THE BEST SKATEBOARD YOU CAN BUY 

Dan just crushed all those “ how to pick your first board” videos by a mile , good shit

Love how there's a cat casually strolling in the shop. I bet it has its own skateboard in the back.

This was interesting, rare to hear about so many brands in one go as it's usually someone reviewing a specific product. How about a state of the Wheel review? Bones, OJs, Spits and Speedlab, etc.

I've skated my whole life and still learned a few things from this. Also made me realize how much of skateboarding is fashion. Brand loyalty and aesthetic play a huge part, but it's also not a bad thing. We are coming to a point where it's cooler to support a small brand owned by skaters. Quasi, Alltimers, Hockey, Carpet, Sour, Cleaver, etc. Whatever your preference, reserve the judgement and spread the love.

I am stoked that you mentioned Blueprint Skateboards. I was an ambassador for the company for 6 years and I loved every moment of it. Such a damn good company all the way around and Scott Palmer was a damn beast!

In 1995 I got back into skating and the Powell blank was 35-40, and the slick bottom boards were 60. So skateboarding has literally been frozen in time financially

More like this? Yes please. Shoes. Wheels (brand ,size and hardness), trucks (brand,size, material,low/high), bearings (brand, abec, shields v shieldless). So much to learn. Love the daily content. Early congrats on 10k subs!💟

I picked up skating again last year after about 11 years off. It's wild to me that the biggest names back then don't seem to have much of a presence anymore. I assume they got bought out or absorbed by a parent company, but companies like Element, Toy Machine, World Industries, Flip, Girl, Alien Workshop, Blind, etc. just aren't nearly as common as they once were.

Polar is not UK based, it's Swedish. Malmo to be exact. Also they've been building their boards at BBS, so it's not an overseas wood :)

I’ve been skateboarding since 2017 and I can confidently say that this is one of the best skateboard deck related videos I’ve ever watched. 💯 thank you for the knowledge🙏🏽

Polar is not from England :D the owner is Pontus Alv and he is from Malmö,Sweden!

Man, living in my van, those police sirens in the background freaked me out hard, because smoking a doobie with my exhaust fan on.

This was really thorough. PLEASE make a truck review video! Also, YEAHHHHH HEROIN SKATEBOARDS

i could listen to dan talk about skateboards all day. just something about him when he knows what he’s talking about is just so fun to listen and learn something new!

Thanks for this, very helpful -an older, currently broke skater just recently back into it who's clueless about current boards and companies

Polar be from Sweden i do believe had 2 of their decks some of my favs

Thorough awesome boards review. I’m forever a fiend for funky shaped decks cause we would often order square blanks, cut our shapes and do our graphics and grip jobs. Good to see some of skateboardings roots revived so highly welcomed

Great video Dan, love the passion and detailed explanations. I've come late to skateboarding (started a year ago at age 41) but am obsessed and skate everyday. SUBSCRIBED

I literally know nothing ab skating and I watched this whole thing. I appreciate your free flow informative style. Helped me learn a lot

Got to excited about that vx I forgot to mention how dope this content is..! Keep up the great work brother, between yours and keen ramps channel you guys are killing it.!

Powell made boards in the late 80s with a composite layer called Boneite - it actually looked a bit like cardboard when you snapped the deck. They went soggy and lost their concave when they got wet so this formula didn't last long.

Would definitely like to hear your thoughts on the current lines of skate shoes and what you've found to be the most durable for all-around skating.

I am from germany and like to buy European brands to support the skate culture here. Also always go for your local shops board! Support your locals!

I recently bought an 8.5 polar deck. I liked the shape ( I dont care for the graphics at all ). It is super fun for cruising, but doing tricks gets really hard because it is heavy :) So be careful while going up the sizes. It feels more stable, safe etc. but there is a price you pay for that ... the weight. Eventually went back to Deathwish 8.25, and that is where I am sticking around in the future.

I skated a polar deck that was shaped for a couple months and it helped me progress a lot. When I went back to a popsicle deck flip tricks seemed much easier and cleaner than before the polar. I like shaped decks a lot more now that I’m in my 30s and spend most of my time skating on the ground and in bowls.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the decks. It would be great to see you do a video of truck technology, wheels, the always debated topic of bearings, how different griptapes grip, and cup sole verses vulcanized technology. Even better would be is getting an interview with some of these companies to Interview and talk about their products.

