DLX Shapes

[Mbrimson88]

Sorry Brimmo, I couldn't resist. Great info as always!

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Ha yeah!!  Makes me laugh, which I definitely needed.

[Mbrimson88]

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Also I got the new Huffer with the latest DLX boards that are here in AU and the thing just feels so comfortable for concave and everything.

Yet to do anything besides stand on it, but I am pretty confident even just from that, whether or not a board will work for me, so I have some high hopes of setting up this elusive beast once again.

All the boards I just got feel pretty good actually - all China made, so more mellow than the steeper press BBS versions, but I think they all feel like they would work nicely.


The graphic of this Huffer is pretty cool too.

[rikki]

[Mbrimson88]

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Ha yeah, meme me!!!


So I set up the Huffer and had a bit of a roll around tonight, but will definitely need a bit more time on it. 

The board is made in China, so I still feel like the mold they use just doesn't work so well on longer wheelbase decks, but the V8 trucks make the concave feel like it is way more comfortable than the first 9.0 x 33 with 15 wb board I got, so apart from the wheelbase slightly going into the kicks, it is pretty good.

I put the regular V8 trucks on it, just to bring things in a little more, trying to set the whole thing up as stock product, without any modifications, so we will see how long that lasts, but it seems like it has a nice angle of axle to kick and pops easily, without being too light, as per some V8 trucks can feel on regular concaves and other boards.

Tried to take a pic of the side, or at least to show where the trucks are sitting, but it might be too small to really see.  This has made the sidewall look huge, but in reality it doesn't seem like it sits up anywhere near that far when I am standing on it.  I do prefer more mellow boards, so this works for me in that regard.






A couple of other board pics in the Setup thread and the Huffer thread:


https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=10804.msg4502505#msg4502505

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=121639.msg4502504#msg4502504



* Next day - I had another roll around on it today, as well as trying out a few other sets of wheels, doing some other things to it and overall it really is feeling very comfortable, although I do need to break in the bushings before going too hard on it.

1992-93 Vintage boards thread, with 38 mm wheels on it too:

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=114547.msg4502817#msg4502817

[JM]

What does “one-off” mean in DLX deck world?

Is it just another ambiguous title like “dreamer”?

[Sedition]

What does “one-off” mean in DLX deck world?

Is it just another ambiguous title like “dreamer”?

It's usually means either (1) a given graphic, or pro model*, that not part of larger graphic series, (2) maybe some odd shape that isn't going to be around consistently, or (3) both (1) and (2).

*For example, Huf pro decks are not a thing DLX usually makes, but there is a Huf "one-off" in the current summer drop.

[JM]

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What does “one-off” mean in DLX deck world?

Is it just another ambiguous title like “dreamer”?

[close]

It's usually means either (1) a given graphic, or pro model*, that not part of larger graphic series, (2) maybe some odd shape that isn't going to be around consistently, or (3) both (1) and (2).

*For example, Huf pro decks are not a thing DLX usually makes, but there is a Huf "one-off" in the current summer drop.

Makes sense, and I don’t know any better.

It’s just weird because graphics are always “one-offs” (except ovals and eagles and eyes), and the 8.38x14.5wb on the Kyle walker is a normal shape.

Maybe the 8.5x14.38wb is a test shape they haven’t fully adopted… but that still doesn’t explain the Kyle walker graphic since all the graphics don’t repeat.

Oh well… no one at DLX ever explained the “dreamer” shape and that naming stuck around for years.

Guess it’ll be the same mystery

[DarkPools]

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What does “one-off” mean in DLX deck world?

Is it just another ambiguous title like “dreamer”?

[close]

It's usually means either (1) a given graphic, or pro model*, that not part of larger graphic series, (2) maybe some odd shape that isn't going to be around consistently, or (3) both (1) and (2).

*For example, Huf pro decks are not a thing DLX usually makes, but there is a Huf "one-off" in the current summer drop.

