I just got a new Habitat 8.0 and built my first complete in 15 years. I used to skate Habitat decks, but my very last deck was a Stereo. I don’t remember ever considering things like concave, nose/tail size shape, or anything like that. I used to just buy what graphic and brand I liked. I used to skate 7.75, but bumped to an 8.0 with this recent build.
So with this new deck, I can easily see and feel it’s got a huge nose. I don’t remember it being like that. I read a recent post here about the new hab/aws shapes but it’s all foreign language to me, shovel nose, blunt nose, etc etc. Can someone explain to me?
I am finding it really hard to flick my kickflips how I used to, which is forward and through the nose. The nose is so big I have to flick down more, and then bring my foot back up which is harder and ends up being more rocket.
Not sure if it makes any difference, but as an avid snowboarder I generally prefer a true twin (I ride a YES. Basic).
Ok, I think bringing up the first image I can find works well enough for shapes, the name of the shape being the easiest thing to see:
Shovel nose = the front of the board looks like a shovel
Full shape / Blunt kicks (not just nose, but both nose and tail) = both are not at all pointy and way more squared off looking, as per the Alien Workshop and Habitat shapes nowdays - usually fairly long kicks that are wide and square looking.
Blunt nose, surprisingly is a specific shape, more so like an 80s shaped board - leave that one for you to look up if you are interested.
Normal popsicle shape (hopefully showing / looking way more pointy)
To note, Alien Workshop and Habitat used to have a much more generic popsicle shape, but somewhere down the track they changed everything over to the current full / squared looking shapes.
Stereo were also pretty plain popsicle shapes before they stopped doing boards, like this one:
There are twin shape skateboards as well, most commonly by brands like Real for a pro guy by the name of Ishod Wair, the best pic maybe this one, which has all info with it including an 8" board as well as other sizes:
But there are others from brands like Girl / Chocolate, Krooked, even Alien Workshop and Habitat, although those ones are 8.375 wide and more I can't recall right this minute.
There is a whole thread dedicated to twin shaped boards too:
https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=105756.0As to things like how a board flips, having steeper or more mellow concave or very rough vs not so rough grip can really impact how a board performs too, so comparing your previous board to your new board might help with a few things that you can check / change, one being that older boards usually have a lot less grip than brand new ones, but you can dust the grip back with spare bits of grip to make it easier to flick, as one example.
Given I don't know anything else about your ability or previous boards, I don't want to jump to conclusions, but those are the first things I would think when someone comes in to the shop with those sort of questions.
That should keep you busy for a bit, but there are many wonderful things that people discuss in depth here that you might never have thought about before, regarding everything to do with skateboards and all the parts, sizes, shapes, angles, concaves and all the rest.