Buying advice: Full shape 8.375" deck

[elva]

Dear Full-shape lovers,

first post here, so please let me know in case I overlooked something.

Long story short, I'm looking for an 8.375" deck with a full shape.

So far I rode a Quasi Proto (8.25") which I generally liked and that made me fall in love with big & wide noses. The only things I disliked were the (in my perception) strong taper and the short-ish tail. I'm currently on an FA shape board (8.375") which appears to be less tapered, but once again I wouldn't mind having a slightly longer tail.

Looking at the several full-shape threads on here, I'm now considering the following options. Note that I'm in Europe (Germany), so any insights on the wood quality/shapes available here would be appreciated.

WKND:
+ Shape should be similar to FA(?). Does anyone know how nose (width) and tail (length) compare to FA?
+ A German online shop has a lot of WKND decks on sale at the moment, so I could get this one for cheap and give it a try: https://shop.wkndbrand.com/collections/wknd-decks/products/red-blue-logo-8-375-8-6
+ PS Stix wood

Habitat:
+ Supposed to have somewhat longer kicks, which I'm inclined to test.
- Also full-ish shape, but Nose not as big/wide as FA, Quasi?
- According to Woodshop thread, European boards were made by HLC, now moved to BBS. Not sure how I could tell the difference (especially when ordering online...)? For example, I found this one in 8.375" which looks fairly full to me (even though not "FA-like" full): https://www.titus.de/habitat-deck-place-setting-series-janoski-0266392/

AWS:
+ Same pros as for Habitat.
- Apparently difficult to get hold of in Germany? Haven't seen them in any local shop nor online (except for a few random models).

Quasi:
+ Liked the big nose on the Proto, however not sure about the shape of the other models (8.375").
- Didn't like the strong taper on the Proto (is this the same for all Quasi decks?).

Real:
+ Some full shape models, but not sure how they compare to FA/Quasi (kicks look more pointy to me).

Pass-port:
+ Some full shape models, but I'm not sure which ones. On images, the noses look rather pointy to me... Any resource on which models have a fuller shape?

Any suggestions, experiences or comparisons of the mentioned decks to the Quasi Proto or FA are appreciated.

Thanks!

[Xen]

What are your overall length and wheelbase dims you’d prefer?

[theloniousmonk]

Check out the girl/chocolate shape guide. They have a lot of different options and the shapes actually come as described. there is nothing worse than ordering online and have it show up and not being what you thought and this was happening a little bit during the pandemic

[Firebert]

I'd suggest Primitive's 8.375: 6.9 nose, 6.7 tail, 14.2 wb

[Mantracker]

I think the WKND decks will be good for you.

I'm quite surprised you think Quasi have short tails but I've never ridden the 8.25 shape, only 8.38 and 8.5's. The longer tail is the main reason I buy them

You are correct that REAL have pointier noses, even the Full SE editions. I would not consider DLX a part of the shovel nose category, despite having great shapes.

Also look at Pizza and GX1000 for shovel nose

[GetItStraitRideKrooked]

I think you’d like Mike Anderson’s Krooked shape. It’s 8.38 x 32 with a 14.25 wheelbase. Really full nose and tail with good concave. My favorite lately

[GumOnMyGrip]

Santa Cruz ( Blake Johnson model only ) and Creature have this 8.375.
14.5 WB. It is the only SC without a tapered shape anymore. Big full nose.


Also, I’ve had several Carpet Co decks and they don’t taper at all- the 8.5 decks stay at 8.5 over both trucks. I would expect the 8.38 to be the same …


I can honestly say that Carpet decks are probably the best I’ve ever skated. Durable and solid, mid concave, great snap. BBS wood

[Xen]

I'd suggest Primitive's 8.375: 6.9 nose, 6.7 tail, 14.2 wb

+1

I've only ridden two of them, but they were great. Mellow and full.

[LebowskisRug]

The Carpet decks are just the generic BBS shapes so if you like those then Passport, Magenta, etc will all be up your alley.

I would suggest the Real Full SE. It is really full, 14.38, and doesn't have the pointy tail like a Polar. That or the Manderson shape but that thing is always fairly steep feeling so be warned. It's a very polarizing shape.

This goes without saying stand on as many of these as you can before buying. Full is sort of a vague term that doesn't really include a lot of other things that might make or break a shape for you.

[rocklobster]

I'd say Habitat, I'm looking at the 8.38 Stefan Janoski one you had linked (that I have right now) and it's got full kicks with a medium high concave. The one I'm holding on to is from the US and should be a BBS, don't think HLC has pressed Habitat decks in a while. It might have been during the 2020-2021 period when brands were making board wherever they could. I've seen Habitat decks with the Regrowth stamp and green DSM stickers along the side.

WKND decks have a pretty full nose, I'd say they use a similar mold to other brands that use PS Stix (GX1000, formerly Quasi). And lot of shops are overstocked on their boards so you can find one on clearance easily. The WKND website lists deck shapes and dimensions, just bear in mind they measure length flat across rather than tip to tip.

