DLX Shapes

[Mbrimson88]

Search bar hasn’t really worked with me lately so sorry in advance if this has already been discussed.

Any experiences with the 8.5/31.85/14.25 decks? Currently on those China 8.25/32/14.38 boards and was wondering how they compare to those? Looking just at the numbers, length and wheelbase would be more up to my alley but is there any suprises that dont show? Like the Mason shape having short tail.

Currently also on Thunders 148/149 and not planing to change that.

The 8.5 is ever so slightly wider up in the shoulder, but ever so slightly smaller in every other dimension, eg slightly shorter wb, nose, tail and the taper does come down to about the same as the BBS 8.25 which is more like 8.3 anyway.

I haven't had one up against a China 8.25 but others have said they are exactly 8.25 and same other dimensions.

Comparing the two BBS made boards I have here, the 8.25 is ever so slightly longer, tiny bit more width in the kicks, with a 14.38 wb.  The 8.5 is a bit more pointy, especially in the tail and ever so slightly less in kicks and wb length.

Really there is so little in it, as has been said, but they definitely feel quite different to ride them.

[Mbrimson88]

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How much more tapered is the tail in the 8.5 (Blue Eagle etc.) as compared to the 8.25?

Didn't really like the tapered tail on the Baker b16 which in my understanding is a pretty similar shape to the DLX 8.5.

[close]

I am sure @Mbrimson88 can give you the exact taper widths, but it does taper a bit. I've not ridden Baker decks, so I can't comment on those. Also take look at the 8.4 DLX deck. It's sort of a cross of the 8.25 and the 8.5. It has 14.25 WB, far less (none?) taper, and is actually closer in width to the the 8.25 than the 8.5. Oddly, it feels wider than than 8.25, despite being almost exact same width. Nose on the 8.4 is slightly longer than both the 8.5 and the 8.25. It's also the same length as the 8.25, but to me, feels a tad shorter. On paper, the differences between these three is very slight, but per my post above the difference in reality seems much more acute.

Yeah the tail specifically, I can see a tiny bit more of the DLX BBS 8.25 tail when the blue eagle 8.5 is sitting on top, with the bolts through both boards.  As per message above this one, the BBS blue eagle shape is almost 8.5 at the shoulder, but it tapers down to about 8.25 by the time it gets to back bolts and the tail is a little more pointy than the DLX BBS 8.25 shape.

In a similar way, the 8.4875 Baker is ever so slightly wider up top but much the same throughout, when comparing one of those with the blue eagle 8.5 board, so there is very little between them, even though there are slight differences.

To try to take pics, it just doesn't show enough, but it is a mm or two here and there difference, between all these boards in terms of widths, lengths and kick lengths.  The shapes are similar although definitely have their own differences too, so even with a mm here or there, they skate quite differently and I can feel the 8.25 to be not as wide, but the 8.5 is a bit more wide under the front foot, but also stubby and a little more quick on turns and spins like 360 flips.

[Sedition]

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How much more tapered is the tail in the 8.5 (Blue Eagle etc.) as compared to the 8.25?

Didn't really like the tapered tail on the Baker b16 which in my understanding is a pretty similar shape to the DLX 8.5.

[close]

I am sure @Mbrimson88 can give you the exact taper widths, but it does taper a bit. I've not ridden Baker decks, so I can't comment on those. Also take look at the 8.4 DLX deck. It's sort of a cross of the 8.25 and the 8.5. It has 14.25 WB, far less (none?) taper, and is actually closer in width to the the 8.25 than the 8.5. Oddly, it feels wider than than 8.25, despite being almost exact same width. Nose on the 8.4 is slightly longer than both the 8.5 and the 8.25. It's also the same length as the 8.25, but to me, feels a tad shorter. On paper, the differences between these three is very slight, but per my post above the difference in reality seems much more acute.

[close]

Yeah the tail specifically, I can see a tiny bit more of the DLX BBS 8.25 tail when the blue eagle 8.5 is sitting on top, with the bolts through both boards.  As per message above this one, the BBS blue eagle shape is almost 8.5 at the shoulder, but it tapers down to about 8.25 by the time it gets to back bolts and the tail is a little more pointy than the DLX BBS 8.25 shape.

