Unpopular Gear Opinion Thread 2025

[steve]

Jonah Hill skates more than BeachChicken

[BeachChicken]

Don't be jealous just cuz Jonah is better looking, in better shape than you, and doesn't follow around people on Slap. Without Slap you'd have no personality.

[Jort250]

Flip P2 and Real Low Pro boards were goat

[BeachChicken]

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Don't be jealous just cuz Jonah is better looking, in better shape than you, and doesn't follow around people on Slap. Without Slap you'd have no personality.

[close]

Idk I feel like Jonah Hill probably has a slap account since he kinda fits the mold. Early 40’s, idealizes the 90’s, doesn’t really skate but likes to talk about it. He might be reading this right now.

The Clinton years and no social media sounds lit

[JugeL]

Radial full look stupid.

I go further and say all square wheels look like shit

[Sedition]

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Radial full look stupid.

[close]

I go further and say all square wheels look like shit

With you.

[TwisT]

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Radial full look stupid.

[close]

I go further and say all square wheels look like shit

[close]

With you.

My brothers in arms

[BeachChicken]

What about regular Radials or Conicals? I'm with you guys but there's a line of acceptability too.

[Paperclip20]

In general I see no advantage if you're not increasing length. It will be heavier, flip worse, weight more, and not offer any more "stability". I can see some arguments for the way curb skaters skate or maybe little kids. I think 8" vs 8.5" sure that's a big jump, but do we really need 8.75's that short? Are there thaaaat many skaters with massive feet, long legs, or beholden to 8.75"+ trucks to where these shapes should exist vs IDK maybe DLX making a normal wb 8.06? Prob not.

You’re fried and have small feet, be thankful

[BeachChicken]

I mean I know people with size 13 that ain't skating them shits neither. How many 5'6" dudes with short legs and 13s are there? At least they stay planted to the earth super well.

[DERBY]

jonah here guys. please stop talking about my age and physique

[swongolianbbq]

Dlx makes a lot of people's favorite shapes. The stuff is all tested by pros before it comes out and sometimes it's shapes made specifically for a certain pro, that turn out to be popular within the team and they decide to sell to the public. Younger skaters or shorter skaters that bomb hills or skate deep bowls love the 8.5x14, 8.75x14.25. I bet if dlx made a 9"x14.25 it would sell. Baker's 9x14.25 t-funk boards sold out quick every time. I wonder what wheelbase sheckler's board is, I know he's skating a 9". Not that I super care about anything he does. Board width doesn't have shit to do with shoe size lol. If you have a shorter inseam, the short wheelbase helps a ton. Shalort people like to skate fast and skate transition too

Saying that wide boards with short wheelbases are stupid and don't need to exist is DEFINITELY an unpopular opinion

The opinions about radial fulls and deck rails make more sense

[TwisT]

If you don’t think your setup looks cool. It will suck. No matter what. You could dropped 300$ on all dream gear. If you you even for a moment don’t think it looks as cool as you thought expected the whole thing might as well go into trash.

Oppositely, if you are hyped on how your board looks, even if it’s objectively sucks to ride, you will try to convince yourself to it’s fine and you need to adjust.

[moonordie]

Amen brother.

[layzieyez]

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I can instantly tell when I’m not skating Bones Swiss

[close]

Me too. You don't have to push as much and they just feel smoother. I love my Swiss.

I had to change the way I was skating Upland because I got some Rock’n Ron’s ceramic bearings. If I wanted to die, all I had to do was pump like I was doing with my old bones Swiss bearings.

From the first drop in, I felt the difference. I’ve never had ceramic bones, but these ceramics and a full pipe were an easily achievable death.

Have you ever felt your stomach in your throat before on a skateboard? Because that’s what 10 o’clock felt like in that pipe.

All bearings are the same if you only plan to go as fast as you can push. Big scary transition will show you how fast your bearings actually roll.

[SkierSk8r]

I'm probably going to get flack for this but I feel like Mexican decks are not as strong/more porous/spongier.

Let me explain: they are springier but they detonate and impact like crazyyyy. Like it is shocking. I'm on a clutch and was on a BBS before. I've also had PS Stix.

Compared to my South Central or Drifter decks that I can't even put an edge impact on - it's night and day. I've been really trying to be impartial but the difference is undeniable, in my experience.