[close]

Makes sense, and I don’t know any better.

It’s just weird because graphics are always “one-offs” (except ovals and eagles and eyes), and the 8.38x14.5wb on the Kyle walker is a normal shape.

Maybe the 8.5x14.38wb is a test shape they haven’t fully adopted… but that still doesn’t explain the Kyle walker graphic since all the graphics don’t repeat.

Oh well… no one at DLX ever explained the “dreamer” shape and that naming stuck around for years.

Guess it’ll be the same mystery

For DLX:

"One-Offs" have only/always meant any graphic that was a singular unique graphic not part of any series for that seasonal drop. It also may not be a repeated graphic they do in future drops, hence them being a one-off away from their usual established pro series or team series decks.

The 8.5x14.38x32.18 shape is not a test shape. It's an established shape that DLX has offered across all three of their brands (REAL, Krooked, AntiHero) consistently.
It's a shape that's been in circulation since Tom Knox joined the team. Did they have it prior? Probably,  but I'm not 100% about that  at the moment. I have skated 3 of this exact shape in a row: Tom K, Praman, and a GT right now. I have a Zion one up next, so you could say it's a favorite of mine haha!

[Mbrimson88]

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What does “one-off” mean in DLX deck world?

Is it just another ambiguous title like “dreamer”?

[close]

It's usually means either (1) a given graphic, or pro model*, that not part of larger graphic series, (2) maybe some odd shape that isn't going to be around consistently, or (3) both (1) and (2).

*For example, Huf pro decks are not a thing DLX usually makes, but there is a Huf "one-off" in the current summer drop.

[close]

Makes sense, and I don’t know any better.

It’s just weird because graphics are always “one-offs” (except ovals and eagles and eyes), and the 8.38x14.5wb on the Kyle walker is a normal shape.

Maybe the 8.5x14.38wb is a test shape they haven’t fully adopted… but that still doesn’t explain the Kyle walker graphic since all the graphics don’t repeat.

Oh well… no one at DLX ever explained the “dreamer” shape and that naming stuck around for years.

Guess it’ll be the same mystery

[close]

For DLX:

"One-Offs" have only/always meant any graphic that was a singular unique graphic not part of any series for that seasonal drop. It also may not be a repeated graphic they do in future drops, hence them being a one-off away from their usual established pro series or team series decks.

The 8.5x14.38x32.18 shape is not a test shape. It's an established shape that DLX has offered across all three of their brands (REAL, Krooked, AntiHero) consistently.
It's a shape that's been in circulation since Tom Knox joined the team. Did they have it prior? Probably,  but I'm not 100% about that  at the moment. I have skated 3 of this exact shape in a row: Tom K, Praman, and a GT right now. I have a Zion one up next, so you could say it's a favorite of mine haha!

Yes it was maybe the main shape of the 8.5 boards from back in the day, when almost all the 8.5 were the 14.38 wheelbase, apart from the AH blue eagle which was always shorter.

I had so many of these come through my hands, which was always funny as I was still on the 8.12 black eagle for so long, but this slightly longer 8.5 / 14.38 wb were the preferred board for a lot of the guys I used to skate with, going back to around 2012 and later, when kids started riding wider boards and things started really getting interesting for bigger boards on the market.

I was trying to find some old online catalogs but nothing really comes up from 2010 to 2014 or so, besides some pics here and there, so this is a 2015 catalog.

https://www.dlxsf.com/fall15/index.html


https://www.dlxsf.com/fall15/ah.html


8.5 with 14.38 wb x 15 boards throughout the whole AH catalog, 8 in the Krooked catalog and 10 in the Real catalog.

8.5 with 14.25 wb x 1 board - blue eagle only.


* I always find it interesting going over all the old catalogs, maybe because I had so much stuff from some of them, but it sure is interesting to see everything from just over ten years ago again.