In a similar way, the 8.4875 Baker is ever so slightly wider up top but much the same throughout, when comparing one of those with the blue eagle 8.5 board, so there is very little between them, even though there are slight differences.

To try to take pics, it just doesn't show enough, but it is a mm or two here and there difference, between all these boards in terms of widths, lengths and kick lengths.  The shapes are similar although definitely have their own differences too, so even with a mm here or there, they skate quite differently and I can feel the 8.25 to be not as wide, but the 8.5 is a bit more wide under the front foot, but also stubby and a little more quick on turns and spins like 360 flips.

I actually have an 8.5 arriving today (I've been loving my wider Black Label decks, but their kicks are just sometimes way too steep for me, which is really unfortunate). I have to prevent myself from doing a top-to-top comparison with the 8.5 and 8.25, otherwise I'll just be like "WTF? These are basically the same deck." The 8.25 is feeling a bit narrow these days, and I am now looking for something a bit wider (but man, 14.25 wb is usually a real problem for me...esp on tranny).

I really wish DLX made a proper 8.5/14.5 deck with a normal shaped nose/tail (e.g. no "full" or on the pointy side). It actually kind of shocks me that they don't, with the 8.38 being their closest thing to it.

[Ok]

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How much more tapered is the tail in the 8.5 (Blue Eagle etc.) as compared to the 8.25?

Didn't really like the tapered tail on the Baker b16 which in my understanding is a pretty similar shape to the DLX 8.5.

[close]

I am sure @Mbrimson88 can give you the exact taper widths, but it does taper a bit. I've not ridden Baker decks, so I can't comment on those. Also take look at the 8.4 DLX deck. It's sort of a cross of the 8.25 and the 8.5. It has 14.25 WB, far less (none?) taper, and is actually closer in width to the the 8.25 than the 8.5. Oddly, it feels wider than than 8.25, despite being almost exact same width. Nose on the 8.4 is slightly longer than both the 8.5 and the 8.25. It's also the same length as the 8.25, but to me, feels a tad shorter. On paper, the differences between these three is very slight, but per my post above the difference in reality seems much more acute.

[close]

Yeah the tail specifically, I can see a tiny bit more of the DLX BBS 8.25 tail when the blue eagle 8.5 is sitting on top, with the bolts through both boards.  As per message above this one, the BBS blue eagle shape is almost 8.5 at the shoulder, but it tapers down to about 8.25 by the time it gets to back bolts and the tail is a little more pointy than the DLX BBS 8.25 shape.

In a similar way, the 8.4875 Baker is ever so slightly wider up top but much the same throughout, when comparing one of those with the blue eagle 8.5 board, so there is very little between them, even though there are slight differences.

To try to take pics, it just doesn't show enough, but it is a mm or two here and there difference, between all these boards in terms of widths, lengths and kick lengths.  The shapes are similar although definitely have their own differences too, so even with a mm here or there, they skate quite differently and I can feel the 8.25 to be not as wide, but the 8.5 is a bit more wide under the front foot, but also stubby and a little more quick on turns and spins like 360 flips.

[close]

I actually have an 8.5 arriving today (I've been loving my wider Black Label decks, but their kicks are just sometimes way too steep for me, which is really unfortunate). I have to prevent myself from doing a top-to-top comparison with the 8.5 and 8.25, otherwise I'll just be like "WTF? These are basically the same deck." The 8.25 is feeling a bit narrow these days, and I am now looking for something a bit wider (but man, 14.25 wb is usually a real problem for me...esp on tranny).

I really wish DLX made a proper 8.5/14.5 deck with a normal shaped nose/tail (e.g. no "full" or on the pointy side). It actually kind of shocks me that they don't, with the 8.38 being their closest thing to it.

i have an olive eagle 8.38, and it’s nice and flat.
i’m on the opposite side of the taste from you, in that i enjoy the pointy looking shape. i’ve been dragging on setting it, because it’s long as hell.
i should probably try and get a b16 or bakers 8.25 version.
after all of my love for pointy boards i have been on. a streak of gx shovel nose shapes and really like it. the fullness of the nose makes me think id really like a smaller version: to me body shapes ride big, pointy shapes small.

apropos of nothing other than dlx: i saw some gnar photo posted of cardiel way high up on a full pipe wall. his setup in those days is wiiiiiiiiiild. i remember a skate buddy coming back from living in portland for awhile and he was on a 7.5 because cardiel and julien stranger were doing it, late 90’s early 2000s iirc. 14” wb probably, maaaaaaaybe 31.5 long, indy 129s. shit even later mr stranger was on ace 22s. but like in bowls with vert. terrifying.

