Going over the best surfskates that I've bought and shredded. I try my best to describe how each rides, then at the end, I share some tips that’ll help you avoid the mistakes that I made. Carver, Hamboards, Smoothstar, SwellTech, Waterborne, and YOW.
concretewaves.com/best-surfsk...
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
0:45 - Carver
2:36 - Hamboards
4:05 - Smoothstar
5:45 - SwellTech
7:05 - Waterborne
8:31 - YOW
9:32 - Additional Tips
1. Carver
Compared to the other surfskates, Carver isn’t as aggressive, I’d more so classify them as a surf cruiser. I’ll take my carver out when I wanna go for a longer cruise, but still something that I can carve more than a traditional cruiser.
2. Hamboards
Next, we got Hamboards, which I’ll be referring to their HST 200 trucks since that’s really their surfskate trucks. They have a spring in both the front and back, allowing you to carve super aggressively rail to rail. They’re also unique because they have boards that go all the way up to 6.5 feet, so not only are they trying to replicate the feeling but they’re almost going for actual surfboard sizes, which is pretty crazy.
3. Smoothstar
Then there’s Smoothstar, which has a very fluid and consistent feel to it. They use a tension spring, and they provide an Allen key so you can adjust the feeling of it. Although I personally never had to use it - out of the box it’s been a blast to ride. I find that with the Smoothstar, one pump will carry your momentum further compared to the others and I think that has something to do with their tension spring.
4. SwellTech
SwellTech has the most aggressive carving out of all these brands because their front truck pivots a full 360 degrees and has a spring on each side. Probably the gnarliest and most innovative design for a surfskate that I’ve come across. Major props to them for even creating this design.
5. Waterborne
Waterborne allows you to carve more aggressively than Carver, somewhat similar to YOW and Smoothstar. However, it’s built around a cube bushing rather than a spring, so naturally, it doesn’t have that springiness that the others have. I usually recommend it to people thinking about getting into surfskating because you can buy their kits, experiment, see if you even like that surfskaty feel.
6. YOW
Finally, there's YOW which uses a thick coil spring and is my favorite surfskate brand at the moment - I enjoy that deeper, springy feeling. Recently, they dropped their new Muraki adapter, which is smaller, lighter and apparently more stable. But I still need to test it further to determine that. I know there are quite a few people out there wondering, just know there’s a website review coming soon, I’m working on it. As far as aesthetics go, I think YOW is out in front by a long shot, but again that’s really my preference.
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