I’d say the previous announcement of DLX changing some boards to DSM in 2023 probably relates more to the generic/basic graphic boards (eagles, krooked eyes etc) rather than pro models and special drops, as I’ve certainly gotten boards in the last year that were still made at BBS, including a Real 7.75 Oval deck. I’ve also had plenty of Hockey Boards (which I know aren’t DLX but still) that were only released last year still made at BBS.
It seems to be in particular recently that lots of new drops have been completely switched to DSM now including the pro models and special drop boards, like this Cathedral deck. I guess it was inevitable really that the entire drops would switch production.
From what FA told me about it when I asked them about the newest Hockey boards, it does seem like the distributors can choose which factory to import from. I ordered a board directly from FA, which shipped from LA and it was BBS, so it not like FA would only ship a board from DSM if ordered from overseas.
I do agree however that these boards still skate great, my Chinese Hockey is holding up better than my previous BBS hockey (which went soggy after two months) and I will certainly be skating this Real Cathedral, especially since I really wanted to try a True Fit Mold deck since I’m a short dude haha.
Some shops here have some There True Fit decks in the same size, maybe I’ll try to grab one and compare it at some point later.
The woodshop in China that BBS / DLX partnered with is not DSM, just to make that clear, but another well known woodshop in China, even though there has not been any official release of said info, it is out there in information for people to look up.
DLX had specifically said that their AH Eagles, Real Ovals and some others would stay BBS as previously mentioned, so yes your Real Oval at least as far as I know will keep being BBS. That and some of the generic / team graphics might also have a lot of stock locally / in the country, along with some shops sitting on stock for a while too, which adds up to more BBS boards still out there, but mainly almost all the new boards coming out are made in China, but not absolutely all of them. Just not any of the Ishod twin boards, the Easy Rider molds, DBX boards and a few others.
I am enjoying buying and riding more of the old stock decks too, just because I am more comfortable on BBS wood, as there is still a lot around, but at some point it will become harder to get hold of or there just will not be quite as many DLX BBS boards out there as there used to be even a year ago.
Really, the main thing is looking at the warning sticker and placement. A sticker right in the middle of bolts and no I, II, III or IV stamp, the deck is most likely going to be a board from China, as well as saying "Made in China" if you can see the fine print on pics from online shops, but one of those numerals stamped in the middle of the front bolts and the warning sticker above that is always going to be BBS and will have "Made in Mexico" on the sticker. This has helped some people identify decks even with bad or fuzzy pics of the top of the boards.
Compared to some other brands, who do have either one or the other woodshops available, I get the impression that there is not a choice so much as there is information provided for pre books with which woodshop is used for said products in every drop, so from a shop perspective, I might know a little more about all the details than the average skater out there, but really I think the main thing is there are options for the buyer.
Some people I know will really only skate BBS boards, to which I direct them to the Antihero Eagles or Real Ovals or some specific older stock, while others have completely converted to the China made boards, to which I direct them to the current drops and new graphics more than anything else, so it really is a personal choice as to which boards you prefer, or whether or not you can get something you like, over something that is not quite what you want. Almost all the shapes are available on both woodshop boards still too, but Tru Fit is a new one for China wood, to me anyway.
Being able to see the top of a board, either in person or a pic of it from a shop, at least you can make up your own mind about it, more so than taking a guess and hoping for the best. It is also a safe bet that anything from a current drop you see from socials is the new China wood here in AU, with the BBS wood getting here in about three or more months after it was released in the DLX catalog / brand website.
I can even list relevant links to check out what people are posting if you didn't know - at least some shops are good at putting up videos and info on the new boards out, as well as our local distribution Instagram for all the latest info, like this one for starters:
https://www.instagram.com/projectdist/
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Topic: CURRENT WOODSHOP DIRECTORY 2025 + misc deck and board info, help, questions, etc (Read 466921 times)