[Sedition]

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How much more tapered is the tail in the 8.5 (Blue Eagle etc.) as compared to the 8.25?

Didn't really like the tapered tail on the Baker b16 which in my understanding is a pretty similar shape to the DLX 8.5.

[close]

I am sure @Mbrimson88 can give you the exact taper widths, but it does taper a bit. I've not ridden Baker decks, so I can't comment on those. Also take look at the 8.4 DLX deck. It's sort of a cross of the 8.25 and the 8.5. It has 14.25 WB, far less (none?) taper, and is actually closer in width to the the 8.25 than the 8.5. Oddly, it feels wider than than 8.25, despite being almost exact same width. Nose on the 8.4 is slightly longer than both the 8.5 and the 8.25. It's also the same length as the 8.25, but to me, feels a tad shorter. On paper, the differences between these three is very slight, but per my post above the difference in reality seems much more acute.

[close]

Yeah the tail specifically, I can see a tiny bit more of the DLX BBS 8.25 tail when the blue eagle 8.5 is sitting on top, with the bolts through both boards.  As per message above this one, the BBS blue eagle shape is almost 8.5 at the shoulder, but it tapers down to about 8.25 by the time it gets to back bolts and the tail is a little more pointy than the DLX BBS 8.25 shape.

In a similar way, the 8.4875 Baker is ever so slightly wider up top but much the same throughout, when comparing one of those with the blue eagle 8.5 board, so there is very little between them, even though there are slight differences.

To try to take pics, it just doesn't show enough, but it is a mm or two here and there difference, between all these boards in terms of widths, lengths and kick lengths.  The shapes are similar although definitely have their own differences too, so even with a mm here or there, they skate quite differently and I can feel the 8.25 to be not as wide, but the 8.5 is a bit more wide under the front foot, but also stubby and a little more quick on turns and spins like 360 flips.

[close]

I actually have an 8.5 arriving today (I've been loving my wider Black Label decks, but their kicks are just sometimes way too steep for me, which is really unfortunate). I have to prevent myself from doing a top-to-top comparison with the 8.5 and 8.25, otherwise I'll just be like "WTF? These are basically the same deck." The 8.25 is feeling a bit narrow these days, and I am now looking for something a bit wider (but man, 14.25 wb is usually a real problem for me...esp on tranny).

I really wish DLX made a proper 8.5/14.5 deck with a normal shaped nose/tail (e.g. no "full" or on the pointy side). It actually kind of shocks me that they don't, with the 8.38 being their closest thing to it.

[close]

i have an olive eagle 8.38, and it’s nice and flat.
i’m on the opposite side of the taste from you, in that i enjoy the pointy looking shape. i’ve been dragging on setting it, because it’s long as hell.
i should probably try and get a b16 or bakers 8.25 version.
after all of my love for pointy boards i have been on. a streak of gx shovel nose shapes and really like it. the fullness of the nose makes me think id really like a smaller version: to me body shapes ride big, pointy shapes small.

apropos of nothing other than dlx: i saw some gnar photo posted of cardiel way high up on a full pipe wall. his setup in those days is wiiiiiiiiiild. i remember a skate buddy coming back from living in portland for awhile and he was on a 7.5 because cardiel and julien stranger were doing it, late 90’s early 2000s iirc. 14” wb probably, maaaaaaaybe 31.5 long, indy 129s. shit even later mr stranger was on ace 22s. but like in bowls with vert. terrifying.

Yeah, the giant stuff people skated on tiny boards is pretty insane. As to the 8.38, yeah, I remember that deck feeling •really• long in relation to its width…and tail feeling quite short.

