Wow, so I was going to blog more regularly. That lasted for a few weeks.
Well, I am back again, this time with a board review. As you may or may not know Fickle has been going through a restructuring and bringing production in house and local, so we have been "gasp" buying our own boards. Whatever kind we want. I have gotten hooked on creatures during this time, mostly because or the board sizes available (I have been buying 8.8). I have had quite a few creatures during the last 6 months and overall they have been very good. Only one warped, and it was very slight, none with a complete break, and making it about a 3-4 weeks before the mush sets in.
So then I got a P2 (poop 2 I think is what this stands for). If you haven't seen one of these this is the "new" big thing. A huge oval of the top layer is cut out and replaced with some type of kevlar composite (anyone remember boneite)
Ok, this board felt great as far as size and for the first couple of days the pop felt great. Then it all started to change. Skies turned black and mush set in. This board had one of the weirdest flexes I have seen. When doing lipslides this board would bend beyond belief.
I tolerated this for awhile thinking it must just be me, but the more I skated it the more it got on my nerves. I skated this board for about 1 week total and just could not stand it anymore. I took the board apart and pulled the grip off to see what in the world was going on with this thing. Guess what I found? a beautiful pattern atop the kevlar oval. Vertical cracks the entire area of the kevlar and some seperation (big enough for a fingernail) around this kevlar oval.
So now I have to ask myself, why do companies continue to have to come up with the next "new" thing? Is it because all they can offer is wood from china that punks out after a week or two? Do they think that some very minor weight difference is worth it? Why can't companies just focus on making solid wood and be proud of that. Quit trying to convince kids that they need a gimmick when what they really need is a solid board that will last more than one session and is not so easy to focus in front of your friends when you can't land your switch hardflip front bing bang down that 20 stair (or more likely some trick on a 6" ledge).
Get on some solid wood and forget the gimmicks!
Well, I am back again, this time with a board review. As you may or may not know Fickle has been going through a restructuring and bringing production in house and local, so we have been "gasp" buying our own boards. Whatever kind we want. I have gotten hooked on creatures during this time, mostly because or the board sizes available (I have been buying 8.8). I have had quite a few creatures during the last 6 months and overall they have been very good. Only one warped, and it was very slight, none with a complete break, and making it about a 3-4 weeks before the mush sets in.
So then I got a P2 (poop 2 I think is what this stands for). If you haven't seen one of these this is the "new" big thing. A huge oval of the top layer is cut out and replaced with some type of kevlar composite (anyone remember boneite)
Ok, this board felt great as far as size and for the first couple of days the pop felt great. Then it all started to change. Skies turned black and mush set in. This board had one of the weirdest flexes I have seen. When doing lipslides this board would bend beyond belief.
I tolerated this for awhile thinking it must just be me, but the more I skated it the more it got on my nerves. I skated this board for about 1 week total and just could not stand it anymore. I took the board apart and pulled the grip off to see what in the world was going on with this thing. Guess what I found? a beautiful pattern atop the kevlar oval. Vertical cracks the entire area of the kevlar and some seperation (big enough for a fingernail) around this kevlar oval.
So now I have to ask myself, why do companies continue to have to come up with the next "new" thing? Is it because all they can offer is wood from china that punks out after a week or two? Do they think that some very minor weight difference is worth it? Why can't companies just focus on making solid wood and be proud of that. Quit trying to convince kids that they need a gimmick when what they really need is a solid board that will last more than one session and is not so easy to focus in front of your friends when you can't land your switch hardflip front bing bang down that 20 stair (or more likely some trick on a 6" ledge).
Get on some solid wood and forget the gimmicks!
i watched that thing flex in disbelief. I am so tired of this... there is no good reason in the world why these companies can't produce a quality product, and gimmicks are the end of the empire...
ReplyDeleteespecially homogenous gimmicks. Game Changer? P2? and the pro reviews? one session? One day? and then the full seal of approval? Man, in a day the thing's already soft and bending on us... and splitting.. didn't make it a week. what gives for $60+