DLX boards now made in China

[zozu]

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Might have already been mentioned, but for the "rest of the world" which is anywhere outside of USA, often stock takes months to get here from DLX in SF, but with the China made boards, they get here directly from China at about the same time as the USA gets the BBS made boards in the current catalogs.

That is a big plus, so people don't see the new catalogs and then have to wait a month (or two usually) for the stock to actually arrive, or helps prevent people ordering from shops that do have it directly from USA.  That in itself is another can of worms, which I don't usually get into at all, but back to the DLX China made boards and associated products, it is an interesting one, especially when there is new stock coming out and people don't want to wait.

Here in AU we only just got the Halloween special Spitfire wheels and everything else from DLX in that drop, which came out in October in USA, so there is that for shops to be able to have not only cheaper decks than what are now very expensive BBS made boards, but also a better price too.


Just my observations with the current stock drops, which also include all the non regulation shapes now made in China, or at least that is what I am seeing, so it seems like they have caught up some from when it was only the basic shape options on the China made boards and the rest were from BBS.

Easy Rider are still BBS only, but others are all on China wood that I had not seen before.

Can second this, my local had the new Andrew Wilson pro decks come in the week his part dropped. I was shocked as its often up to 6 months for regular DLX products to turn up here.

[Mbrimson88]

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Most likely anyone who checked the DLX Shapes thread would have seen this, but I am going to bring this thread back, given how far down the board it would have been, as I think some people might need a refresher.

This is what I posted in the other DLX thread anyway:



I think there has been another thread or two about it as well, but this is the main one.


Quite simply, yes I did hear that the team editions, Eagles, Ovals and Eyes were going to stay BBS while others were transitioned over to the new woodshop in China, but then some people were posting that their new Eagle / Oval or Eyes board had "Made in China" stickers on it, so it would seem that almost everything has been produced in both facilities now.

Depending on where you are in the world, USA will most likely keep getting BBS boards, while everywhere else will most likely be getting the boards made at the partner facility in China, which after skating a good number of them now, is not a bad thing, maybe more just different.  They are still the same concave as the regular DLX boards, but now come in single pressed and epoxy construction, so a much more uniform concave every time, with a stiffer feeling to them.

BBS prices have been going up and up, so the China equivalent boards are significantly lower in price and come out about the same time as the DLX drops, so we don't have to wait months for the stock to get shipped from DLX SF home base to whatever country, which can take months to get to us down here in Australia.

At least that is the basic info, although there is a whole lot more I have said about them in the past.


Hopefully that helps people who might be surprised to see DLX boards with "Made in China" stickers, which by looking at the other thread has been almost three years now.

[Mbrimson88]

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I thought I had posted this somewhere, but here it is again, easy to see here in this thread.

Differences between BBS and China wood DLX boards.


https://www.instagram.com/mbrimson88/p/DRRUabGk0bj/

Same same but different?

Two 8.75 AH Eagles, one made in Mexico, one made in China, as per the stickers. The BBS one is older stock I had kept for myself, but still the same as they are now, whereas the new other one is fresh into the country here and I was lucky enough to snag one before they promptly sold out.

Things to note: apart from the updated size sticker with different info on it, these two boards are so very similar, only some slight details, but essentially the same product, the usual 8.75 with 14.62 wheelbase.

BBS has four to a press, this one with the orange top being a II stamp, so some steeper and some more mellow, water based glue and a little more flexy when I stand on it.

The other one has a blue top veneer and they are now made in single presses, so they are all exactly the same every time, epoxy construction so they are way more stiff feeling to start with and they stay stiffer for longer too.

Both still have the same DLX stain layup, top and second stains, and bottom stained, assorted colours too, with what is very much the same graphic heat transferred as well.

The concave between boards is slightly different, just more so in the shoulder of each, with the BBS board being not quite as curved, as per the pics, blue one on top, orange on the bottom. I have other BBS boards that are closer to the China made boards when I have compared previously, but didn't take any other pics for this post.

I have had more than a few of these 8.75s in both wood now so although I can feel the difference and prefer the BBS boards for the ones I ride, some of the other people I skate with prefer the new wood and would rather ride that now.

Going forward I would say with the success of the new wood, there will be more of these now too, with fewer BBS boards, especially for how expensive the BBS versions are becoming.

I can't see any issues with them, especially if they are going to be cheaper for everyone to buy in the shops now, with Australian prices going up to between $139.99 to $149.99 which funnily enough was the price on the old BBS board from a number of years ago now. Some BBS boards are upwards of $170 and still going.

Brave times ahead...

[Sedition]

...with Australian prices going up to between $139.99 to $149.99 which funnily enough was the price on the old BBS board from a number of years ago now. Some BBS boards are upwards of $170 and still going.

Uhm...I am never going to complain about deck prices in the U.S. again...

Good post. Thanks for the info.