The 8.5 arrived since my last post. Man, that tail seems shorter than the 8.25. Writing might already be on the wall for this one…

[Lou Strux]

I really wish DLX made a proper 8.5/14.5 deck. It actually kind of shocks me that they don't…

+1 THIS^^^
14.38 is close enough, but I’d gladly take those couple/few extra mm of WB if I could get ‘em.

[Sedition]

Sorry, I know this has been addressed already…

DBX decks…how steep are kicks on typical I - IV DLX scale?

[steve]

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I really wish DLX made a proper 8.5/14.5 deck. It actually kind of shocks me that they don't…

[close]

+1 THIS^^^
14.38 is close enough, but I’d gladly take those couple/few extra mm of WB if I could get ‘em.

The 8.5 Ishod Full SE decks are 14.5 x 32.2.

[Mbrimson88]

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I really wish DLX made a proper 8.5/14.5 deck. It actually kind of shocks me that they don't…

[close]

+1 THIS^^^
14.38 is close enough, but I’d gladly take those couple/few extra mm of WB if I could get ‘em.

[close]

The 8.5 Ishod Full SE decks are 14.5 x 32.2.

Full SE shapes are 8.5 x 32.25 with 14.38 wb

Ishod twins are 8.5 x 32.2 with 14.5 wb


I have one of each, so although the Ishod twin is an 8.5 with 14.5 wb, I am always searching for more nose length when I skate it.  Funny that the twin shape really does work for some things but then is quite lacking for others.  In that regard, I need a nose (approx 7" long) and a tail (approx 6.6 to 6.75" preferrably) for things to work for me.

Compared to the BBS / Generator 8.5 shape, which BL and others use, which is 8.5 x 32.3 - 32.4 with 14.5 wb, 7 nose and 6.65 or so tail, which seems to work well for the dimensions.


* There is even the 8.25 x 32.25 with 14.5 FULL shape, just to throw another one in the mix, but still not the 8.5 with 14.5 wb.


**  I meant to add this link in here too, but forgot, re Full SE shapes, but it seems like the Real shapes page has been removed, or I just couldn't find it any more.

[Mbrimson88]

Sorry, I know this has been addressed already…

DBX decks…how steep are kicks on typical I - IV DLX scale?

I don't recall seeing any info for them in that regard, but I could have missed it too.


* Also curious as to the steepness of the DBX boards too, as they are single press so should all be the same, like the China made boards, which are "middle of the road" in the steepness and angle and everything, so maybe a II or III feeling.

[Spacecase]

Anyone hear of DLX pressing bigger DBX decks in the future?

Would love to try a 8.75 or 9".

[swongolianbbq]

Anyone hear of DLX pressing bigger DBX decks in the future?

Would love to try a 8.75 or 9".

I would snap up a couple 9" DBXs for sure. The cruiser/rain board has always been a Powell flight covered up with stickers or paint but I'd rather it be an eagle all day

[SwitchBenihana]

DLXSkateshop.com only has the AH DBX decks in 3 sizes. Non in the Krooked catalog or in any new Real decks I can find. Are they phasing this out already?

[swongolianbbq]

DLXSkateshop.com only has the AH DBX decks in 3 sizes. Non in the Krooked catalog or in any new Real decks I can find. Are they phasing this out already?

Reynolds was skating a basalt baker deck a couple weeks ago if that means anything

[FrAnKenFrEd]

DBX Huffer. Matt D , you hear?

[rikki]

The 8.5 arrived since my last post. Man, that tail seems shorter than the 8.25. Writing might already be on the wall for this one…

Let us know. My issue (without actually trying the board) with the 8.5 has been that looking at the dims, the tail looks pretty damn short, like under 6.4 or so. That's like, eh, PS Stix territory.

[Francis Xavier]

@Francis Xavier and I met Lucero at some curbs and he said he wanted to do more of the Cardiel Snuffers for Black Label, he even had a graphic picked to rerelease. Hopefully Deluxe gives him the green light at some point.

