Mellow Concave

[PhantomBased]

Hey all, looking to get a new board soon and I’m wondering which boards usually have the least amount of concave. I know baker actually labels it on their boards and that’s super helpful, I’m also looking to get into big boards (9 in +), so if y’all know of any good big boards with mellow concave feel free to share pics of your set up too thanks everyone 

[spanyard]

The prime reissues of the OG 91 blinds/world are super flat and mellow. OOP but check eBay.

[lydius]

DOA flat as fuck concave but no big sizes and they sell out hella fast
Scumco kiddie pool concave, also can be hard to find
honestly Toy Machine and Foundation are your best bet for consistently flat and they have 8.75
Black Label boards also come in big sizes and are generally very mellow

[Firebert]

Birdhouse's standard mold is nice and mellow - flatter than my Baker OG Mellow. Primitive has a nice mellow mold as well.

Toy machine decks are even flatter, and when they come correct are my favorite, but PS Stix has terrible QC - last two Scumco Smith 8.25 decks aren't sanded properly/symmetrical (half tapered half square) and have tons of swirly scratches on the wood grain.

It's hard for us flat lovers out there right now. Important side note: concave is different than steepness of the kicks. Girl boards have a great mellow concave, however I find the kicks can be quite steep.

[Utopos]

Toy Machine are the flattest decks I have had. Make sure to get a pro model. If I remember correctly the team decks and the pro models come from different wood shops.

[Mbrimson88]

Can you go to a skate shop and actually stand on boards or not?

That is always the best way to feel out boards, as even boards from the same brand with the same graphic can be different in concave and angle of kicks.

Also are you meaning the whole board, the middle sideways concave or the angle of the kicks, as there are some brands out there that have mellow concave with steep kicks, or vice versa.

What have you had previously to be able to compare boards you have had to what you might be wanting?

Yes it is the "skate shop guy" asking the questions, so as to give the right answers.


Where you are also has a bit to do with it, as there are different woodshops used between different places / countries / parts of the world in some cases too.

[switchfrontshuv]

just find an anti hero classic eagle 9.0 thats stamped IV

[Mbrimson88]

just find an anti hero classic eagle 9.0 thats stamped IV

The funny thing is the last two orange eagles I bought didn't have any number on top, but both definitely felt perfect for concave, just right and I am all about the IV in the press / mellow feeling boards.

Antihero orange eagle 9.0 x 33 with a 15" wheelbase - very big and long but perfect if you are into that sort of thing.

[SneakySecrets]

I’ve found my people. 

I have a Snack board that’s probably the flattest thing I’ve ever skated.  I’m a flat deck lover and aficionado and it was actually too mellow for me.  I can give the specs if anyone wants them.

[GauchoAmigo]

I love flat boards as well. This post made my jaw drop the other day - has anyone actually done this?

[ManimalChin]

Boards from Watson Laminates are generally on the flatter side.

[Mbrimson88]

I love flat boards as well. This post made my jaw drop the other day - has anyone actually done this?

Yes I have experimented with it, as the first time just driving over it did nothing to the deck at all.

Sitting on it overnight was the most productive, along with putting some mats / carpet squares under the deck.

Unless you want a completely flattened tail, don't do it with hot / recently driven tyres, as I found this out by doing my usual to a couple of boards that turned out very flat (too flat) from after the drive at one end which hadn't flattened out half as much from parking on the other ends for the next day with cold tyres.

[Sativa Lung]

DOA flat as fuck concave but no big sizes and they sell out hella fast
Scumco kiddie pool concave, also can be hard to find
honestly Toy Machine and Foundation are your best bet for consistently flat and they have 8.75
Black Label boards also come in big sizes and are generally very mellow

Kiddie pool is the medium and its pretty steep to be honest. Silver spoon is the mellow pennswood concave. But that only applies to when scumco is actually using Pennswood, which they haven't recently. Most of whats in the shop right now is PS stix. For those the Evan Smith guest board and Downey are the mellowest (downey is the toy machine mellow mold) while the nicholson is pretty mellow as well.