[rikki]

DLX BBS vs. China dims info in a nutshell:

(Grey Eagle and respective Eyes / Oval / pro models)
BBS 8.25 x 14.38 = c. 8.38 in reality
China 8.25 x 14.38 = c. 8.25 in reality

(Blue Eagle and respective Eyes / Oval / pro models)
BBS 8.5 x 14.25 = c. 8.38 in reality
China 8.5 x 14.25 = closer to 8.5 in reality

BBS concaves = I-IV
China concaves = single press, usually equalling a BBS III-ish

Feel free to add.

[Eddy Mitchel]

If they ramp up the quality I’m ok with it…..BBS has their shit dialed pretty good though.  Crail’s Dailan stuff and DWS stuff are pretty good.

Agree. been riding DLX BBS and also Dailan Chocos.The best deck I rode to me.Wether they're made in China or not doesn't bother me.

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

Whoah, deep cut….

[DONT_CARE]

DLX BBS vs. China dims info in a nutshell:

(Grey Eagle and respective Eyes / Oval / pro models)
BBS 8.25 x 14.38 = c. 8.38 in reality
China 8.25 x 14.38 = c. 8.25 in reality

(Blue Eagle and respective Eyes / Oval / pro models)
BBS 8.5 x 14.25 = c. 8.38 in reality
China 8.5 x 14.25 = closer to 8.5 in reality

BBS concaves = I-IV
China concaves = single press, usually equalling a BBS III-ish

Feel free to add.

fascinating that the bbs eagles are both measuring almost the exact same

[Mc89]

I’m in Canada and have been skating the China made dlx wood for 2 years now. The ovals are no longer BBS here. Personally I like the consistency of them now and they’re mellow like a III or IV stamp. Haven’t had any issues on them since they changed over. Highly recommend!

[Eddy Mitchel]

IV is my favorite.

[Mbrimson88]

IV is my favorite.

Same for a few of us here actually, but once the China made boards wear in nicely, they feel about the same, although they are a little too stiff for me when brand new.  I guess I could get used to them over time, but standing on a new IV stamp BBS board, everything just feels normal from day one.

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

DLX BBS vs. China dims info in a nutshell:

(Grey Eagle and respective Eyes / Oval / pro models)
BBS 8.25 x 14.38 = c. 8.38 in reality
China 8.25 x 14.38 = c. 8.25 in reality

(Blue Eagle and respective Eyes / Oval / pro models)
BBS 8.5 x 14.25 = c. 8.38 in reality
China 8.5 x 14.25 = closer to 8.5 in reality

BBS concaves = I-IV
China concaves = single press, usually equalling a BBS III-ish

Feel free to add.

[close]

fascinating that the bbs eagles are both measuring almost the exact same

It is a funny thing.

They don't quite line up when stacked though, different wheelbase, different lengths, different shape, but they are kind of close compared to some others.

Another one to add to the list:

BBS 8.38 is almost 8.5 wide, China 8.38 is way more 8.3 wide so those two are quite different as well.

[RichardBarkley]

The China boards are great.

A different kind of great. Bit stiffer than bbs as mentioned but you get used to that in two sessions.

Not DLX but I'm skating a Jacuzzi Unlimited deck right now which is also China and it's an A1 deck.

[Sedition]

I ride IV-stamped DLX decks. And honestly, it's a pain in the ass trying to track them down all the time. If the China ones were consistently around a IV or III stamp, I would embrace them, because it would make life a lot easier for me.

[pointandclick]

as a person who would only skate I or II bbs dlx decks, the china boards are a disappointment. here in canada only the anti hero eagles are bbs, i perfer the 8.28 and they don't keep the baby blue eagle in the line all the time. im finding i have to look at other brands now.

[Sedition]

...i perfer the 8.28 and they don't keep the baby blue eagle in the line all the time. im finding i have to look at other brands now.

Yeah, that sucks, man. I am sorry. Also, this goes back my long-standing and only beef with DLX: They simply make too much stuff. And as a result, they can't keep everything in regular production. So, if you like one of the "fringe" products...good luck. 

[Mbrimson88]

as a person who would only skate I or II bbs dlx decks, the china boards are a disappointment. here in canada only the anti hero eagles are bbs, i perfer the 8.28 and they don't keep the baby blue eagle in the line all the time. im finding i have to look at other brands now.

I don't know what sort of position you are in or what relationship you have with any local shops but I would be putting it to them to pass up the line to be able to special order in a number of that specific board for you.  This might seem difficult for some shops / people / distributors, but given the proximity to DLX, I don't think it should be that hard for Supra Dist to request a box of boards for you as they still get regular deliveries from SF for everything else.

I guess it comes down to how many boards would you go through in any given period, if you have funds to be able to buy a few at a time, where you might usually get them from, etc.

Even asking DLX directly or Supra if it is possible, then sending them to whichever shop you would frequent.

https://supradistribution.com/about/


Seems that 8.28 shape is getting a little more popular too, but I don't see too many around, but I know we only got a limited number of any 8.28s down here in AU and those blue eagles seem like they are harder to come by as well.

I often use US shops as a measure to check what is around, so there shows four options in that shape currently in the DLX shop, the blue eagle, Mason surfboard, Uma Krooked and AH Daan deck, but getting the BBS versions in a I or II could be a little harder if there are not that many anyway.

https://dlxskateshop.com/search?q=8.28