If you take your skating seriously, a good quality deck is essential. Good decks will be lighter, more durable, and provide superior “pop” and responsiveness when compared to cheap decks.
It can, however, be difficult to know which skateboard deck will be best for you.
The good news is choosing a skateboard deck shouldn’t be particularly difficult (once you know what to look for).
After the summary table below, we discuss the key things to look out for when choosing a skateboard deck, followed by reviews of some of the top decks on the market.
Real Kyle Tail Feathers 8.06”
Founded in the 90s by Tommy Guerrero and Jim Thiebaud, Real is a skateboard company run by skaters with a focus on simplicity and progression.
They have gone on to become one of the most respected brands on the market and lead the way in terms of skate deck technology.
They also have the impressive policy of not creating high-end decks for their pros and lower quality ones for the mass market, meaning you get the same deck that the Real team rides.
The Kyle Walker Tail Feathers Skateboard Deck is a super versatile skateboard deck suitable for a range of skill levels and types of skating. With impressive pop and a durable 7-ply construction, this board will help you achieve all your skating goals.
FEATURES
- Width: 8.06″
- Length: 32″
- Material: 7-ply Maple
- Shape: Popsicle
- Other: Kyle Walker pro model
Flip Penny Mary Jane 8.0”
Originally started in the UK by Jeremy Fox under the name “Deathbox”, Flip is one of the oldest and best known brands in the skateboard world.
Now based in the US and boasting team riders like Tom Penny, Rune Glifberg, and Bob Burnquist, the brand continues to pump out great decks with awesome graphics.
With a medium concave and great durability, the Penny Mary Jane deck is suitable for a range of skill levels. Grab one and hit your local bowl or staircase ASAP.
FEATURES
- Width: 8″
- Length: 32″
- Material: 7-ply Maple
- Shape: Popsicle
- Other: Tom Penny pro model
Girl Habero Malto 8.125”
Girl are one of the biggest names in skateboarding and have been producing high quality decks for decades. Currently owned by distribution company Crailtap, they are under the same umbrella as brands like Chocolate Skateboards and Royal Trucks.
The pro model of Nike SB skater Sean Malto, this board will give you the confidence to hit both the big gaps and the technical flip tricks.
FEATURES
- Width: 8.125″
- Length: 31.625″
- Material: 7-ply Maple
- Shape: Popsicle
- Other: Sean Malto pro model
Almost New Wave 8.25
Almost is a U.S. based skate company founded by skating royalty Daewon Song and Rodney Mullen. In addition to Mullen, the current Almost team consists of super exciting skaters like Cooper Wilt and Youness Amrani.
The New Wave decks look awesome and are sure to age well even as they start to get scuffed up.
They are also manufactured from a 7-ply Hardrock & Canadian Maple blend with Epoxy Resin Glue and Single Deck Press, which according to Almost, results in a stronger deck than industry standard 7-ply.
FEATURES
- Width: 8.25″
- Length: 32.1″
- Material: 7-ply Hardrock & Canadian Maple blend
- Shape: Mellow concave/steep kick
Chocolate Roberts On Air 7.75
Another Crailtap brand, the Chocolate teams consists of pro skaters like Hakeem Duckworth and Kenny Anderson.
What makes Chocolate stand out from many other skate brands is the amazing artwork they use as graphics on their decks and this Chris Roberts pro model is no exception.
This deck is more narrow than others on this list, making it suitable for more technical street skaters while still being versitile enough for park and general use.
FEATURES
- Width: 7.75″
- Length: 31.125″
- Material: 7-ply Maple
- Shape: Popsicle
- Other: Chris Roberts pro model
Choosing A Skateboard Deck
Aside from choosing a brand and graphics you like, the key considerations are the type of deck and the size. Below we break down what you need to know.
Type
There’s a huge number of different types of skateboards and we could dedicate a whole article just to explaining the differences. While in this article we will focus on shortboards, it’s still worth familiarising yourself with the different types:
- Shortboards – Standard skateboards used for street, park, vert, and general use. These boards are lightweight and responsive, perfect for tricks.
- Cruisers – Slightly longer and wider boards designed to accommodate bigger wheels to make for a more comfortable ride. They sometimes have a kicktail however their intended use is more for transportation and cruising.
- Longboards – Long and stable and with large wheels, longboards are perfect for people who don’t intend to use their board for tricks and want a smooth ride with the ability to cover longer distances.
Size
The key measurement you need to consider when choosing your board is the width, and this is the measurement you will see referenced in the name of the deck.
Decks on standard shortboards will range in size from 7.5” – 9” with most being around the 8” mark. Technical skaters who do a lot of flip tricks will often opt for boards smaller than 8”, while ramp, pool, and park skaters may prefer slightly wider boards. Skaters with large feet, or who are heavier, will also want a slightly larger board. However, the vast majority of skaters will be fine sticking around the 7.5” – 8.25” range.
While the length of the board is less important, very tall riders will want to opt for a slightly longer board to help them feel more balanced and proportionate to their set-up.
Materials
Almost all skateboard decks are made with plywood, which is thin layers of wood glued together with the grain of the wood at different angles to create strength and durability.
The most common types of wood used in the construction of skateboard decks are maple, Baltic birch and bamboo.
Maple is by far the most popular as it has been proven to perform best in terms of weight, durability, and responsiveness.
The most common number of layers of ply used in decks is 7, although you may see more or less where manufacturers are looking to optimise for strength or cut weight.
Brands
While you might feel a bit overwhelmed about choosing a brand of deck to buy, in reality the decks from the top brands are all made by a small number of manufacturers, and the brand is more focused on the deck graphics and their team of skaters.
Therefore, if you stick with a well known brand (like any on this list), you should focus more on the getting the correct size, as the manufacturing quality is likely to be similar across all brands.
Verdict
As mentioned in the intro to this article, the most important thing when choosing a deck is to get the correct size. After that, pick a reputable brand and you should be pretty safe.
We are big fans of Real thanks to their constant progression in deck construction technology and we think the Kyle Tail Feathers deck looks amazing, so that would be our pick of the bunch here.