[Mbrimson88]

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The next thing I should do when I have a bit more time is see when they seemed to have changed over from all the 8.5 with 14.38 wb to the shorter 8.5 with 14.25 wb boards.

I seem to recall some time around 2018 to 2020 when things got a bit funny and there almost stopped being any of the longer 8.5 boards for a while.

So the 2019 AH Fall catalog has a number of boards, no 8.5 with 14.38 wb, but a longer one, a Full one and one other 8.5 with 14.25 wb, so that seems about right, when the Full boards came out with longer wheelbases, then the other shapes as well, then everything pulled back to the shorter one from 2020 or so.

https://www.antiheroskateboards.com/fall-2019-drop-1/


Then the 2020 catalogs have a fairly even mix of both, along with a lot of more random shapes, but by 2021 and 2022 it was mostly the shorter 8.5 boards.  In 2023 the True Fit boards came out so there was definitely a push for shorter wheelbases.

[Richard Skidder]

That 2019 catalog reminded me of how much I wanted to try the Raney shape.
I’d also like to see the shovel come back.
When I see FA and Hockey-esque shapes described as a shovel nose I’m like nah that’s just squared.
The shovel was usually a T-mo board so I understand why they got rid of it but at the same time there were at least one or two graphics that were team graphics on that one. It was hella fun to ride.

[Chalupa]

That 2019 catalog reminded me of how much I wanted to try the Raney shape.
I’d also like to see the shovel come back.
When I see FA and Hockey-esque shapes described as a shovel nose I’m like nah that’s just squared.
The shovel was usually a T-mo board so I understand why they got rid of it but at the same time there were at least one or two graphics that were team graphics on that one. It was hella fun to ride.

It’s not a regular release but I’m pretty sure Austin Kanfoush had an 8.55” shape with shovel nose and square tail. If they make more, especially with a Dennis McNett graphic, I’m stocking up.

[Mbrimson88]

That 2019 catalog reminded me of how much I wanted to try the Raney shape.
I’d also like to see the shovel come back.
When I see FA and Hockey-esque shapes described as a shovel nose I’m like nah that’s just squared.
The shovel was usually a T-mo board so I understand why they got rid of it but at the same time there were at least one or two graphics that were team graphics on that one. It was hella fun to ride.

Some other brands have had that shape too.  Doom Sayers comes to mind and Polar P2 8.5 being one I have a board, traded from someone who got it and just couldn't deal with the shovel nose on it.

Funny that looking back over catalogs, this lot also came up, especially the middle one, which is almost like that T-Mo 8.4 shovel board as well.  I got a few of the Wrecking Crew boards when they were around but they were always too big or long in the wheelbase for what I wanted so never set them up.  These days I could just run a V8 type option on them and they would skate pretty well, but that was an interesting time for some of the alternate shapes.

Real 2014 catalog pics:

https://elskateshop.com/real-skateboards/

[JM]

Wow thanks @DarkPools @Mbrimson88

The one off as not part of series is good explanation.

Also, good to hear this shape pretty standard. 

Finally, maybe I was just measuring fast, but it did seem that the taper on the nose and tail started back at the bolts, making for a pointier shape. (Which I’m stoked… reminds me of decks from late 90’s)

I’ll try to remember to measure it next weekend.

[Mbrimson88]

Wow thanks @DarkPools @Mbrimson88

The one off as not part of series is good explanation.

Also, good to hear this shape pretty standard. 

Finally, maybe I was just measuring fast, but it did seem that the taper on the nose and tail started back at the bolts, making for a pointier shape. (Which I’m stoked… reminds me of decks from late 90’s)

I’ll try to remember to measure it next weekend.

Re a bit pointy, yes it is one of those board shapes that does taper a bit earlier at both ends too, which is why some people loved it and others didn't like it.

Compared to some other 8.5 boards, like the generic BBS shape, 8.5 x 32.3 with 14.5 wb, this one is way less round in the kicks, but the slightly shorter wheelbase and the overall shape fits well with almost any truck I have put on it.  Some skated it on Indy 149s, quite a few on Thunder 149s, some even on Venture 5.8s, but I guess most of the DLX guys riding this board on Thunders seems to work well.