Dan you’re the man, I’m literally going to buy a new board today! Thanks for the tips man.

We love you Dan. Thankyou for what you do. I hope all is well for you and your family.

Just bought a Danny Way Danny the Menace early Plan B reissue. Was made by Paul Schmidt/Schmidt Stix in Mexico. Even has a serial number. Shaped is were it's at. 45 years old back at it last year after 27 off and boards contagious changed back then. Thanks for heads up on Welcome and 3 Block. Checked them out and already see a few decks I like.

I remember the Lib Tech glow worm board with fiber glass was BADASS! They skated awesome and lasted wayyyy longer than most decks. The dude at the local skateshop low key told me they stopped carrying them because they lasted so long and lost them money

Skated from the time I was 10 till about 30. I’m 48 now and watching all these vids, plus the fact that parks are everywhere now, I’m getting bit by the bug again. Not gonna hit handrails or Ollie crazy gaps or nothing but I really wanna skate again. Just miss the feeling! Great video Dan.

dan is my father

I had a part fiberglass mixed with kevlar and it was cool until I had redo the tail and nose due to scraping. The putty like stuff to redo it didn't hold up much and hurt like hell if I got cut. Just like a razor. Glad there's so many options today. interested to try one of the lightweight decks.

I like your content bro! *been skating for almost 24 years* I agree with your input. Great stuff! 👍

loving the vids keeping me entertained through lock down here in the uk

In the 80s and early 90s we had all kinds of shaped decks. There was more variety. I remember I had a Santa Cruz Bullet board with a 'whale tail' that curved way out. The idea was the more acutely angled tail would make your ollies higher. It just made them sketchier.

As much as the technology in the flight decks must be awesome, I’m always so excited to set up a new deck, I don’t think I’d want it to last THAT long 😂 but when money’s tighter it’s gotta be nice.

This RU-vid recommendation was perfect timing. Thank you so much, Dan!

Congrats on 10k dude I love your videos

I am firm believer in flight deck. I didn't like the shape of the VX or the truck placement. Fun fact, Powell Flight shape 243 is almost exactly the same as a revive board. So easy to go back an forth between the two. I have her skated a 3 Block so not sure if there is a difference in the revive shape.

Awesome information-packed video, thanks Dan. Liked and subscribed. Question: Among those of us who are only interested in cruising (no tricks, no speeding, etc.), are there less performance differences that we need to be concerned with? Example, I gave up skateboarding after high school, that was 45 years ago. I recently bought a couple of Penny boards just for crusing around, and I think they're pretty cool for this purpose. But, maybe after I regain my skills, and I'm looking into more bitch'n longboards, I'm thinking about Arbor dropthrough longboards for longer-distance longboarding. Opinions?

Keep making videos like this.. I been skating for like 10 years & would have never known half of the information I just gave out if I never watched this vudeo

The creature power ply decks are also great composite reinforced decks, I’ve used mine for months

Hey Dan! I know this video is a bit old, but I have a suggestion! To test “board technology” and different types of wood ply, use a hydraulic press! Can test the overall stress of each board to see which one handles load better!

I'm digging Madness boards, cool shapes and finishes. They got some powerply type ones too.

Love your content, always interesting, skating, shop talk, product reviews, it's all good, keep it coming, skate to live, live to skate

I just found your channel yesterday and I’m surprised to see my local skate shop in your newest video wow! Shoutout to Hefty Cole too!

man had an Aircraft aluminum deck back in the early 2000's and everyone used to rip on me so hard. I thought it was futuristic dope though, even had this sick ghetto blaster grip tape. It was good for somethings but as a kid growing up in smalltown midwest it was not the best for learning board slides, etc. Once the little plastic nose and tail guards wore down that thing was deadly like a prison shank!

It was technically Paul Schmitt aka Schmitt Stix/PS Stix that was behind the “helium” boards.

Much love and respect to you and your channel. I hope that all is well for you and your family and friends.