..... but on the flip side, my Ollie's are better on the Mexican decks 😂

[Lou Strux]

I'm probably going to get flack for this but I feel like Mexican decks are not as strong/more porous/spongier.

Let me explain: they are springier but they detonate and impact like crazyyyy. Like it is shocking. I'm on a clutch and was on a BBS before. I've also had PS Stix.

Compared to my South Central or Drifter decks that I can't even put an edge impact on - it's night and day. I've been really trying to be impartial but the difference is undeniable, in my experience.


..... but on the flip side, my Ollie's are better on the Mexican decks I 😂

“When Mexico sends its skate decks, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending South Central. They’re not sending Drifter. They’re sending decks that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with them. They’re chipping. They’re delaminating. They’re detonating. And some, I assume, are good boards.”
  -🍊🦧

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

My understanding has been that the stuff in China they use different glues/epoxy making them stiffer….. arguably better, it’s preference in what’s available and what you like…. I’d still say too there is a big difference between what BBS did and Clutch/PS…despite being made in the same country…

[SkierSk8r]

My understanding has been that the stuff in China they use different glues/epoxy making them stiffer….. arguably better, it’s preference in what’s available and what you like…. I’d still say too there is a big difference between what BBS did and Clutch/PS…despite being made in the same country…

Yeah and I'd echo the last part, for sure. I can feel a difference in their decks but it's just the edge impact and more "whippy" feel that tends to stick out to me. Like I said, I knew I'd get flack lol

[twistingtheknife666]

I really like my Mindys

Black Diamond griptape is a better option than MOB

There's absolutely zero difference in performance when it comes to hardware, idgaf and will run allen and Phillips together if I need to.

[TwisT]

I really like my Mindys

Black Diamond griptape is a better option than MOB

There's absolutely zero difference in performance when it comes to hardware, idgaf and will run allen and Phillips together if I need to.

bro, have some self-respect

[TheCrimsonShroud]

I'm probably going to get flack for this but I feel like Mexican decks are not as strong/more porous/spongier.

Let me explain: they are springier but they detonate and impact like crazyyyy. Like it is shocking. I'm on a clutch and was on a BBS before. I've also had PS Stix.

Compared to my South Central or Drifter decks that I can't even put an edge impact on - it's night and day. I've been really trying to be impartial but the difference is undeniable, in my experience.


..... but on the flip side, my Ollie's are better on the Mexican decks 😂

I like my south central and Chinese chocolate decks better than any BBS I've skated recently. Some of that is shape, but a lot of it is the feel.

[Noble Experiment]

There's absolutely zero difference in performance when it comes to hardware, idgaf and will run allen and Phillips together if I need to.

I thought the same at one point, but then got some Iron Horse that would always come loose either every session or every other session, and it got pretty damn annoying having to constantly tighten my hardware, and then also a set of Bones white top hardware where the bolts would snap one by one after having them for a lil while. After that I knew not all hardware was created equal.

[twistingtheknife666]

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There's absolutely zero difference in performance when it comes to hardware, idgaf and will run allen and Phillips together if I need to.

[close]

I thought the same at one point, but then got some Iron Horse that would always come loose either every session or every other session, and it got pretty damn annoying having to constantly tighten my hardware, and then also a set of Bones white top hardware where the bolts would snap one by one after having them for a lil while. After that I knew not all hardware was created equal.

Oh there's definitely a difference in brands, and which ones stay tight for sure!! I just don't see the big problem between Allen vs Phillips, I wouldn't say the tops of one strips any quicker than the other. I won't run any budget bolts after breakage, loosey issues. There's nothing worse than that sound of loose bolts when you're skating, especially if you're anywhere with rough ground.

Expand Quote

I really like my Mindys

Black Diamond griptape is a better option than MOB

There's absolutely zero difference in performance when it comes to hardware, idgaf and will run allen and Phillips together if I need to.

[close]

bro, have some self-respect

Oh man, I lost that to a woman of the night years and years ago . . .

[Ok]

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There's absolutely zero difference in performance when it comes to hardware, idgaf and will run allen and Phillips together if I need to.

[close]

I thought the same at one point, but then got some Iron Horse that would always come loose either every session or every other session, and it got pretty damn annoying having to constantly tighten my hardware, and then also a set of Bones white top hardware where the bolts would snap one by one after having them for a lil while. After that I knew not all hardware was created equal.