Just funny how shapes seem to go in circles, some almost phase out, then come back for a bit, then are not seen again for a while, but all up maybe 8.5 boards are almost the most common now.


I had to double check because the more common Hermann board is the shorter True Fit shape in 8.5 as per one in the current Summer 2026 catalog, but I see this was one graphic that was definitely on the longer 8.5 shape from the Spring 2026 catalog.

Gotta say too I am a sucker for a good bottom stain and this graphic really shows that nicely.

[Sedition]

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Wow thanks @DarkPools @Mbrimson88

The one off as not part of series is good explanation.

Also, good to hear this shape pretty standard. 

Finally, maybe I was just measuring fast, but it did seem that the taper on the nose and tail started back at the bolts, making for a pointier shape. (Which I’m stoked… reminds me of decks from late 90’s)

I’ll try to remember to measure it next weekend.

[close]

Re a bit pointy, yes it is one of those board shapes that does taper a bit earlier at both ends too, which is why some people loved it and others didn't like it.

I will also confirm this. Had one of those Cody Chapman “intermodal” decks not long ago. Hated it. Why? Because I really don’t like tapered / “pointy” kicks, and the 8.5/14.38 absolutely has those…not full-on football, but leaning more that direction than my proclivities allow for. If you like tapered kicks, then this deck is absolutely worth checking out. Best of luck with it!

Oh! Just remembered. I think I have photo of my Chapman next to my 8.25 DLX…I’ll try to dig it up and post later (so you can sort of see difference in kick shapes).

[JM]

Thanks, appreciate it. Will be cool to see the comparison.

And definitely looking forward to skating this deck. Love 149 Indy’s, and skate well on the 14.38 wheelbase. 

Yeah the green stain does pair nicely with the troll! Like it’s in the forest, or grass.

Didn’t think about it, and wasn’t even looking at that graphic at all but saw it in the shop and got interested… and then even more interested when seeing the shape up close. (The top stain is yellow, which…. Not my first choice…. But, it’s kind of cool because top is super bright yellow, second is blue, and then bottom green: the three together work really well)

And yeah so many true fits!! There a Narvaez blue bird graphic that’s sick, but it’s TF :/
Una spirit animal: true fit.
Hayley in pieces: true fit
Cernicky mad turtle: true fit
Some really good graphics I like are all TF

Also, separate question, but why do you think true fits keep coming out? Surely that means they’re popular. Are you selling a lot of them? (I know they’re better for 360 flips and flip tricks in general but they just seem SO short. Better for little kids?)

[Sedition]

Thanks, appreciate it. Will be cool to see the comparison.

Here is the pic, but I don't think it fully shows/captures the difference between the two. 8.25/14.38 on left, 8.5/14.38 on right.

[Mbrimson88]

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Thanks, appreciate it. Will be cool to see the comparison.

[close]

Here is the pic, but I don't think it fully shows/captures the difference between the two. 8.25/14.38 on left, 8.5/14.38 on right.

I can see it instantly, but I guess I am very familiar with those two shapes.

Just set up another regular DLX 8.25 for someone tonight at the skate shop / park and it is so comfortable (for a small board) but it is a normal setup for them - 8.25 on same size 148 Thunder trucks and 52 mm Classics.

[Mbrimson88]

Thanks, appreciate it. Will be cool to see the comparison.

And definitely looking forward to skating this deck. Love 149 Indy’s, and skate well on the 14.38 wheelbase. 

Yeah the green stain does pair nicely with the troll! Like it’s in the forest, or grass.