Settled a lot of questions for me. Awesome and thorough review.

Zero is Awesome now, Jamie runs it all. Small and just right. Enjoi is dope so much history I still ride Enjoi and they have technology 65 dollar decks too. Polar is dope, all the riders are dope. THAT VX THO 🔥🔥🔥

Dan is the funniest man 😂🔥

a good example of the more effort into the product thing. one of the first shaped boards I bought was the jeff grosso santa cruz re-issue. the graphic on that thing was like the finish on a damn car. the board was so cool that I skated it until it was falling apart and even now I just get pschycd just looking at it on my wall. also a name on board really means something when you admire that skater.

This was super interesting! Thank you so much for this great video. Cheers from Berlin!

kinda happy to see skateboarding recognized kinda as art and fun. not as how gnarly and good you are

Hockey and FA have legit the best shape i ever skated. They‘re hyped in westgermany rn

Good vid Dan really liked this review’s you did of the different decks

Great video! Would love to hear your opinion on trucks and wheels! Maybe shoes too. Love the channel keep up the amazing work!

Trucks next !!! And imo I love baker boards. They always just feels perfect to me. Powell board shiners KILL ME THOOO LOL

Out of all the boards I've skated recently I lean towards Almost Impact Lights being my favorite boards, nice graphics, Yuri Facchini is a beast, quality build & shape, and they last for ages. But boards in general are definitely a personal preference.

I love that you shouted out carpet those dudes are doing sick stuff over there

Really like the concept on this video I’d like to see more Dan! Also what’s your take on krooked and primitive? Much love from West Adams

Skated for about 24 years and I've done it on most of the brands. A few haven't made it over the years, but here's a rundown of what I've skated: Minilogo is underrated considering the price. I've had bad experience with China boards unless they have resin in the press. Despite being considered a Walmart brand, Darkstar's resin 7 is good. Blind boards arent durable. Elements are cheap. Almost is very good. Fuck Baker. Zero is rad. Polar has a quality deck. Enjois are perfectly average. Birdhouse is surprisingly good (most are low concave, I like them with rails). Powell-Peralta is awesome as far as quality and shape is concerned (nice Chris Hiett reference). Black Label is also very good, especially their old school shapes. Santa Cruz is bad unless you get their most expensive line. Overall, my advice to anyone new or old is to get the best possible deck they can get for the lowest possible price. That means that you should ignore the graphics and focus on the tech behind your board purchase. Look at the country of origin, look at the materials. Do your research. Shape and size is personal preference. The only way to know what you like is to skate everything. Enjoy skateboarding.

Since you've been skating for 20 years, I'm wondering what your thoughts about smaller boards (7.5 etc.) were back when they were the size to go? Did you get used to them but were immediately much happier once bigger boards were the main thing or were you always able to immediately adapt to what the marked threw at us and skate it with the same sense of "feeling at home"?

Went from single tail (born in 82) to Popsicle (twin tip) for seems like forever to a Welcome shaped deck (1.5 ) years ago and I Love the shaped deck its just "cool" gives me my little kid shaped deck vibes back. And I can still do all my tricks... so cool.

Fav boards I’ve owned have definitely been my welcome decks, a super sick company and as a transition guy all their shapes are super fun!

I actually really really like the old Element Fiberlyts back in the day. They had absolutely incredible pop. They were definitely pricey as shit tho

Manny Santiago riding blanks also... i know u use ur phone but fingers crossed soon u get a good camera with some stabilization.

This just convinced me to get a powell flight deck when I do get a new skateboard in the future, haven't gotten one in years.

Thanks for the Carpet shout out. They’re in my backyard and will definitely support❤ Didn’t even know about them.

7:45 this technique is called embossing

Carlos Lastra 3block Skateboards, Nuff Said. Love that dude. Thanks Dan.

Ngl my favorite deck is the green and gold tinted baker board, though I’m considering getting a ripndip board. Any thoughts and if ripndip boards are any good?

I wish i would have seen this video before i got my most recent board. I’ve been away from skating for 15 years and recently picked it back up. Brands have all changed and i just gravitated towards Dark Room because my last board 15 years ago was an Alien Workshop deck. My next board will be a Baker. Thanks for the very informative video man!

