raws just kinda keep going through anything. They seem to be near indestructible. The one thing I've made sure of though, is to NEVER clean them or grease them. I suspect that doing that would affect the tungsten coating in their races, and make them less durable and/or slow them down. I'm not exactly sure how right I am about that, but it's been working well so far. For what it's worth, I greatly value durability over speed when it comes to bearings. (Not saying they're slow, although I probably wouldn't be the best authority on that.)
I’ve only skated bones reds for most of my life so when I got the Bronson g3 they felt amazing and I loved them over the reds I ended up gets a second pair of the G3’s but it have to say I never tired Swiss bearings and I never heard anything bad about then I never tried the super reds also I might have to get some super reds and see how they are compared to the g3 thanks for the review keep it up 👍🏼
With my bronson raws I have always put the shields outwards like with all other bearings, this meant that dirt and stuff didn’t come in. I have had them for 2+ years and ridden them in the rain with no issues, however I could definitely understand how dirt could accumulate if you put the exposed side outwards.
Good review! If this video shows one thing, it is that we all need to transition to the metric system. These imperial measurements are making my head spin LOL
I’ve never tried OJs hard wheels, but I do like the mini Super Juice for cruising crusty streets (which are all the streets in the rural area I live in lol) and Formula 4s are just the best for everything else.
Mini Super Juices are INCREDIBLE cruising wheels, TBH they might be my favorite wheels ever (assuming we aren't trying to do crazy tricks) in general because they are fast, grippy, and super comfy and well dampened.
Quick note: Poetic had the best high concave 8.2 board last year, absolutely amazing. Then they changed woodshop and claim to have better wood now, but the shapes changed completely. Wheelbase was ridiculously long and the shape was strange, really short and pointy kicks with super long WB. Sour boards look like they have more concave than they actually do because of the shape. Good boards, they tell what shape each board is and the measurements on them. Tail and nose relatively middle of the way, a bit more curve than usual boards. I enjoy more concave but nothing bad to say about them. A lot like Polars shapes
Most European companies press their boards at HLC, which is Jart's woodshop. The wood had a bad reputation a few years ago but now it's really solid. I like it as much if not a bit more than BBS
You should check out some Welcome decks. I've been having so much fun trying all their different shapes. The Ryan Townley shape has been my hands down favorite of the 7 I've tried but they've all been great.
I've had the bronson g3's and im currently riding g2's. Apart from the packaging they feel identical. Still a good bearing in my opinion.just as good as standard reds.
Hi Ben, love watching your videos keep up the good work. I had two sets of Bronson G3's they felt good for a couple of weeks but then slowed down. I bought mini logo bearings about a month ago for £8 (I'm from UK) and there still going strong. Best bearings I've bought in a while and the cheapest.
I loved my OJ's 97a's Orange juice Henesy wheels. Great on the rough streets of my city, and could power slide all day at the park. They are retired now. I just got an Alienworkshop 7.875 Spectrum deck.
I feel like there's more to say about bearings even if it's unlikely anything will sway you from Bones. I've heard good things about Pig and Andale and would be interested in your thoughts.
I tried Oj "insaneathane" 101's last year and I couldn't stand them. They felt so painfully hard... also flatspotted super fast. I run the bronson raws on my cruiser board I ride to and from work almost every day (over 2 miles) and I have no complaints over a year. They are holding up on my regular setup pretty well too. I have always been a die hard bones china reds fan and would definitely still get them in a pinch, but for the way I skate now, the Bronsons have been outlasting them. Quality is hit or miss on reds for me... I've had some dud bearings out of the package.
I had a welcome (ps wood) and honestly liked it for a few weeks. The nose and tail at the beginning felt great. Popped well and felt comfy. Gave it away recently but hated it by then. The nose became super flat. The tail felt flat but big so I liked that. Cracked it by my front truck from a 50-50 that went wrong. If you’re going to get a ps board, I would make sure you have enough money for a new board a few weeks later. They go soft fairly fast.