Can confirm, Lucero has plenty of ideas ready to go once given the greenlight

[Ok]

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The 8.5 arrived since my last post. Man, that tail seems shorter than the 8.25. Writing might already be on the wall for this one…

[close]

Let us know. My issue (without actually trying the board) with the 8.5 has been that looking at the dims, the tail looks pretty damn short, like under 6.4 or so. That's like, eh, PS Stix territory.

as a ps stix/short tail liker, what are the advantages to a really long tail? i think bigger wheels, yeah? several years back i tried to skate that april 8.125 with 147s and 51s. that shape had a longer tail and it drove me crazy (er): felt like a really delayed pop. it was a me problem. i guess one could sit on a slide of some sort better with longer nose/tail, i just tend to hate the pop on long levers

[Sedition]

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The 8.5 arrived since my last post. Man, that tail seems shorter than the 8.25. Writing might already be on the wall for this one…

[close]

Let us know. My issue (without actually trying the board) with the 8.5 has been that looking at the dims, the tail looks pretty damn short, like under 6.4 or so. That's like, eh, PS Stix territory.

[close]

as a ps stix/short tail liker, what are the advantages to a really long tail? i think bigger wheels, yeah? several years back i tried to skate that april 8.125 with 147s and 51s. that shape had a longer tail and it drove me crazy (er): felt like a really delayed pop. it was a me problem. i guess one could sit on a slide of some sort better with longer nose/tail, i just tend to hate the pop on long levers

-Less ghost pop

-More traction (blunts, blunt slides, nose/tail slides, etc.)...this one is esp true on more rounded-off ledges/bigger coping.

-More "wiggle room" for foot placement (e.g. don't have to be as exact).

To be sure, kicks that are too long, or too short, cause problems. It's just a matter of finding the zone that feels best for you.

[Ok]

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The 8.5 arrived since my last post. Man, that tail seems shorter than the 8.25. Writing might already be on the wall for this one…

[close]

Let us know. My issue (without actually trying the board) with the 8.5 has been that looking at the dims, the tail looks pretty damn short, like under 6.4 or so. That's like, eh, PS Stix territory.

[close]

as a ps stix/short tail liker, what are the advantages to a really long tail? i think bigger wheels, yeah? several years back i tried to skate that april 8.125 with 147s and 51s. that shape had a longer tail and it drove me crazy (er): felt like a really delayed pop. it was a me problem. i guess one could sit on a slide of some sort better with longer nose/tail, i just tend to hate the pop on long levers

[close]

-Less ghost pop

-More traction (blunts, blunt slides, nose/tail slides, etc.)...this one is esp true on more rounded-off ledges/bigger coping.

-More "wiggle room" for foot placement (e.g. don't have to be as exact).

To be sure, kicks that are too long, or too short, cause problems. It's just a matter of finding the zone that feels best for you.

ty

[steve]

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@Francis Xavier and I met Lucero at some curbs and he said he wanted to do more of the Cardiel Snuffers for Black Label, he even had a graphic picked to rerelease. Hopefully Deluxe gives him the green light at some point.

[close]

Can confirm, Lucero has plenty of ideas ready to go once given the greenlight

Sounds like a time crisis

[Mbrimson88]

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The 8.5 arrived since my last post. Man, that tail seems shorter than the 8.25. Writing might already be on the wall for this one…

[close]

Let us know. My issue (without actually trying the board) with the 8.5 has been that looking at the dims, the tail looks pretty damn short, like under 6.4 or so. That's like, eh, PS Stix territory.

[close]

as a ps stix/short tail liker, what are the advantages to a really long tail? i think bigger wheels, yeah? several years back i tried to skate that april 8.125 with 147s and 51s. that shape had a longer tail and it drove me crazy (er): felt like a really delayed pop. it was a me problem. i guess one could sit on a slide of some sort better with longer nose/tail, i just tend to hate the pop on long levers

[close]

-Less ghost pop

-More traction (blunts, blunt slides, nose/tail slides, etc.)...this one is esp true on more rounded-off ledges/bigger coping.

-More "wiggle room" for foot placement (e.g. don't have to be as exact).

To be sure, kicks that are too long, or too short, cause problems. It's just a matter of finding the zone that feels best for you.

[close]

ty

In experimenting with moving trucks even a little bit in (more so than out) I can definitely say that there is a point where things start to get too long in the kicks, nose or tail, so having a kick that is too long or too short causes different problems, but problems all the same.

