How to Choose a Good Skateboard

Co-authored by Jon Depoian

Last Updated: February 22, 2023 Approved

Choosing a good skateboard can be tricky, if you're a beginner in the sport. There's a lot that you have to take into account, in addition to the cost. You have to also consider the complete board, the deck, the trucks, and the wheels, whether you're buying a ready-made skateboard or are putting together your own. Once you understand what makes a good skateboard, you'll be hitting up the skate parks in no time.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Choosing What to Purchase

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Decide what you're going to purchase. If you want a good board for less money, you're going to want a complete board. If you want a much better board for more money, you're going to want to custom make yours.
- Keep in mind that choosing custom parts can actually save you money. If you're buying on a budget, get a Mini Logo or blank deck, cheap all-around wheels like Bones 100s, cheap bearings like Spitfire Cheapshots or Bones Reds, and any trucks that you can afford.
- If this is your first skateboard, you probably don't have the expertise to know exactly what you want out of it, so buying a complete board is usually a good idea.^{[1]
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Decide whether you want a longboard, a classic or a street/vert board, as that is the first important decision you'll need to make.^{[2]
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- Longboards can cost from $60-$500. They're more stable and good for bombing hills and riding smoothly, but they are very hard to do tricks on. They are great for beginners wanting to learn to skate, but you won't be able to skate in a skatepark very well.
- Classics can cost from $60-$400. A classic, cruiser, or mini cruiser is good for cruising, and you can still do tricks at the skatepark with this one.
- Street/verts can cost from $70-$200. They're the typical "skateboard", mostly made for tricks but good for a little bit of everything depending on the wheels. A smaller board is going to be easier to maneuver, turn and do tricks with, but a little bit less stable.
- There are also lots of different board shapes, but that's not really an important question for a first skateboard.^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Purchasing a Complete Board

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Be sure to purchase from a reputable source. Buying online might save you a few dollars, but try your local skate shop first. The few extra dollars you spend support the shop and your local skate community. Developing a good relationship with a local skate shop often saves you money in the long run. The completes are not as good as custom made, but you can get them for a lot less money and upgrade any bad components later.

A complete can cost anywhere from $50-$200 (USD).
A custom made can cost anywhere from $90-$500 (USD).

Completes (from left to right)	Price in USD	Brand
Mini-Logo Red	$99.00	Mini-Logo
Classic	$149.00	Surf One
Twisted Dragon	$59.00	Powell Golden Dragon
Sunrise Wave	$149.00	Surf One
Kickflip Red	$59.00	Angelboy
Andy Mac Fist	$59.95	Andy Mac

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Buying a Custom Board

Buying the Deck

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Consider how much money you have to spend on a skateboard deck. Blank decks, decks with no graphics on the bottom, usually run a lot cheaper than pro decks and ride just as well. But if you fancy having your favorite pro skateboarder's deck and you have enough money, go right ahead.

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Buy a quality deck. Decks available at your local department store are usually of low quality and have pictures of cartoon characters on the bottom. If you want an entire board, but don't know exactly what you want, buy a complete skateboard from a company or go to a skate shop and ask the employee about the products. If you want to ride on the streets, get a 7.5 to 8.0 deck, if you want to ride vert, 8.0 and up is probably best. However, it's all personal preference. People street skate all the time with decks over 8.0.

Keep in mind how tall you are when choosing a board width. Also consider the kind of style you wish to skate. Most technical skaters (the ones who incorporate advanced flip tricks... like Rodney Mullen) tend to favor boards between 7.5 and 7.75 regardless of how tall or small they happen to be. The upper hand of having a thin board allows for quick rotation. The other side of the spectrum is the "go big" skaters (Jamie Thomas is a classic example of a "go big" guy). Most "go big" guys favor size 8.0 and up. The advantage of a wide heavy board feels more stable under your feet while in mid air and while landing (especially those who have big feet). If your a kid you might want to just stick with a 7.66 or smaller.

Decks (from left to right)	Price in USD	Brand
SuperLight	$37.50	Mini-Logo
Silver	$49.95	Powell
No Ka Oi Longboard	$75.00	Surf-One
Hill BullDog	$62.00	Powell Peralta
Street Issue	$58.00	Powell Classic
Quicktail	$100.00	Powell Peralta

Buying the Trucks

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The trucks are the second most important part of a skateboard. When purchasing a truck, you want to look for these characteristics.

A length that is no more 10 inches (25.4 cm).
A width that fits the deck, so 7.5 trucks on a 7.5 deck.
A design that you like.
Lightweight.
Grinds well.
Durable material - You don't want them to snap in half.
Pick out a truck that has no design or paint if you are on a tight budget.
Design isn't everything - it might look cool, but that doesn't mean it's good quality.

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Trucks (from left to right)	Price	Brand
Unit Phantom II Truck (White)	$17.99	Phantom
Grind King The Low Truck (Silver)	$16.99	Grind King
Thunder Creepy Crawl Truck	$16.99	Thunder
Randal 180	$24.00	Randal
Tracker 184	$24.95	Tracker Trucks
Tracker 129	$14.99	Tracker Trucks

Buying the Wheels

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Pick out wheels for the kind of skateboard that you have and what you mostly want to be doing.