[close]

Oh there's definitely a difference in brands, and which ones stay tight for sure!! I just don't see the big problem between Allen vs Phillips, I wouldn't say the tops of one strips any quicker than the other. I won't run any budget bolts after breakage, loosey issues. There's nothing worse than that sound of loose bolts when you're skating, especially if you're anywhere with rough ground.

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I really like my Mindys

Black Diamond griptape is a better option than MOB

There's absolutely zero difference in performance when it comes to hardware, idgaf and will run allen and Phillips together if I need to.

[close]

bro, have some self-respect

[close]

Oh man, I lost that to a woman of the night years and years ago . . .

this is how little self respect I have for myself:

you have already outed yourself as wild with this philips and allen at the same time. wild.
but alas my truck fiending is so craven that i must ask….what do you like about the mindy’s. tell me
more

[twistingtheknife666]

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There's absolutely zero difference in performance when it comes to hardware, idgaf and will run allen and Phillips together if I need to.

[close]

I thought the same at one point, but then got some Iron Horse that would always come loose either every session or every other session, and it got pretty damn annoying having to constantly tighten my hardware, and then also a set of Bones white top hardware where the bolts would snap one by one after having them for a lil while. After that I knew not all hardware was created equal.

[close]

Oh there's definitely a difference in brands, and which ones stay tight for sure!! I just don't see the big problem between Allen vs Phillips, I wouldn't say the tops of one strips any quicker than the other. I won't run any budget bolts after breakage, loosey issues. There's nothing worse than that sound of loose bolts when you're skating, especially if you're anywhere with rough ground.

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I really like my Mindys

Black Diamond griptape is a better option than MOB

There's absolutely zero difference in performance when it comes to hardware, idgaf and will run allen and Phillips together if I need to.

[close]

bro, have some self-respect

[close]

Oh man, I lost that to a woman of the night years and years ago . . .

[close]

this is how little self respect I have for myself:

you have already outed yourself as wild with this philips and allen at the same time. wild.
but alas my truck fiending is so craven that i must ask….what do you like about the mindy’s. tell me
more

To keep it simple, they don't wheel bite as bad as my regular Indys at the same looseness, and I had them on a deck with steep kicks I hated, with the lower height, it made the kicks seem much more useable. 149s with 53mm spitfire conical on 8.5 board.

The wheel bite thing is weird, It feels like they almost stop right before they wheel bite. I mean I can lean way over and still get wheel bite, but there's a point where they sort of stop before that happens, and the pinch feels the same too. I dig it.

Yes they loosen up, but not to the point where it's a huge deal. I know there's other options that are probably better, but I've tried ACE and Thunders in the last few years and end up back on Indys. In no way am I saying they're the best, or whatever, but they've worked great for me.

[manuduncan]

my unpopular gear opinion is that despite sponsoring half the industry, i just dont like thunder trucks

the way the hanger looks just comes off as a little dainty to me, the heart grenade logo, no thank you

but then i skate aces knowing full well they make my flip tricks objectively more difficult so i'm the idiot here

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

I actually liked the Mindy’s but they were just too heavy….people had problems with the IKP….

[BigClassic]

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-Middle age men need more than just Antihero to over-identify with. (I'm very guilty of this).

[close]

What happened to all the gold chain and Tommy Hilfiger fresh/tech skaters from the 90s'?
Did most of them quit or did they convert to being Anti-Hero/hesh type guys when they got older?

As an older guy, I'm still definitely in the former crowd, or at least closer to it than I am to Anti-Hero.
To be clear, I'm in no way trying to throw shade at Anti-Hero, they're legendary.

[close]

I’m gonna please need a pic of this skater-type you speak of.

Then we can figure out where have they all gone.

The longer you stick around the hesher you get.  It's a near universal truth.

[Texas_Tone]

I really like my Mindys

Black Diamond griptape is a better option than MOB

There's absolutely zero difference in performance when it comes to hardware, idgaf and will run allen and Phillips together if I need to.

Sometimes I read things on this website and I get upset, I get embarrassed, I laugh, I cry, but I have never read something that has scared me, running Phillips and Allen hardware at the same time is truly terrifying and I am afraid of you, I hope to never run into you in real life