Didn’t think about it, and wasn’t even looking at that graphic at all but saw it in the shop and got interested… and then even more interested when seeing the shape up close. (The top stain is yellow, which…. Not my first choice…. But, it’s kind of cool because top is super bright yellow, second is blue, and then bottom green: the three together work really well)

And yeah so many true fits!! There a Narvaez blue bird graphic that’s sick, but it’s TF :/
Una spirit animal: true fit.
Hayley in pieces: true fit
Cernicky mad turtle: true fit
Some really good graphics I like are all TF

Also, separate question, but why do you think true fits keep coming out? Surely that means they’re popular. Are you selling a lot of them? (I know they’re better for 360 flips and flip tricks in general but they just seem SO short. Better for little kids?)

Re True Fit shapes - I think most of those riders are tiny humans, or at least that is the common size they ride, more so than anything else, at least for Hermann, Una, Hayley and some others, so I guess those boards do sell well enough for them to keep doing those shapes for the pro riders too.

I look at something like the Jimmy Wilkins 8.86 x 32.5 with 15 wb shape that only came out a couple of times for the general public (of which I got one and drilled both ends in to make it work for me) but then they haven't released any since, with his name more commonly on the 8.5 blue eagle shape, as that seems to be one of the most common board these days, along with the 8.38 shape I usually ride.

Overall when doing a tally of board shapes between the whole season I think they really do have a very good mix of them, maybe a few more of this or a few less of that, but the last few years, boards have been getting shorter with the smaller wheelbase options, AH Short, True Fit, even Full SE coming back a bit more and some others, like the Full shapes getting one or two as well, so there must be a few people who like longer wheelbases out there.


* Also this might be a funny thing, but there are still new shapes coming out too, almost one every other drop in some shape or form.

[Sedition]

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Thanks, appreciate it. Will be cool to see the comparison.

[close]

Here is the pic, but I don't think it fully shows/captures the difference between the two. 8.25/14.38 on left, 8.5/14.38 on right.

[close]

I can see it instantly, but I guess I am very familiar with those two shapes.

Well, you and I are, i think, two of the biggest DLX shape nerds on here, so of course you (and I) can instantly see it. LOL. 

[scab]

Those two shapes are as different to me as a Monet is to a Manet. I should probably seek help.

[JM]

@Sedition

 Oh heck yeah those are different! I’ve never liked the 8.25 x 14.38 WB shape. Too rounded for me.

Now the 8.38x14.5wb is divine.

But I think the 8.5x14.38wb just ate its lunch

@Mbrimson88
What’s really cool, and maybe they do it on purpose, but they seem to spread the shapes around to different riders, so if you only buy a particular shape, you’ll spread the $$ to the whole team.

Except twin tails, only Ishod gets that bag, haha.

[Chalupa]

@Sedition

 Oh heck yeah those are different! I’ve never liked the 8.25 x 14.38 WB shape. Too rounded for me.

Now the 8.38x14.5wb is divine.

But I think the 8.5x14.38wb just ate its lunch

@Mbrimson88
What’s really cool, and maybe they do it on purpose, but they seem to spread the shapes around to different riders, so if you only buy a particular shape, you’ll spread the $$ to the whole team.

Except twin tails, only Ishod gets that bag, haha.

You forgot about Bobby Worrest?

[Sedition]

@Sedition

Oh heck yeah those are different! I’ve never liked the 8.25 x 14.38 WB shape. Too rounded for me.

Now the 8.38x14.5wb is divine.

Ok, this is FASCINATING to me (e.g. how people perceive deck shapes differently).

My two favorite DLX shapes are the 8.25/14.38 and the 8.75/14.62. To me, these two are essentially the same shape (but just vary in size). The reason I like these two, is they always seemed the middle-ground between what I perceived as the more “rounded” (and sometimes almost “pointy”) shapes of most other standard DLX decks (e.g. 8.06, 8.38. 8.4. both 8.5s, etc.) and the much more squared-off “full” shapes. So, compared to the other DLX decks, it’s super interesting to see/hear how a shape I view as more “square/full” is “rounded” to someone else.

