Unpopular Gear Opinion Thread 2025

[roba]

i think i'm more on the fresh side but then i'll rock a pair of pants for a month without washing em so who knows

[Sedition]

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the swoosh, especially the chubby one on blazers is just as ugly if not worse than the N on nb's. generally, shoes without big logo's always look better to me.

[close]

Opposite unpopular take: plain skate shoes like last resort or whatever new “core” skate shoes almost always look like shit to me because they are so basic and generic in their design. The swoosh and N make the shoes stand out and interesting as well as the companies actually putting some effort into their design.

[close]

Lol at needing a mega corps logo on a shoe to make it "interesting"

 ^ Seriously.

[BeachChicken]

I feel like the New Balance being for dorks stigma is exclusive to the US. In the UK I'd say they're pretty much seen in exactly the same way as Nike, maybe even more popular. It wouldn't even cross my mind that I'm skating in ugly dad shoes.

It's only exclusive to some Slap threads it's an extremely popular and accepted brand here. 480 and 550 have been extremely common the last few years and 2002R are worn by pretty much all ages and levels of "cool".

[TwisT]

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Black grizzly is better than mob and jessup

[close]

What's it like? I've skated jessup forever because I like a slightly less sticky griptape.
If grizzly is in between mob and jessup for stickiness I might give it a try next time.

Its a completely different formula than whatever they use for their printed grip. (grizzly full color print is too gritty and I do not endorse it) No shop ever carries plain, no bear grizzly, but if, you ever come across the black stuff, give it a feel. I think if you feel the grit then you'll instantly know if you'd like it. I'd describe it as pre-broken in mob.

I sand down my mob if it's not printed. I think the ink on printed mob dulls down the grit just enough to make it perfect from the start. I like to run the thrasher rainbow mob as often as possible.

[Richard Skidder]

Obviously there are a lot of newer skaters and old head casuals who need to loosen their trucks quite a bit.
That being said, there are plenty of “accomplished” skaters that could stand to tighten their trucks a half to whole turn.

[manuduncan]

the swoosh, especially the chubby one on blazers is just as ugly if not worse than the N on nb's. generally, shoes without big logo's always look better to me.

I don’t mind the Nike logo as much because the swoosh is angled with the direction of the shoe, so it flows parallel alongside it. If my eye is “reading” the shoe left to right or side to side the swoosh doesn’t get in the way of the rhythm

The new balance N is the opposite, it is perpendicular up and down against the flow of the shoe so it seems more harsh and obstinate and gives more of a “that shouldn’t be there” vibe to me

But then again my opinion is prob also the product of corporate brainwashing and marketing, also doesn’t hurt that I like the Nike skaters and videos way more than new balance’s

[steve]

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the swoosh, especially the chubby one on blazers is just as ugly if not worse than the N on nb's. generally, shoes without big logo's always look better to me.

[close]

I don’t mind the Nike logo as much because the swoosh is angled with the direction of the shoe, so it flows parallel alongside it. If my eye is “reading” the shoe left to right or side to side the swoosh doesn’t get in the way of the rhythm

The new balance N is the opposite, it is perpendicular up and down against the flow of the shoe so it seems more harsh and obstinate and gives more of a “that shouldn’t be there” vibe to me

But then again my opinion is prob also the product of corporate brainwashing and marketing, also doesn’t hurt that I like the Nike skaters and videos way more than new balance’s

so, in that light, the vans logo/wave is the best of both worlds

[DERBY]

I feel like the New Balance being for dorks stigma is exclusive to dumbasses who get their opinions from twitter the US. In the UK I'd say they're pretty much seen in exactly the same way as Nike, maybe even more popular. It wouldn't even cross my mind that I'm skating in ugly dad shoes.

[GnarAlarm]

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Black grizzly is better than mob and jessup

[close]

What's it like? I've skated jessup forever because I like a slightly less sticky griptape.
If grizzly is in between mob and jessup for stickiness I might give it a try next time.

[close]

Its a completely different formula than whatever they use for their printed grip. (grizzly full color print is too gritty and I do not endorse it) No shop ever carries plain, no bear grizzly, but if, you ever come across the black stuff, give it a feel. I think if you feel the grit then you'll instantly know if you'd like it. I'd describe it as pre-broken in mob.

I sand down my mob if it's not printed. I think the ink on printed mob dulls down the grit just enough to make it perfect from the start. I like to run the thrasher rainbow mob as often as possible.

Awesome, thank you!

Obviously there are a lot of newer skaters and old head casuals who need to loosen their trucks quite a bit.
That being said, there are plenty of “accomplished” skaters that could stand to tighten their trucks a half to whole turn.

