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I think the steepness of FA decks throws some stuff of for me. I got crazy pop and can skate them good. But I think specially my kickflip consistency ( normal ones , switch/ nollie, fs flips) is down and it doesn’t feel as controlled as with flatter decks.
Then again I really like the pop cause of the steepness and I like the round nose.
You think I might get used to it, or should I try something else next?
GX are steep too, right ? Quasi? Wknd?
Venture hollow lights btw
For me personally, Quasi had the opposite issue. The tail isn't steep enough. The tail feels really long (even though its fairly short) and flat (comfortable for riding). The tail *feels* long because if you think about it, it is technically longer in terms of going backwards (X/Z axis) because less of the length/angle is going upwards in the air (Y axis) and instead is going straight back.
The tail was causing me to ghost pop a lot when I first got it. Even now the ollie still feels very "delayed", so I had to learn to basically ollie earlier? I liked a lot about the deck-- especially for cruising (a lot of space for your back foot while pushing and turning), and having a really great shallow lever for controlling manuals-- but even now that I am 100% used to the deck, the pop is still a problem that makes me never want to buy one again. I really have to pop the back hard to get a decent ollie. Definitely was holding my ollie height back.
I'm now getting used to a Real Full SE and the tail feels so short and steep in comparison EVEN THOUGH the tail is actually longer than the Quasi! The ollie is jarring come from the Quasi because the Real actually snaps quickly right when I press on it. I am really missing the flat "long" tail for cruising and especially manuals... but I couldn't stand the ollie issues any longer.
I wish there was some sort of deck was is in between a FA and a Quasi. FAs sound too extreme for me, but Quasis are a tad extreme in the other direction. I'm hoping that either this Real Full SE or my Polar P2 (next deck after this one) ends up being the shape for me.
EDIT: Oh also, I'm using Ace trucks if that changes anything about how the tail pops. I've heard mellow tail and tall trucks can be an awkward combo I think and would explain that issue?
I have one set of Ace on a DLX board and it skates ok (as well as Thunder and Venture), but I usually ride Indy on them as my preference and I do feel like there is a good pairing between some trucks with some shapes or variations in concave. This one is more on the mellow side and I did have to adjust a bit to get used to how far in the trucks sit, compared to Thunder or especially Venture.
Given DLX actually number the tops with I, II, III or IV, I being the top of the press and steepest through to IV being the bottom of the press and more mellow, or at least that is how it is supposed to be, if you have access you can choose which board based on the top stamped number to get a better pairing for what you like. Sometimes that is easier said than done, but it has worked for me and I prefer IV through to I last. The other thing I found though is I can always flatten out a board by parking on the kick for a minute or more, whereas I can't make a flat board steeper, so I don't mind getting whatever number now and making it work for me.
That process is not for everyone, but it definitely works with BBS boards and I have done a lot to mellow some out a fair bit and others just a little bit.
As to finding something in between FA / Hockey and Quasi, being two different woodshops, it is harder to compare, but they both press four or so boards at a time and there is always the variance from that, the top board being steepest, the bottom board being not so steep, so even from each board, or a half a dozen of exactly the same board, there could be differences you would notice and some that would be great, some the opposite for you to ride.
The best advice I would have from working in shops is to go in to as many bigger shops (or whatever places you can really) and stand on a lot of boards to feel out which works for you and which are more comfortable to stand on. It is not the be all and end all but it will definitely give you a much better understanding of different concaves, or different shapes that brands or woodshops use.