I post about mellow decks all the time so check my post history if you want a rundown of the ones I like. If you give me your desired specs I can help point you in the right direction.


Finally, although Baker and Creature do indeed label their boards as classic/og/mellow they really aren't. They're pretty steep and honestly the birdhouse mold might be a little mellower than baker's. Either way I would avoid them unless what you actually like is "medium decks labeled as mellow because our normal decks are really steep". Girl boards are legitimately  mellow though. 

[Esmith5488]

The visit deck I had was even flatter than a DOA flat IMO. I know they just sorta use what wood shop is available to them at the time so I don’t think it’s really a safe bet to buy one blind though

[Sativa Lung]

The visit deck I had was even flatter than a DOA flat IMO. I know they just sorta use what wood shop is available to them at the time so I don’t think it’s really a safe bet to buy one blind though

I thought they used clutch but I know Kelly skates the PGI 7.875 (Girl G021) shape exclusively so maybe they're doing some runs through there as well. If that's the case then they do indeed have some very flat shapes, one of my blood wizards was flatter than a steeper DOA flat, but probably about on par with some of the mellower ones I've had. If I remember I'll bring one of the blood wizards up from storage and take some pics.

[JK42]

Are black label decks mellow? Tactics had them as medium and deep. I've always wanted a label deck, but unless the tail angle is mellow, I suffer from ghost pop these days. I am 50+ though, so legs are a bit knackered. It's quite hard to find a mellow tailed long WB deck unless its 10 inches wide.

[Mbrimson88]

Are black label decks mellow? Tactics had them as medium and deep. I've always wanted a label deck, but unless the tail angle is mellow, I suffer from ghost pop these days. I am 50+ though, so legs are a bit knackered. It's quite hard to find a mellow tailed long WB deck unless its 10 inches wide.

I have a few from last year or so and stood on a few recently and they feel perfect for me (and I like mellow boards from BBS) so I would say they should be ok for you.

Funny thing is I know lots of people who stand on my boards and say how steep the concave is (often meaning side to side), but I stand on theirs and feel like it is their board that is too steep (in the kicks), whereas mine are very mellow, with the BBS spoon concave.

There are some good wider and longer Black Label decks that are made on presses that are designed for wide boards, so the concave is not steep through the middle the way it would be for more narrow boards, as well as a variety of sizes so there should be something you would like.

Same as Antihero, Baker, Birdhouse, Polar and lots of others who make good sized decks in the 8.5+ sizes.

[backinaction]

Are black label decks mellow? Tactics had them as medium and deep. I've always wanted a label deck, but unless the tail angle is mellow, I suffer from ghost pop these days. I am 50+ though, so legs are a bit knackered. It's quite hard to find a mellow tailed long WB deck unless its 10 inches wide.

Powell 8.75" or 9.05" popsicle.   19 degree tail - which is on the quite mellow side - and a 15" wheelbase.

[JK42]

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Are black label decks mellow? Tactics had them as medium and deep. I've always wanted a label deck, but unless the tail angle is mellow, I suffer from ghost pop these days. I am 50+ though, so legs are a bit knackered. It's quite hard to find a mellow tailed long WB deck unless its 10 inches wide.

[close]

I have a few from last year or so and stood on a few recently and they feel perfect for me (and I like mellow boards from BBS) so I would say they should be ok for you.

Funny thing is I know lots of people who stand on my boards and say how steep the concave is (often meaning side to side), but I stand on theirs and feel like it is their board that is too steep (in the kicks), whereas mine are very mellow, with the BBS spoon concave.

There are some good wider and longer Black Label decks that are made on presses that are designed for wide boards, so the concave is not steep through the middle the way it would be for more narrow boards, as well as a variety of sizes so there should be something you would like.

Same as Antihero, Baker, Birdhouse, Polar and lots of others who make good sized decks in the 8.5+ sizes.

