Damn switching from 8.75 to 8.25 sounds crazy...
Well, it is.
The 8.25 is my main ride. The 8.75 is more of a cruiser / fun board (or bigger transition) that I take out every now and again. Some times I end up riding it my main set-up for a week or more (because, well, everything just feels better on a bigger board), and then when I go back to my 8.25, I'm always like, "WTF!? There is no way I can ever ride this absurd 7.75" toothpick ever again! It's
SO SMALL!" And then like an hour later I am all, "Oh, yeah, I love 8.25 decks!"
I've tried a ton of different set-ups overt the years, and the DLX 8.25 is clearly my "goldilocks" set-up. The only other deck/set-up that held my attention was the DLX 8.75, and that shocked me. Still does, actually. It just seems like such a nice, well-balanced set-up, despite it's size. I think one of the reasons I like it, is that it is almost the exact same shape as the 8.25, just bigger.
NOTHING feels as good as smith grinds on that 8.75...