If the 8.25 is rounded to you, how would you categorize the kicks on the 8.38, 8.4, 8.5 etc.? 

[And I dislike the 8.38 because, to me, it’s too “rounded”(!!) and the tail feels super short...and I don't like the "full" shapes because the kicks are too full/squared-off. The 8.25/8.75 is the just perfect balance between the two, at least for me.]

[Sedition]

@Mbrimson88
What’s really cool, and maybe they do it on purpose, but they seem to spread the shapes around to different riders, so if you only buy a particular shape, you’ll spread the $$ to the whole team.

Yeah, this is cool. I feel like the 8.25, 8.38, and 8.5 are their biggest sellers. So, swapping them around allows all of them get a cut of the sales.

I also kind of like what Black Label does. You can pick the graphic ON the shape you want...but that's just because Lucero does all the printing at LBL head quarters himself. No way a company the size of DLX could do something like that.

[rikki]

I went from riding the 8.25 x 14.38 almost exclusively to be a fan of the 8.5 x 14.25 (which I still kind of am), but recently as I've felt the call to size down a bit I've found a new love for the 8.125 x 14.25.

As for pointy vs. round kicks, somewhere there in between I tried e.g. the Baker b16 shape (8.475 x 14.25) which I ended up hating. Too pointy, too mellow.

Nevertheless, all of the above DLX shapes are awesome, and I'll probably keep rotating between them ad infinitum, with the odd random shapes from random shops and brands here and there in between.

[JM]

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@Sedition

Oh heck yeah those are different! I’ve never liked the 8.25 x 14.38 WB shape. Too rounded for me.

Now the 8.38x14.5wb is divine.

[close]

Ok, this is FASCINATING to me (e.g. how people perceive deck shapes differently).

My two favorite DLX shapes are the 8.25/14.38 and the 8.75/14.62. To me, these two are essentially the same shape (but just vary in size). The reason I like these two, is they always seemed the middle-ground between what I perceived as the more “rounded” (and sometimes almost “pointy”) shapes of most other standard DLX decks (e.g. 8.06, 8.38. 8.4. both 8.5s, etc.) and the much more squared-off “full” shapes. So, compared to the other DLX decks, it’s super interesting to see/hear how a shape I view as more “square/full” is “rounded” to someone else.

If the 8.25 is rounded to you, how would you categorize the kicks on the 8.38, 8.4, 8.5 etc.? 

[And I dislike the 8.38 because, to me, it’s too “rounded”(!!) and the tail feels super short...and I don't like the "full" shapes because the kicks are too full/squared-off. The 8.25/8.75 is the just perfect balance between the two, at least for me.]

The Full (shovel?) shapes hurt my eyes and feelings.

The 8.25 isn’t too bad, just a bit too circley on the ends.

I’d categorize the 8.38 is pointier than the 8.25, even though it’s wider.

I’ll have to use radius to describe it:
8.25 has a larger radius of nose/tail than 8.38.  And the 8.5x14.38 has a smaller radius than the 8.38 (roughly by eyeballing it)

I’m not familiar with any other shape unfortunately.

@Chalupa how could I ever? He had my favorite graphic last year with the “not yo dog”. I was just thinking about Real Exclusively. I did notice twin tails on the Krooked side. Ha

[pops]

How's the 9.1 egg or "WEGG"? I gave up with Horse Pill after three session. It felt too dangerous to me because it feels so short.

[Mbrimson88]

How's the 9.1 egg or "WEGG"? I gave up with Horse Pill after three session. It felt too dangerous to me because it feels so short.

If it is the same egg 9.1 board as has been out before for various DLX riders, it is a twin, 9.1 x 32 with 14.5 wb and approximately 6.625 kicks, so that might or might not be to your liking.

I have 8.75 trucks on the one I have set up with the double drilled baseplate (like V8 only on forged Indy variants) but some others had the same board set up on 8.5 trucks and it looked and skated fine like that too.