Interesting. I had a IV press REAL that had a nice mellow tail, but hadn't seen them above a 14.38 WB, unless it was one of the special release OG shapes, which then had a tiny tail. Interesting because i am sure they sponsor a legendary vert dude and would imagine a longer WB is de rigeur. Have you skated a BL curb vulture at all? They have a couple in a shop nearish me.

[j....soy.....]

Surprised to see Neen do that grip side down.....

[Firebert]

If you can find/are interested in Powell's flight decks, they have nice mellow kicks (18 degrees.) Surprisingly flexy too, I was expecting stiff since they put carbon fiber in it. 243 shape is nice too, not square at all.

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Are black label decks mellow? Tactics had them as medium and deep. I've always wanted a label deck, but unless the tail angle is mellow, I suffer from ghost pop these days. I am 50+ though, so legs are a bit knackered. It's quite hard to find a mellow tailed long WB deck unless its 10 inches wide.

[close]

I have a few from last year or so and stood on a few recently and they feel perfect for me (and I like mellow boards from BBS) so I would say they should be ok for you.

Funny thing is I know lots of people who stand on my boards and say how steep the concave is (often meaning side to side), but I stand on theirs and feel like it is their board that is too steep (in the kicks), whereas mine are very mellow, with the BBS spoon concave.

There are some good wider and longer Black Label decks that are made on presses that are designed for wide boards, so the concave is not steep through the middle the way it would be for more narrow boards, as well as a variety of sizes so there should be something you would like.

Same as Antihero, Baker, Birdhouse, Polar and lots of others who make good sized decks in the 8.5+ sizes.

[close]

Interesting. I had a IV press REAL that had a nice mellow tail, but hadn't seen them above a 14.38 WB, unless it was one of the special release OG shapes, which then had a tiny tail. Interesting because i am sure they sponsor a legendary vert dude and would imagine a longer WB is de rigeur. Have you skated a BL curb vulture at all? They have a couple in a shop nearish me.

I would definitely recommend them, decent size, 8.88 width and 14.75 wheelbase.

One that I have is a Lucero MIA, which someone else passed on to me as it was too mellow for them, which is funny as I think it is perfect, but it is a bigger deck 9.25 with 15 wheelbase.

Some bargains on here right now too:

https://blacklabelskates.bigcartel.com/

[JK42]

Thanks for the recommends. So its BL 8.88 if I want to keep my Thunder 149s, or size up the trucks to get a Powell, or a bigger BL.

[Xen]

Plan Bs are pretty flat

[JK42]

I think Plan B in Europe might be HLC so depends which mould they use I guess.

[Kombuch-A-Holic]

Toy Machine, Quasi, and Shortys are pretty damn flat. I've got a anti-hero green giant, Its pretty flat too. It's 9+.

 Deathwish/baker is about the same a primitive/april. They maybe "mellow" but they sure af aren't flat.

My Aintihero Gym Rat deck probably has the most concave I've ever seen on a deck! The siderails curve up like crazy! 

[PhantomBased]

Birdhouse's standard mold is nice and mellow - flatter than my Baker OG Mellow. Primitive has a nice mellow mold as well.

Toy machine decks are even flatter, and when they come correct are my favorite, but PS Stix has terrible QC - last two Scumco Smith 8.25 decks aren't sanded properly/symmetrical (half tapered half square) and have tons of swirly scratches on the wood grain.

It's hard for us flat lovers out there right now. Important side note: concave is different than steepness of the kicks. Girl boards have a great mellow concave, however I find the kicks can be quite steep.

I had a toy machine a few years ago definitely my favorite concave so far. Welcome concave was pretty decent but kinda medium I almost didn’t mind thanks for the response

[rosemaryBB]

Welcome shapes are all over the place but last one of those I had was very flat and PS Stix

[hobochimp]

Been skating an Antihero 8.5 for way longer than I normally skate a setup because the concave feels too perfect. Running ventures and it still feels super snappy

[TheLowerBack]

I recently got a tester/sample deck from a newer US woodshop and it was FLAT.
The nose was incredibly flexy when I would set up nollie. Is that normal, or poor craftsmanship?