I mean, just skate your trucks however is most comfortable for you. I get a lot of shit for skating "tight trucks".
I'm a very tall, very top heavy guy (6'4 190lbs), when I start tipping over it gets out of control quick.
I just don't feel stable on loose trucks, so I skate a nice medium tightness.

Anytime one of my friends steps on my board they always comment on how tight my trucks are.
Buddy, I'm a foot taller than you and outweigh you by 60lbs, they don't feel tight to me!

I'm sure there are guys out there with my body shape who can pull off loose trucks, but it's just not my thing.

[doomstation55]

I enjoy having inconsistent setups and don’t buy into the gear madness of having every board feel the exact same certain way. As long as the board is 8.5 or bigger by the bolts I usually unlock new tricks or styles of skating that feel right with each setup I skate. It’s also fun to skate shaped decks occasionally for this reason, sometimes adapting to the limitations of the shape help build up other parts of your skating.

[Wilhelm]

Indys are sooooo boring.     What does that mean?

People that complain about ripping shoelaces are weird.   No, they are not.

People that only skate one brand of hardware are weird.   Who the heck cares about hardware?

Board dimensions do matter, but not much. You could easily skate a 2x4 if you always skated a 2x4. Does that make sense?   Try to skate a handrail or jump a twelve-stair with a 2x4.

Flatspots aren't real.  Yes, they are. Watch some videos and listen.

2 bolts for each truck is fine.   Four are fine too, you do not need more.

Most insoles that come in shoes are absolutely terrible. Vans pop cush might be the only exception. Pop cush? Lol, try again.

Griptape brand is actually really important.   Whatever.

There should be more coloured wheels, not just white and occasionally black.   There are plenty of colours.

Any carbon fiber gimmick (VX, Flight, DBX, Impact etc.) is a straight up lie. The only one that is true is the one for Girl boards I forget what it's called. (Pop Secret?)   Did you do testing on all of them?

Similarly, dragon wheels and the like are a scam. They figured out a way to sell cruiser board wheels to street skaters at a higher markup.  No, dragon wheels are real and not a cruiser wheel, not at all. They are softer than standard 99s or the horrible 100 duros but slide pretty well for a 93 duro wheel.

[MxsDx]

Likely not an unpopular opinion, but it is worth stating:  Powell graphics are terrible, but arguably the natural/unstained veneers are more offensive. How can you market the flight deck as a high end product - at a premium price - without stained plies? 

Bronson g3 are good and always on sale.

A Bones v5 shape poured with spitfire f4 99 urethane would be the perfect wheel.

Agree that plain black Grizzly grip is top notch.   

[Jort250]

Likely not an unpopular opinion, but it is worth stating:  Powell graphics are terrible, but arguably the natural/unstained veneers are more offensive. How can you market the flight deck as a high end product - at a premium price - without stained plies? 

Bronson g3 are good and always on sale.

A Bones v5 shape poured with spitfire f4 99 urethane would be the perfect wheel.

Agree that plain black Grizzly grip is top notch.

What makes the V5s so great?

My first unpopular opinion is that the Adidas three stripes are the best looking design with ASICS being an upcoming second. Unfortunately none of their shoes speak to me or fit well so I stick to Janoskis and Vans

I know a lot of people swear by Bones Swiss, and they do feel great at first, but they never seem to last me more than two years and I don’t do abusive stuff like skating them in the rain, although I could probably clean them more. I know two years is fine for something you’re bashing on a ledge but I feel like people too liberally say that they last forever/ages

I prefer team boards/trucks/wheels/whatever to pro model because I like a bit of disconnect. Also it dosent help when some of the local pros in your scene are well known d-bags..

I’ve never been into the idea of a twin tail, I always thought the nose and tail have their strengths and weaknesses and I like being able to choose what feels right for a trick at a given moment. For instance, for feebles, sometimes I want to be able to lightly hold it and get out early so I’ll snap it from the tail. And if I want to really hold it down and do something out, I’ll snap it from the nose to give myself more surface. Or hell some days I want to hold it from the tail but my point being I like the option of choice

The people involved suck but Footprint insoles felt pretty damn good when I used to use them. Remind insoles…I can’t say that I felt an improvement unfortunately 

Ripped Laces was basically an infomercial (this shoe is the best ever, no this one is the best ever) so in light of its thread being bumped, no I did not feel like anything of value is lost if that site stays down

You can wear all the labcoats and throw all the dimensions you want Dr/Professor Schmidt but if your QC is well documented to be hit or miss, why don’t we start trying to improve your boards there rather than discussing microdimensions or trying to get a whole industry to follow your way of measuring a board?