My Plan B board has the same shape as yours. I remember i was struggling with the shape of it so far, the 8.25 on the front truck area and 8.125 on the back truck. I enjoyed riding them on Indy 144 for a while but I change to venture 5.25 ones. It’s also still nice on 8” trucks and you said but Im used to a bigger or fit truck to a board so the 8” trucks get me feel uncomfortable while riding or grinding sometimes
yeah, i've also had very negative experiences with bronsons. people I know swear by them because they're in love with NHS. bones super reds are by far my favorite bearing
Try a shuvit! You can get them at skate warehouse, and you can also order them factory direct I believe. Our local skate shop carried them and they were awesome
I would absolutely recommend you SKF bearings (608RS). They're really well-made. SKF is a huge company with lots of experience in bearings. The price is very good too.
I've definitely had good and bad boards from PS. when I first started riding them a few years back I'd have a few of their boards delaminate and just get flat and mushy on me pretty quickly, so I called the shop that I bought it from about it and they said they've had a few people call them about the same issues. I feel like their boards aren't super consistent but I did love ones without the manufacturer defects
Hi Ben, you asked for our comments about Ps wood so here's mine. I have had probably about 6 to 10 ps decks and I have never had a problem with delamination and I generally have been pleased with the quality of the decks. Some of the shapes that I have ran across have been a little bit of a challenge for me but that's my own problem not woodshops. I have however had a problem with a certain plan b deck that I ordered from skate warehouse, I ordered it a few years ago and I am not sure what woodshop that it's from. It's a Tory Pudwill model so that should give you a general idea of how long ago it was, but anyways the problem with the deck is that the back truck holes are not centered on the deck. Therefore I will never order anything from skate warehouse again or plan b.
Dude I totally agree with the Bronson lateral movement thing. You can grab your wheel while it's mounted and give it a jiggle and it will move side to side way too easy. Also after you clean them they felt like they got worse. These were the G3 I had. But yeah, I'll just stick to bones big balls.
jonah moore that could be it. It’s a shame they suck because a bearing designed to be shieldless is a good idea. Better off popping the shields off China reds for better performance and price.
Personally I think oj does best in its lower durometer categories, would love to see you try to flat spot their 95a nomads or their 87a. I have been riding their 99a hardline and think they are much more suitable for street than their 101 ez edges
@@GilletteSkater true but look at their skaters and the trend of their wheel formulas. Their are really doing well in the mid to hard range of duro (87-99a) + their 78s are reliable and I can comfortably do all my tricks (though I’m a basic skater) using the 55mm mini super juice which I was surprised by
@@wanton_chips3638 interesting. You make me wanna try the nomads. I have a 99a set of elites sitting in my closet til I'm healed up. You really think the 99a and 101a have that big of a difference?
Skinny wheels are just easy to power slide while 95a feels wildly smooth and quiet. I was genuinely surprised how true to the hype the wheels were. Also I haven’t owned my own 101a OJ wheels but I’ve only ever owned 99a and every time I step on my buddies board who rides 101a, feels like he is riding plastic. If you want harder than 99a OJ wheels for the benefits of high durometer, I’d just go with spitfire. Spitfire 99a feel like OJ 101a rolling but they actually slide like a good *hard* wheel should slide The speed you keep with Oj’s kinda softer feeling ride is noticeable as a beginner skater or after a long session
Great video. Wish i could hit the thumbs up twice. Seemed like it was off the cuff but the Bronson bearing review was spot on. I really wanted to like the Raw bearing but had the same issues.
Also finally somebody agrees with me on the bronson raws. I’m still skating them just cause I want to get my moneys worth. But planning on going back to bones
Hi Ben:) I was about to rush for something then I had this recommandation from utube. So I have to rush twice now... Thank you for this video, your reviews, and your faithfulness to f4 and bones .....
I would love to love PS Stix decks. I have had bad luck with them lasting as well. Love the feel too, but don’t last. I live at 8,500 altitude, that could be it.
Last 3 PS boards (all toy machine) I rode didn't delaminate. But did get soggy feeling after a total of 6-8 sessions on em. When new, they have a great broken in feel on them, but after a while will flatten out. Still rideable sure, but the tricks don't feel as good. Quite possibly the boards I purchase most often. 😊
I just realised the difference in feel with PS Stix and BBS might come from the way the concave is made. PS Stix's moderate, mellow concaves make the board softer, and a high concave lets the board twist less. Same as folding a piece of paper, holds more weight when bent than when straight
I'm glad you had a similar experience with bronson raws I thought I just sucked at cleaning bearings but turns out raws are just garbage if you do anything except skate at a skatepark. I liked the G6s for a while but they're not noticeably better than bones reds
Good to know about the Bronson's too. I was somewhat disappointed with my last two packs of China Red's. Felt like the QC wasn't great. About 6/8 bearings were awesome and the last two were poopy out of the box. I did grab a pack of Swiss recently and those are incredible :)
That Plan B deck is just like the old Shorty’s 8.25 XL board shape from back in 2001 (taper and all) . Having that tiny mellow tail does make it super poppy without the difficulty or effort it takes to skate steep kicks.