Longboards use big and soft wheels, which are great for cruising.
Street boards use small and hard wheels, which are great for tricks.
It doesn't matter what brands your other parts are. Get the best brand for each individual part depending on what you're doing.

Wheel (left to right)	Price (USD)	Brand	Diameter
S-3 Black	$16.80	Mini-Logo	50mm
Strobe Gold	$32.00	Powell	53mm
Wave Black	$33.00	Surf-One	65mm
Mini Cubic	$35.95	Powell Peralta	64mm
Ripper	$32.00	Powell Classic	56mm
G-Bones Blue	$32.00	Powell Peralta	64mm

Buying the Bearings

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Bearings are very important if you want to keep rolling without pushing constantly, especially while street skating. They're typically rated with the ABEC (Annular Bearing Engineering Committee) scale. The ABEC scale only measures the precision of the bearing, not how well it rolls or how long it lasts. It's a common misconception that the ABEC scale refers to how fast the bearing rolls. Anything above 1 is precision and will perform fine for skateboarding, but it's recommended to go above a 3.

The ABEC ratings for skateboard bearings are 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.
If you keep your bearings clean and well lubricated, they'll last for much longer.
If you have the money for them, bearings with ceramic balls instead of steel ones will last longer and won't need to be lubricated as often. Ceramic balls also won't absorb as much heat as steel balls, which helps performance when they get hot from friction at high speeds.

Bearings	Price in USD	Brand
Bones Red Bearings	$6.99 - $18.00	Bones Bearings
Bones Ceramic Bearings	$48.99 - $140.00	Bones Bearings
Bones Swiss Labyrinth	$37.99	Bones Bearings
Bones Original Swiss Bearings	$34.99 - $55.00	Bones Bearings
Bones Super Swiss Bearings	$39.99 - $58.00	Bones Bearings
Mini-Logo Bearings	$8.99	Mini-Logo

Help Picking and Decorating a Board

Tips for Picking out a Skateboard

Mistakes to Avoid When Picking out a Skateboard

Ways to Customize a Skateboard

Community Q&A

Question

Is it necessary to start on a long board, or can I cut out the middle man and begin skating with a regular skateboard?

Community Answer

You can definitely skip the long board, many people do.
Question

I'm 5'4 and I'm a girl. What board size do you think I should get as a beginner who has never set foot on a skateboard?

Community Answer

I would hit a 7.5 board, or somewhere around there. Get shoes like vans or converse that won't fall apart as soon as you start skating, and think about a helmet until you get the hang of riding around.
Question

How can I help get my child started if he or she really wants to skateboard?

Community Answer

Try getting one of the child-sized skateboards. They won't be the best, but they will be enough to help your child get some practice. Also, make sure that you buy a helmet and some knee and elbow pads. Remember to comfort your child when he or she falls, and encourage him or her not to give up.

Warnings

Do NOT expose your board to elements such as water or extreme heat. The board will start to separate and you will be out a board.

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Don't ever leave the trick if you can't do it.

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Try to wear long pants, because your ankles are going to get beat up if you do spin tricks with shorts on.

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Don't get into skateboarding if you don't want to spend the time, or the money. You will usually go through a board every five or six months and if you don't want to go through that, find another sport.

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Skateboarding takes time and lots of practice. Don't do any extreme tricks like Hardflips or 360 Front Flips until you learn the basics: The Ollie, Kickflip, 10 sec Manual, Boardslide and Heelflip.

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Boards bought at any retail store are really bad and are not good for skating and are called poser boards by dedicated skaters. The best place to get a good board is your local Skate Shop. The Second best place to buy a board is a chain store like Zumiez or Vans. Also BlackHoleBoards has every brand you name.

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Retail board bearings are the worst bearings in the world and can come off easily in a few weeks even after tightening them to the hardest. It's cheaper but if you wanna become a professional skater you gotta get a pro board.

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Skateboarding is a dangerous sport. Especially if you're going to be trying crazy tricks and gaps, a helmet is recommended to avoid brain damage, and pads are recommended if you want to have elbows and knees when you are through.

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Remember don't get those cheap skateboards from Walmart. They won't hold up to any skating and can break from a single ollie that is landed improperly, but 2 cheap boards a week for a few weeks adds up to the price of 2 or 3 expensive boards. These boards are also heavier and slow which makes them much more difficult to do tricks on.

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Remember, no skateboard lasts forever. Each board has a different lifespan, regardless of the brand. Flip tends to break the easiest if you skate a lot. Almost all Girl boards usually have the longest life span. If you want a board that lasts really longer and you have the money, go for the Uber boards. Almost has three Uber boards signed by Mullen and usually start at $70 just for the deck, and complete range from $150-$250 just for the basic. If you want the perfect board, then you are talking a lot of money.
- Uber boards are pro boards, so if you are beginner do not get one until you have been skating at least one year and you got the feel of a regular pro board. Uber boards are actually two boards inside another board, so it's a whole lot smoother, and you will need to balance!
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