[SmashtheState]

Anyone who rides an egg shaped board, must buy and skate a Rick and Morty Primitive shaped board as their next setup.

Why? Please elaborate this corny take.... I have a ccs 90s egg shape and it's my replacement for a deck that was stolen years ago in the early 90s and haven't had the chance to buy one till recently.

[pizzafliptofakie]

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Likely not an unpopular opinion, but it is worth stating:  Powell graphics are terrible, but arguably the natural/unstained veneers are more offensive. How can you market the flight deck as a high end product - at a premium price - without stained plies? 

Bronson g3 are good and always on sale.

A Bones v5 shape poured with spitfire f4 99 urethane would be the perfect wheel.

Agree that plain black Grizzly grip is top notch.

[close]

I know a lot of people swear by Bones Swiss, and they do feel great at first, but they never seem to last me more than two years and I don’t do abusive stuff like skating them in the rain, although I could probably clean them more. I know two years is fine for something you’re bashing on a ledge but I feel like people too liberally say that they last forever/ages

I guess "ages" is relative, but two years is pretty damn long for any piece of skate gear.

[neonbrown]

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I feel like the New Balance being for dorks stigma is exclusive to the US. In the UK I'd say they're pretty much seen in exactly the same way as Nike, maybe even more popular. It wouldn't even cross my mind that I'm skating in ugly dad shoes.

[close]

It's only exclusive to some Slap threads it's an extremely popular and accepted brand here. 480 and 550 have been extremely common the last few years and 2002R are worn by pretty much all ages and levels of "cool".

This is what I mean when I say people here are fucking unhinged about New Balance.




The rest of the world sees these as totally normal shoes. If you think it's this is weird, it's because you're a skateboarder of a certain age who has no frame of reference for what is popular or common outside of your glory years of following skate media.

[DERBY]

i fucking hate stained graphics or graphics with the stain showing. shit feels like im missing a layer

[munchbox]

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I feel like the New Balance being for dorks stigma is exclusive to the US. In the UK I'd say they're pretty much seen in exactly the same way as Nike, maybe even more popular. It wouldn't even cross my mind that I'm skating in ugly dad shoes.

[close]

It's only exclusive to some Slap threads it's an extremely popular and accepted brand here. 480 and 550 have been extremely common the last few years and 2002R are worn by pretty much all ages and levels of "cool".

[close]

This is what I mean when I say people here are fucking unhinged about New Balance.




The rest of the world sees these as totally normal shoes. If you think it's this is weird, it's because you're a skateboarder of a certain age who has no frame of reference for what is popular or common outside of your glory years of following skate media.

[close]

It’s honestly surreal to me to see something that was popular only amongst grill enthusiasts

spot on

this is a fashion forum if we are being serious
kinda nuts that we have come to a point
where the “coolness” of new balance is debatable
props to their marketing team for sure
but they are a performance product at best

i have styled a couple of 40-50 year olds
and i would lose the job if im suggesting new balance
as the choice of footwear
if that offense wouldnt get me outright blacklisted

but hey what do i know

[Made In China]

Mainline New Balance was totally an uncool brand associated with dads like a decade ago. I remember getting my first pair and all of my homies giving me shit me for them. They've since become a lot more popular and accepted since then, mostly due to fashion and streetwear types. I think some of y'all are underestimating how big New Balance are now. If you go to any major city in the US, I bet you would see a decent amount of people in them.

I don't know how unpopular these really are, but here's mine:

Waxing stuff is fine. It makes skating a little easier. Why would you want to make a trick harder for yourself?

Doing crazy shit to your trucks and gear in general is overrated. Skating them as is is fine.

Ventures do turn and grind well.

I'd take a colored wheel over white ones any day of the week.

The classic black upper white sole shoe colorway is so ugly. All black or all white are way better looking alternatives and go better with most outfits.

[GnarAlarm]

The classic black upper white sole shoe colorway is so ugly. All black or all white are way better looking alternatives and go better with most outfits.

Ohhh man I think black with black sole is so ugly.
I worked at a few restaurants when I was in my teens, they always required us to buy all black shoes and I hated them.
Now when I see all black athletic shoes all I can think is restaurant shoes.

Venture has my favorite grind. I swear it's like...crunchier than other trucks or something.
I like a lot of noise and feedback in my grinds and Ventures have been the noisiest and feedbackiest.

[neonbrown]

Honestly I have no idea what you guys are talking about. In the punk rock and hardcore scene of the 90s, New Balance were the shoe to have, with Saucony second. You could hardly find them in the Midwest back then, so friends would come back from touring the east coast with a pair of 990s or 574s and that was the coolest shit.

Sure they make a "dad shoe", but so does literally every other shoe company.