[TastyBurrito]

Santa Cruz ( Blake Johnson model only ) and Creature have this 8.375.
14.5 WB. It is the only SC without a tapered shape anymore. Big full nose.

I kinda miss when Creature had the full nose. I rode Baekkel's first pro board and loved the full nose. Grabbed another down the line and they're tapered now.

[Paco Supreme]

I rode the habitat one for years, it is a bit long but you acclimate or hate it. Grab a price point one and find out

[rocklobster]

Expand Quote

Santa Cruz ( Blake Johnson model only ) and Creature have this 8.375.
14.5 WB. It is the only SC without a tapered shape anymore. Big full nose.

[close]

I kinda miss when Creature had the full nose. I rode Baekkel's first pro board and loved the full nose. Grabbed another down the line and they're tapered now.

I think Creature has the full nose, the 8.25 / 8.5 SC have pretty tapered kicks but not as pointy as the Tom Asta mold.

[elva]

Thanks everyone for the responses! This is very helpful.

What are your overall length and wheelbase dims you’d prefer?

I haven't really (consciously) tested different lengths and wheelbases yet. The Quasi and FA shapes I have been riding recently were 14.25" WB and they felt good to me (not sure if I'd like something else better though).

I think the WKND decks will be good for you.

I'm quite surprised you think Quasi have short tails but I've never ridden the 8.25 shape, only 8.38 and 8.5's. The longer tail is the main reason I buy them

You are correct that REAL have pointier noses, even the Full SE editions. I would not consider DLX a part of the shovel nose category, despite having great shapes.

Also look at Pizza and GX1000 for shovel nose

I just looked up dimensions for the Quasi Proto and the WKND I linked, and the tail is listed as 6.5" in both cases which I believe is rather on the shorter side of things? But I'll definitely have a look at the 8.375" Quasi models and GX1000 (no shop in my area has Pizza, unfortunately).

This goes without saying stand on as many of these as you can before buying. Full is sort of a vague term that doesn't really include a lot of other things that might make or break a shape for you.

I'll definitely try. Unfortunately, my local shops don't have a huge selection of decks, so I'm afraid I won't find every specific model and shape in my size...

I'd say Habitat, I'm looking at the 8.38 Stefan Janoski one you had linked (that I have right now) and it's got full kicks with a medium high concave. The one I'm holding on to is from the US and should be a BBS, don't think HLC has pressed Habitat decks in a while. It might have been during the 2020-2021 period when brands were making board wherever they could. I've seen Habitat decks with the Regrowth stamp and green DSM stickers along the side.

Thanks for the insight! I'm really interested in trying the Habitat, especially because of the slightly longer tail. I assume the shape is not as "full" (meaning shovel-like wide nose) as the FA/Hockeys though, right?

Other suggestions (thanks for those!):
- Primitive looks really promising, especially with a 6.75" tail! Fingers crossed that I can find one of those in my area...
- Creature also looks interesting, even though the tails seem to be somewhat shorter (6.6") again. Will have to stand on one.
- Girl & Chocolate look rather pointy to me (at least given the images on their website). I'll see if I can find some in my local shops to actually stand on.
- Will also try the Krooked Anderson and Santa Cruz Johnson models, even though I don't have high hopes to find these specific models in my size here...
- Local shop has Carpet and GX1000. Didn't look super shovel-like on pictures, but will see when I'm holding one in my hands.


Thanks for all the help! If anyone has another suggestion for a brand/model/shape to look out for, that would be highly appreciated.

[FUBAR]

There is a Real 8.38 Full out right now that is perfect. Masons deck with the scorpion. Most def full. Sounds like we have the same taste in boards as far as dims go.

[Sativa Lung]

Hockey/FA 8.38 is pretty much the same as the 8.25, but the quasi one is a little more tapered and less square than the proto 8.25 shape.

Clutch O shape is a nice square 8.375, Flip uses it for their "full nose" shapes.

Gx1000 is the same shapes as quasi.

Strangelove has some very nice full nose ps stix popsicles, but I don't know what their euro distribution is like.

If you want a square nose most bbs outside of hockey/FA and every HLC deck I've seen are out the door.

Snack has some of the squarest boards I've ever skated. WKND used to be the same way but they toned the nose down on their 8.25 a few years back and then when they switched to the new shape lineup everything got a little rounder but I've liked every wknd I've ever skated.

[Mbrimson88]

Alien Workshop / Habitat definitely have longer squared off kicks, with slightly shorter wheelbases and not as steep as FA / Hockey boards.

I have compared a few of those and the FA / Hockey are a bit shorter, with slightly more square kicks, certainly more than almost any other full shaped board out there (which has already been said by others too) but without going too crazy, the more normal "Full shape" of most boards described as full are a fair bit wider right to the ends, so way more than others like Passport, most BBS boards, some PS Stix, although a lot of the PS Stix shapes are rather stubby and can come across as a full shape anyway.