I found your bearing video! I knew it would be in here somewhere. Seriously though, your reviews are great, even when you talk about stuff I’m not shopping, I still learn stuff. I think people need to just try stuff in order to know what’ll work for them, but it really helps to understand what to pay attention to. So I appreciate how you not only state your preference, but explain why and relate it back to what you’re trying to do with the products you’re comparing. This greatly increases the value of your back catalog. Quality stuff!
I recently skated a Quasi acid ply PS board that I cracked on the nose doing a front shuv off a curb only a week into skating it.. not sure if I'm just gaining weight in quarantine, but I'm reluctant to try another one. Right now I'm skating my first ever enjoi deck and loving it.
That's weird, I've been skating a Quasi Acid Ply for about a month now and just now is getting chips and wood splits in the nose and tail. I feel like PS boards are harder to chip.
You had me dying laughing taking my morning 💩 I just recently found out about your channel after buying my first setup in probably about 20 years. In fact the trucks, wheels and bearing are complete…. eh hmm 💩💩💩funny cuz just so happen I bought a set of Thunder hollow light electric eye trucks, a set of formula 4 spitfire full conicals (both thanks to you) annnnnnnnd some Bronson speed co. G3’s last night (not because of you) because of their amazing marketing of course 😂 to go with this space aged 8-ply, “Almost” deck that is just a tank (thanks to Rodney and Daewon). It Has some extra…… 🤷♂️ what reinforcement circle deals at the bolts. I actually was looking for a review about the deck when I found this review. Anyhow, every review/ lesson content I’ve watched of yours has been rad, enlightening and funny 😆 this one had me rolling about those bearings. I’ve read people say you’ve helped light that skateboarding fire again for them. But really brother, you have for me. Just turned 42 and it’s time to go shred again. I’m just glad I didn’t go for the shieldless raw’s. Tbh I almost did because I watched a dude, that probably was a well paid actor, do a roll some hills test review with supposed year old raws vs new raws while timing each run. It was such an awesome review, this “no maintenance dry lube” 🤦♂️ what?!?! Now that I heard you say your hilarious thoughts about them. Intrigued me. Oh, now that I think about it, I watched your review on the ceramic’s 😂 so they were a purchase, in part, thanks to you after all 😂 got em off prime, so they are probably going back for some super reds. Again thanks to you, so thank you 🤣 Keep telling the truth, my man. Love the skate nerd content, your sick thrashing style, and definitely that dry sense of humor of yours. I’m a fan braddah 🤙
I got two 8.25s and they were great. Good shape, not too flat of concave or steep. Kicks were good too, fairly steep feeling after coming from a flat concave and flat kicks board. Only issue is they seem to crack on the bottom colored ply really easy. The local skatepark flatbar is one of those bars where the board actually only slides on the ends of the bar(almost a “u-shape” to the bar). What I found is those edges would eat away at the ply. That, coupled with some mild 5 stair skating, was leading to noticeable cracks in about 2-3 weeks. Granted, it’s summer so I’ve been skating hard and long, but still a little disappointed they couldn’t last me longer bc once they crack the board feels really off. Overall really good and I may just be a skinny guy who breaks boards, but my past boards(Hockey and Chocolate) held up great especially because I was in a hucking phase of stairsets. Interesting to compare those boards to the generators bc Hockey is PS deck and chocolate is a crailtap.
I'm 80% happy with the blanks. I love the shapes but want them to stay stiffer a bit longer. We are going to keep them in stock (eventually😂) but will also be getting decks from other woodshops very soon.
bones big balls are the best. they are just reds that last longer. a few more dollars than the reds. if you get dirt in them or if they start slowing down, you just keeping riding them and they feel as good as new. mine lasted for 7 months and not once did i clean them. im still using them on a cruiser board.