Best deck I've ever had was a heroin Lee Yenkou. Superior product!

Interesting. I checked Polar's website and for certain decks they're saying it is made by BBS in Mexico. I'm also surprised there is no talk about the pitch of the nose or tails or the concave of decks as a deciding factor. I'm guessing that is due to personal preference?

My boards last me a really long time so I picked up a powerply santa cruz deck. It was worth the price, its super durable and the pop has stayed fresh since i got it

Many people don’t realize there’s only a few board manufacturers. For instance Blind, Almost, Zero, Enjoi, Flip, Santa Cruz and many others are all made by the same company (Dwindle) different logo, same company making the decks.

Dude polars made in Mexico lmaoo

The best skateboard is always my skateboard.

Chris is GREAT on that old Powell board. Surprised you didn’t mention Anderson when talking about shapes

I always loved medium concave because it didn't get soggy as fast. Might try a mellow flight deck since it wont die in a week.

I love High school! I have A days, B days, and Wednesdays. No school. You're doing really well at posting at 9 45. I'm in the same timezone so I know that I think.

I skate Baker and it purely has to deal with the fact that I love the Brand and Team itself. Thanks for the upload Dan!!!!

Libtech Skateboards were amazing! Really the first Flight Deck tech was influenced by them. Snowboard tech comes from aerospace technology so it proven and has so much pop.

one of the most important things to me, as a skater and an artist, is the graphic, *but* I also have a couple super rare/custom graphic boards from Lib Tech, that are fancy because of the graphic on them, so I've personally preferred graphic, sometimes even over shape and size, but that's been like, twice [Edit:] There's a (somewhat) local skate company near me, Gluefoot Skateboards that are specially designed to not chip. I've kicked mine into cement walls at my local, (multiple times) to prove it, and the guy makes them in his backyard. They're super cool, everything about skateboards interest me, from the art on them, to the way they're made, to tricks, everything. I love sk8

Dude! It would have been PHENOMENAL if you came into my Vans store when I still worked there. One of the CHILLEST places I ever worked.

Thanks to your review and Andy's I bought the new Powell wheels. They're tight. Never going back.

This helpped alot. Now im more calmer about buying a new board

I remember the almost decks that had the fiberglass disks under the trucks. My friend had a few and they would separate and crack around that disk. The flight decks look sick. I think when it's time for a new one that's what I'm buying.

Thanks for amping me up mayne keen to skate now

Almost impacts had something weird in them too. Can’t remember if it was carbon fiber or fiberglass but they were sick as shit. I used to go through decks so bad. Like I was having to buy only blanks cause I was skating through one a week easily and someone suggested I try an impact and I got one and that thing lasted forever. It eventually finished out but is by far the longest I’ve ever had the same deck and that was pushing maybe like 9-10 months. Before the blanks I was buying deathwish and baker. Mainly lizard king and Ellington pro decks but they were killing my pockets

Thanks Dan. I appreciate your insight.

Amazing presentation thanks a lot !!!

I definitely want to see a video on trucks, I agree with boards basically being the exact same thing for company to company unless you pay for the expensive fiber glass boards, but trucks I feel can definitely switch up how you skate slightly

this is a really good explanation but would love to hear you talk more about almost's carbon fibre 8th ply.

Good informative vid Dan. Good to see u on 3block dude..

I like VX decks. I do setups in 2 different ways depending on what I want to skate. If I want to skate a modern setup, it's either a 8.25 Krooked, Real, and antihero. with independent 139, 56mm speedlab wheels and bronson ceramics. My other goto would be a Santa Cruz old school or winkowski shape with 1/8 risers, ace 55 trucks and my same set of wheels from the other. I love the cruz missile 2 concave. It just feels awesome. If they would do a cruz missile 2 concave on a modern shape, I'd love to try that. I think it would be great. that concave on an 8.5 to 9.5 board with a 14.5 or 15 wheelbase(could really double drill it)

I just got goosebumps of nostalgi ! Saw the Powel Steve Caballero board in the background, the one with the dragon on. Reminded me of the good old days with Ban this and skating all day long :D