AWS / Habitat pics, including nose and tail, as well as the Real Full SE boards are a good shape too, as per these below:

[rocklobster]

Hockey/FA 8.38 is pretty much the same as the 8.25, but the quasi one is a little more tapered and less square than the proto 8.25 shape.

Clutch O shape is a nice square 8.375, Flip uses it for their "full nose" shapes.

Gx1000 is the same shapes as quasi.

Strangelove has some very nice full nose ps stix popsicles, but I don't know what their euro distribution is like.

If you want a square nose most bbs outside of hockey/FA and every HLC deck I've seen are out the door.

Snack has some of the squarest boards I've ever skated. WKND used to be the same way but they toned the nose down on their 8.25 a few years back and then when they switched to the new shape lineup everything got a little rounder but I've liked every wknd I've ever skated.

I'm not sure if it's just the Caleb Bennett pro model but that 8.25 / 8.38 shape had tapered kicks, the rest of the 8.25 / 8.38 from FA / Hockey were their standard shape.

[elva]

Hi everyone,

thanks again for all the advice!

After standing on several decks, I ended up buying a Robotron deck (German brand, longish nose and tail and pretty mellow) which I liked. I recently broke it after not skating too much and now got another Hockey (local shop has many of them and I couldn't resist).

After the first session with the Hockey, I absolutely hated it and felt that it would take forever to get used to it (pop with the steeper nose/tail feels great, but my flip tricks are complete garbage again after I just got some consistency with the Robotron deck).

I'm now unsure whether to just stick to the Hockey and try to adapt (I feel like I have to re-learn all my flip tricks because of the ghost pop and the weird timing after skating a mellow deck for so long) or go back to a more mellow deck. The Robotron deck was overall fine (and only 55€) but I also see why people like the pop on the Hockey/FA boards.

Are there any other brands/shapes (8.375") I should look into that have a full nose (doesn't have to be as square as Hockey/FA) but are somewhere in between the very mellow decks and Hockey/FA?

I'm still interested in getting a Habitat (the Mark Suciu Twin shape looks intriguing with the longish nose/tail), but I read sometimes that they are also on the steeper end of things (even though not as steep as FA/Hockey?).

Quasi and GX1000 may also work, but I keep reading different things about the decks being steep or mellow...

I recently got my hands on a Primitive (the McClung Demo) and the nose was nice and round but it looked like they just "cut it short" if you know what I mean (even though the shops list it as having a 7" nose).

Any further input (both on decks or adapting to a new shape) are appreciated. I should mention that I'm turning 30 this year and only get to skate once or twice a week...

[rocklobster]

Hi everyone,

thanks again for all the advice!

After standing on several decks, I ended up buying a Robotron deck (German brand, longish nose and tail and pretty mellow) which I liked. I recently broke it after not skating too much and now got another Hockey (local shop has many of them and I couldn't resist).

After the first session with the Hockey, I absolutely hated it and felt that it would take forever to get used to it (pop with the steeper nose/tail feels great, but my flip tricks are complete garbage again after I just got some consistency with the Robotron deck).

I'm now unsure whether to just stick to the Hockey and try to adapt (I feel like I have to re-learn all my flip tricks because of the ghost pop and the weird timing after skating a mellow deck for so long) or go back to a more mellow deck. The Robotron deck was overall fine (and only 55€) but I also see why people like the pop on the Hockey/FA boards.

Are there any other brands/shapes (8.375") I should look into that have a full nose (doesn't have to be as square as Hockey/FA) but are somewhere in between the very mellow decks and Hockey/FA?

I'm still interested in getting a Habitat (the Mark Suciu Twin shape looks intriguing with the longish nose/tail), but I read sometimes that they are also on the steeper end of things (even though not as steep as FA/Hockey?).

Quasi and GX1000 may also work, but I keep reading different things about the decks being steep or mellow...

I recently got my hands on a Primitive (the McClung Demo) and the nose was nice and round but it looked like they just "cut it short" if you know what I mean (even though the shops list it as having a 7" nose).

Any further input (both on decks or adapting to a new shape) are appreciated. I should mention that I'm turning 30 this year and only get to skate once or twice a week...

I second the Habitat Twin Tails, riding my 5th in a row, 1 from BBS and 4 from DSM. Medium high kicks and concave across the middle but way less than a FA / Hockey. The tips are rounded but not square and they've lasted me a standard duration of 4-6 weeks, or 20-ish sessions.

I personally prefer the BBS ones since they mellow out within a session but the DSM ones are solid too. They stayed stiffer longer and maintained their concave and steepness throughout their lives. And they aren't as "dead feeling" as DSM R7 decks (Almost, Blind, Enjoi) or Girl / Chocolate.

Got a few more in my quiver that I'll continue to ride for the foreseeable future.