A Grosso 9.25 shaped board I reshaped a while back and brought both trucks in ended up being way too long in the kicks and although it worked well for curbs / not much ollie stuff, it made things just feel too flat and light and was harder to skate for anything other than slappy nose or tail slides or minimal ollie stuff.

I set up a non DLX 8.25 board the other day just in the normal truck position on Thunder 148s and took so long to get used to how short the tail was, ghost pop every time for the first five minutes even if the board got off the ground enough to get on the small thing I was skating but I could switch ollie well enough every time with a solid nose hit like normal.

For reference, I usually bring the tail of my board in a few mm now on any and every board I ride, just because it is easier than flattening the deck or trying to get used to a kick that is too steep for what I am comfortable on. 

Again that is a "me problem" as has been referenced, but once I got a bit more used to it, things started to work more normally, but it still felt too short and steep to me.

[SwitchBenihana]

Don't the 8.25 and 8.5 have the same tail? If not it's 1/16" longer. The main difference isn't just the tail length, but how you stand over the entire board. You're going to weight the board different and setup different due to the difference in wheelbase, length, and how much fingers of flat there are. The tail length comes into play as part of that equation, but it's not the only variable.

Most DLX decks have tails within 1/10" of each other, but differ far more elsewhere. It's never just dimension with this stuff.

[Sedition]

Don't the 8.25 and 8.5 have the same tail? If not it's 1/16" longer. The main difference isn't just the tail length, but how you stand over the entire board. You're going to weight the board different and setup different due to the difference in wheelbase, length, and how much fingers of flat there are. The tail length comes into play as part of that equation, but it's not the only variable.

Most DLX decks have tails within 1/10" of each other, but differ far more elsewhere. It's never just dimension with this stuff.

The 8.25 has a slightly longer tail than than 8.38 and the 8.5.

[Sedition]

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The 8.5 arrived since my last post. Man, that tail seems shorter than the 8.25. Writing might already be on the wall for this one…

[close]

Let us know. My issue (without actually trying the board) with the 8.5 has been that looking at the dims, the tail looks pretty damn short, like under 6.4 or so. That's like, eh, PS Stix territory.

You asked, so here it is. I rode the 8.5 around for awhile yesterday. It's not the deck for me, but I kind of already knew that (had them before, and didn't like them).

TAIL
The tail is a tiny bit shorter than the 8.25 (it's def not sub 6.4...prolly like 6.437 with the 8.25 being 6.5...so we are talking tiny amounts here...1/16th of an inch). The tail didn't really bother me that much. It felt fine on tailslides and ollies to tails on ramp with round coping (a place where I often notice shorter tails). I didn't try any blunt slides on it, which is a place I really notice shorter tails. Overall, the tail was not the deal breaker for me.

WIDTH & LENGTH
Coming off the 8.25, it did feel a bit wider (in reality, we are talking tiny amounts of actual difference). That difference might have also been due to its overall shorter length than the 8.25 (e.g. different deck ratios). The width was actually the reason I tried this again, despite not liking this deck before. The 8.25 has been feeling a bit narrow to me recently. I'm getting older, and like most old-guys, I'm leaning toward wider decks these days. Lengthwise, it felt really short to me, too short, but that might have also been, in part, due to the shorter wheelbase.

WHEEL BASE
This was the deal-breaker for me, and always has/had been. I just can't skate 14.25 (and smaller) wheelbase decks anymore. Everything just felt too cramped. It also felt like I couldn't generate enough torque or power on a lot stuff (e.g. ollie/nollies, any 180 ollie/nollie, nose stall reverts, etc.). In addition, I kept landing stuff with my front foot too far over the nose. For reference, I am 5' 11" and mostly legs. Average height in U.S. is 5' 9" so it would make sense that 14.25 is such a common WB...but it's just too short for me. I know lots of people love this deck, and everything in skating is subjective. But for me? Never again on this one, or any 14.25 wb deck.       