[back smith]

Honestly I have no idea what you guys are talking about. In the punk rock and hardcore scene of the 90s, New Balance were the shoe to have, with Saucony second. You could hardly find them in the Midwest back then, so friends would come back from touring the east coast with a pair of 990s or 574s and that was the coolest shit.

Sure they make a "dad shoe", but so does literally every other shoe company.

Well, skinhead is the other NB association besides dad. It can also be off-putting for some, even if not totally justified as all skinheads aren't racists.

[GnarAlarm]

I don't really think about NB, I don't particularly like them or dislike them, so I think I just gloss over any thread or discussion of them without paying much attention. Only just now did I look around and realize how hot of a topic it is around here.

They're fine I guess. I have a pair, I forget what number. Maybe the Tom Knox model?
I didn't like skating in them, I found the toe box a little too pointy for my taste, but I'm sure a lot of people like that.
I probably won't buy any more for a while.

[munchbox]

i literally live in nyc, small sample size
not debating the brands popularity
but popular and cool are often confused

part of my work is to converse with the city
in brooklyn and manhattan
they are championed by the creatively bankrupt
at least the mainline customers
those who are handed/paid to wear them
are more of a mixed bag

numerics are comfy to skate in
thats their calling card honestly

[noxiousPond]

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the swoosh, especially the chubby one on blazers is just as ugly if not worse than the N on nb's. generally, shoes without big logo's always look better to me.

[close]

Opposite unpopular take: plain skate shoes like last resort or whatever new “core” skate shoes almost always look like shit to me because they are so basic and generic in their design. The swoosh and N make the shoes stand out and interesting as well as the companies actually putting some effort into their design.

[close]

Lol at needing a mega corps logo on a shoe to make it "interesting"

[close]

 ^ Seriously.

But if I said the és logo looks cool that would be fine. So I like the way the swoosh looks on blazers. Shame on me. It’s mainly the design and tech I like on bigger shoe brands and not necessarily the “logo” anyway.

[WoodRat]

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Anyone who rides an egg shaped board, must buy and skate a Rick and Morty Primitive shaped board as their next setup.

[close]

Why? Please elaborate this corny take.... I have a ccs 90s egg shape and it's my replacement for a deck that was stolen years ago in the early 90s and haven't had the chance to buy one till recently.

Lol, it is a corny take, but I see that shape as useless as the primitive board. If it makes you feel better, the SLAP gods did -1 rep for it.

Guess it was truly an unpopular opinion.

[WoodRat]

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Anyone who rides an egg shaped board, must buy and skate a Rick and Morty Primitive shaped board as their next setup.

[close]

Lol,

[close]

“I don’t like egg boards” could potentially be seen as an unpopular opinion, but “Anyone who rides an egg shaped board, must buy and skate a Rick and Morty Primitive shaped board as their next setup” is just a stupid thought you pulled out of your ass and decided to post.

[close]

I don't care about other's opinions.

Is that better?

[BeachChicken]

Ace is the lamest brand. The corny slogans, the fact that people sweep the QC issues under the rug, and honestly never seen a single person that really needed the extra turn. They get a pass cuz of the owners, but IMO Slappy and Royal even are better brands.

[Sloppy Krooks]

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Anyone who rides an egg shaped board, must buy and skate a Rick and Morty Primitive shaped board as their next setup.

[close]

Why? Please elaborate this corny take.... I have a ccs 90s egg shape and it's my replacement for a deck that was stolen years ago in the early 90s and haven't had the chance to buy one till recently.

[close]

Lol, it is a corny take, but I see that shape as useless as the primitive board. If it makes you feel better, the SLAP gods did -1 rep for it.

Guess it was truly an unpopular opinion.

You’re in the right thread.

He’s an uncomfortable truth that’s probably even more unpopular.

Ipath has the ugliest shoe logo, and no one who wears them has any right to complain about Cariuma’s logo

[Rick Trapasso]

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Anyone who rides an egg shaped board, must buy and skate a Rick and Morty Primitive shaped board as their next setup.

[close]

Why? Please elaborate this corny take.... I have a ccs 90s egg shape and it's my replacement for a deck that was stolen years ago in the early 90s and haven't had the chance to buy one till recently.

[close]

Lol, it is a corny take, but I see that shape as useless as the primitive board. If it makes you feel better, the SLAP gods did -1 rep for it.

Guess it was truly an unpopular opinion.

[close]

You’re in the right thread.

He’s an uncomfortable truth that’s probably even more unpopular.

Ipath has the ugliest shoe logo, and no one who wears them has any right to complain about Cariuma’s logo

Even with a worse logo, they're still an hundred times cooler than cariumas