Some time ago with few friends buy a BSS Blank skate decks, there´s a better than unexpected and I recomended that, and the wheels, frequently used blank wheels to skate in a little flat park and they don´t have a bad for the price, and one recomendation, you should to lubricate your bearings with graphite, I´m industrial designer and with don´t have bearing lube use one pencil to lubricate the bearings and work perfectly! Regards Bud!
Great insights. One thing I wondered about price point decks was maybe they use a cheaper wood glue that affects pop. Like, enjoy has a lot of r7 wood epoxy decks and when I first tried them, it almost felt too stiff but the pop lasted way longer and decks don’t seem to break as easily, so I started thinking about how wood glue affects pop and strength. I like ps stix because I think a lot of well thought out design goes into their shapes... but I worry that your experience with quality might not be a one off. In my experience ps stix wood feels softer than normal. Broken too many of them on small things within a couple days. They razor fast. And the wood seems to chip and get chewed up too fast, which is a shame because I still like how the decks feel but I don’t usually buy them anymore. I agree about OJs. I also got some elites recently, though 99s for the rough street here, and I hate them and feel like I wasted money. They flat spotted first session from under rotating a boardslide on a rail that wasn’t even a foot tall, nor was I going fast. Power siding feels off, like it will catch hard first and then release, which just feels jittery. And something about the rebound factor, even on good ground I felt they decelerate instant, taking a lot of effort to push. And lol I agree about bearings. Got a set of the super Swiss 6 and they keep their momentum more than the reds, but reds are still the best bang for the buck
Feel the same about the Bronson's got the g3s and thought the same thing oh the raws have to be so much better, after about 2-3 weeks on each they slow down soo much that whatever bearings they sent on my kids skate warehouse complete will outspin them. The g3s were actually best after about a week then did great for about a week, but they aren't charging 3week bearing prices.
I have the Tablets set up on a board. I like them but, I can hear them squeak against the coping on grinds. It is the only wheel I hear on grinds. I like Bones bearings, FKD Swiss have also been good to me but, the Jason Park JuJu ceramic and steel hybrids are the best I have ever had. They don't make them any more but I have been in one set for 2 years. Still amazing. I have Olympia bearings set up on 3 boards right now. I do like them a lot.
Lol I just built my wife a skateboard, with OJ wheels and Bronson bearings. Not super worried about it, she wanted the OJs because they were by and pink and matched her deck and the Bronsons just for shits, giggles and to try a non-Bones bearing for once.
Happy Father's Day! Guessing Vancouveren's celebrate Father's Day, aye? Hope your's was awesome. I recently discovered Vancouver Carpenter and found your skate channel today, subscribed. Drywall brought me here, wtf right? Thx for the content and your professionalism. "3 broken wrists, 4 broken arms, and I still skate." I've been skating since 82, and sheetrocking and rolling (and framing) since 92. A fellow mud-slinging skateboarding carpenter, what are the chances? I just set up a brandspankingnew David Gravette "Captain Dislocate"(Creature ...duh), with some killer Steve Cabalerro Indys, shoutout Skate Ratz, Colorado! (Happy Father's Day to me!) Putting the internet down now and going skating on some beautiful Utah trails with my daughter, thx again! 🔨
Another Bearing you never tried, SPITFIRE CHEAPSHOTS. Better and cheaper than China reds, and once you take the shields off, they roll good and fast for a LONG time. Sometimes they get clogged, but I've cleaned my bearings with PB blaster. But yeah, please try them! I have teo sets of Cheap shots, and one set of Spitfire Burners, I prefer the cheapshots.
@@kmrskates I guess my two sets that have been RAW for about 4 months say different. Had them both for about 8 months, and they're constant. Now, idk how they'll be in a longer haul, but for the price, why hate. Lol.
That Sheffey deck is awesome for older skaters, beautiful shape and skates super light. I have it set up with ATG mag lights for my weak leg days and its almost too light, my first few flicks are usually over rotated but as I tire it becomes perfect. Great little deck and yes the tail seems super short which was a bit of a mental hurdle at first but once I started skating I couldn't even really tell the difference. PS: I've had the same experience with Bronson raws - first day I thought they were going to be a game changer but within a week they slowed down and even stripping them all the way down and cleaning the races, balls, and shield thoroughly with alcohol they never even got close to the out of the box performance. I do think there's plenty of other good bearings besides bones out there, but they sure as hell ain't Bronsons.