[kickbacktail]

Was thinking of picking up a 9x33 (specifically my local has BA’s Trolls deck on sale) but remembered @Mbrimson88’s comments about the China molds being off for decks over 8.75”. What should I expect to be off about it compared to a BBS eagle? I’d be fine with just getting the 9x33 eagle but I really just don’t vibe with the orange. Lame reason I know but I find my stoke level can change drastically if a graphic turns me off

[Mbrimson88]

Was thinking of picking up a 9x33 (specifically my local has BA’s Trolls deck on sale) but remembered @Mbrimson88’s comments about the China molds being off for decks over 8.75”. What should I expect to be off about it compared to a BBS eagle? I’d be fine with just getting the 9x33 eagle but I really just don’t vibe with the orange. Lame reason I know but I find my stoke level can change drastically if a graphic turns me off

A few pros and cons, because some people don't have any problems with the China made bigger boards.


China made boards in the 9 x 33 have way steeper concave across the board width and way more hefty pop compared to the same sized BBS boards.  They also have way shorter middle flat between the kicks, about an inch all up from what I can see, which is why they don't work for me, as the bolt holes in the 15" position are actually into the kicks and the trucks kind of sit on an odd angle on the deck, as in the middle is touching but not the ends of the baseplate, or one side tightened down shows a lot more baseplate lifted on the other end.

All up, I am more used to the more mellow and longer mold shapes of any DLX / BBS bigger boards, which I can clearly see when I put them together, one on top of the other, then swap them over - can take some pics if people are really keen to see differences there.

A few other people who have skated them also can't ride them, yet others feel like they work better for what they are, so maybe for the older or the less inclined to want pop and strength, they might not work, but for the younger and or stronger legged skater, they might work well or even better than the usual BBS versions.

Mine works great now I have the trucks both in 1/4" but it still feels very steep side to side and so very stiff, compared to what I am used to.  I also drove over it to mellow out the kick angles a bit too, which did work, but it still feels weird.

Would I get any more of the bigger China made boards?  Not unless I hear they make them on a bigger mold to fit the bigger sized boards, whereas anything else around 8.6 Cardiel shape and under works perfectly well, all on the same sized molds that don't bring the side rail up too high, or the deck bolt holes into the kicks.

The Cardiel shape is 8.6 x 32.2 with 14.5 wb (listed as 14.6 for some, but the China made boards are 14.5) and it works very well on the one I skated.

[kickbacktail]

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Was thinking of picking up a 9x33 (specifically my local has BA’s Trolls deck on sale) but remembered @Mbrimson88’s comments about the China molds being off for decks over 8.75”. What should I expect to be off about it compared to a BBS eagle? I’d be fine with just getting the 9x33 eagle but I really just don’t vibe with the orange. Lame reason I know but I find my stoke level can change drastically if a graphic turns me off

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A few pros and cons, because some people don't have any problems with the China made bigger boards.


China made boards in the 9 x 33 have way steeper concave across the board width and way more hefty pop compared to the same sized BBS boards.  They also have way shorter middle flat between the kicks, about an inch all up from what I can see, which is why they don't work for me, as the bolt holes in the 15" position are actually into the kicks and the trucks kind of sit on an odd angle on the deck, as in the middle is touching but not the ends of the baseplate, or one side tightened down shows a lot more baseplate lifted on the other end.

All up, I am more used to the more mellow and longer mold shapes of any DLX / BBS bigger boards, which I can clearly see when I put them together, one on top of the other, then swap them over - can take some pics if people are really keen to see differences there.

A few other people who have skated them also can't ride them, yet others feel like they work better for what they are, so maybe for the older or the less inclined to want pop and strength, they might not work, but for the younger and or stronger legged skater, they might work well or even better than the usual BBS versions.

Mine works great now I have the trucks both in 1/4" but it still feels very steep side to side and so very stiff, compared to what I am used to.  I also drove over it to mellow out the kick angles a bit too, which did work, but it still feels weird.

Would I get any more of the bigger China made boards?  Not unless I hear they make them on a bigger mold to fit the bigger sized boards, whereas anything else around 8.6 Cardiel shape and under works perfectly well, all on the same sized molds that don't bring the side rail up too high, or the deck bolt holes into the kicks.

The Cardiel shape is 8.6 x 32.2 with 14.5 wb (listed as 14.6 for some, but the China made boards are 14.5) and it works very well on the one I skated.

Oh so would you include the 8.75x14.6wb shape in the same category of poorly fit molds? As I’ve stated a ton of those prior to the China switch. I wonder if DLX is aware of this issue. I suppose an alternative would be to find other brands that use the 9x33 shape from BBS, I know I’ve definitely seen it

[Mbrimson88]

Oh so would you include the 8.75x14.6wb shape in the same category of poorly fit molds? As I’ve stated a ton of those prior to the China switch. I wonder if DLX is aware of this issue. I suppose an alternative would be to find other brands that use the 9x33 shape from BBS, I know I’ve definitely seen it

The 8.75 with 14.6 wb felt ok, so maybe that is about the max that the mold works well on (to me anyway) but I haven't seen or tried the 8.62 with 14.75 wb, so I don't know there.

I have a few of the 8.75s which people have skated, no complaints at all.  The one I have actually went out to someone, then came back to me, which works great now, but was way too stiff to start with - again, that's a "me problem" - but they really do last a lot longer and feel stiffer through the life of the board with the epoxy construction, compared to going soggy the way water based glue boards do.


So far I have had about eight different shapes of the China wood come through my hands, most of which I have skated on other people's boards, but I have a few of my own set up as well.  The only two that didn't work were the Wilkins 8.86 with 15 wb, and the 9 x 33 with 15 wb, both of which I drilled in both ends a little and they now work fine for me, so it was not a wasted experience there.  Everything else was good for mold, fit, shape, etc.

Honestly, if you can get to somewhere to stand on them before getting any, that would be ideal, otherwise try it and see, then go from there.  I guess I am way more used to changing and modifying boards to work for me, more so than trying them and then discarding them, or even thinking it was a wasted purchase, as I have any number of people I know I can pass them on to if I know it doesn't work for me.

[rikki]

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The 8.5 arrived since my last post. Man, that tail seems shorter than the 8.25. Writing might already be on the wall for this one…

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Let us know. My issue (without actually trying the board) with the 8.5 has been that looking at the dims, the tail looks pretty damn short, like under 6.4 or so. That's like, eh, PS Stix territory.

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You asked, so here it is. I rode the 8.5 around for awhile yesterday. It's not the deck for me, but I kind of already knew that (had them before, and didn't like them).

TAIL
The tail is a tiny bit shorter than the 8.25 (it's def not sub 6.4...prolly like 6.437 with the 8.25 being 6.5...so we are talking tiny amounts here...1/16th of an inch). The tail didn't really bother me that much. It felt fine on tailslides and ollies to tails on ramp with round coping (a place where I often notice shorter tails). I didn't try any blunt slides on it, which is a place I really notice shorter tails. Overall, the tail was not the deal breaker for me.

WIDTH & LENGTH
Coming off the 8.25, it did feel a bit wider (in reality, we are talking tiny amounts of actual difference). That difference might have also been due to its overall shorter length than the 8.25 (e.g. different deck ratios). The width was actually the reason I tried this again, despite not liking this deck before. The 8.25 has been feeling a bit narrow to me recently. I'm getting older, and like most old-guys, I'm leaning toward wider decks these days. Lengthwise, it felt really short to me, too short, but that might have also been, in part, due to the shorter wheelbase.

WHEEL BASE
This was the deal-breaker for me, and always has/had been. I just can't skate 14.25 (and smaller) wheelbase decks anymore. Everything just felt too cramped. It also felt like I couldn't generate enough torque or power on a lot stuff (e.g. ollie/nollies, any 180 ollie/nollie, nose stall reverts, etc.). In addition, I kept landing stuff with my front foot too far over the nose. For reference, I am 5' 11" and mostly legs. Average height in U.S. is 5' 9" so it would make sense that 14.25 is such a common WB...but it's just too short for me. I know lots of people love this deck, and everything in skating is subjective. But for me? Never again on this one, or any 14.25 wb deck.       

Appreciate the detailed write-up! I'm 5'9" and been having a good ol' time with various 14.25 wb decks, so this might be for me. Glad to hear the tail isn't as short as I feared.