2004 Testing Results         

The decks in this ranking system are the decks used in developing the standard deviation. The decks I tested as comparison decks are ranked in  a grouping below. These rankings are made available for the skaters and companies looking for a skateboard manufacturer. Several of these skateboards are slightly stiffer or more flexible than the average deck. Major flaws are noted below. Many consumers desire or require a stiffer deck because of thier riding style, skill level or body weight and many consumers require or desire a more flexable decks for the same reasons, no test can tell if a deck will be perfect for everyone. The deck reviews can only tell a rider the strengths and weaknesses of a deck. Again, I want to thank the skateboard companies that contributed decks to this testing. Without them this testing would not be possible.

                             

Best Tested 9 1/2 stars

The Alien Workshop Decks, Cost $49.99 Made in USA. manufactured by California Skate Factory excelled this year. These decks have all the properties we have come to expect form a skateboard. The decks did great on the fatigue test as well as the torsion and flexural test. They meet or excelled over the standard deviation established by the group. With the Hardened Egg Shell UV Printing baked into the deck. The deck coating is super strong and super slick, thus resulting in greater wear resistance, increasing deck life.  All California Skate Factory Products are 100% Guaranteed against manufacturer defects. Based on this testing they would be a great purchase.

 

9 stars     

Jart skateboards, cost $50 for decks with graphics, $40 for blanks. They are manufactured in Spain. These skateboard decks are one of the surprise additions to this years testing. The cutting edge fabrication process used in production greatly contributes to their appeal. They were the most uniform of all decks tested. These decks were the thinnest decks tested and were very light. They did very good on the fatigue, torsion and flexural testing. Their quality control system is unmatched in the industry. I was very impressed with the graphics on these skateboards. They would be a great purchase if you can find them in the USA.   

 

9 stars

Penn's Wood Cost $20.99 Made in USA, They really moved up this year in my book. They said last year they wanted to participate again and hoped to do better in the testing. They did!!! These decks meet the standard deviation in many areas. Congratulations Penn's Wood on a job well done. Based on price these may be some of the best cost vs. performance decks on the market today.

 

9 stars

Baker skateboards, Cost $45.99 Manufactured by Bareback, They have 2 woodshops, one in Mexico and one in Vista California. Baker Skateboards proved again this year why they are some of the most popular skateboard on the market today. These decks meet the standard deviation in many areas of testing and are thin and light. These decks also have some creative graphics that appeal to skaters. Based on this testing Baker Skateboards continues to be a great purchase.

 

8 1/2 stars

ACME skateboards, Made in USA, tested well in several areas of testing. These decks meet the standard deviation in many areas of testing and are thin and light.

These decks did well on the abrasion resistance. I really thought the graphics on these Acme Bad Apples decks was great. They received many compliments for my testing associates. ACME Skateboards proved this year why they are some of the best skateboards manufactured anywhere.  Based on this testing  any Acme skateboards would be a great purchase.

 

8 1/2 stars

Powell Mini Logo, Skate One Corp. SST Coating deck, Cost $29.99. Made in Santa Barbara, CA. these decks did very well again this year. The SST coating Powell is using is super slick, thus resulting in greater wear resistance, increasing deck life. The Mini Logo decks did better on the slide test than the other decks in this test group.  Based on cost vs. performance these decks continue to be a good buy.

 

6 stars

Roarockit: Made in Canada

Positive points, Best tested decks this year on fatigue test and abrasion resistance of the standards decks.

Negative points, the glue used in the manufacturing process failed, resulting in excessive damage in the tip and side impact test. These decks were a little thicker and heavier than the standard developed in this testing. These handmade one at a time decks may not be as perfect as some of the professionally manufactured decks, but the fine people at Roarockit took the time to make these decks for my testing and I am thankful for their involvement. I was so impressed with the people at Roarockit that I purchased some of the decks kits for myself. This company sells skateboard construction materials to the do it yourself skateboarders.

 

4 stars

Kryptonics: $39.99 complete.Made in China

One of the Kryptonics decks broke during the fatigue test, the other 4 had a larger fatigue stress number than any of the other decks tested. The decks did not fair as well as the standard established for the group on the flexural and torsion test. These decks had a really low moisture content resulting in them being stiff and brittle. They had a shallow concave and are a little heavy compared to the standard set by this testing. The decks had more surface wear on the abrasion resistance test.

 

 

Comparison Decks:

 

9 stars

Dykema Dimple Rock Decks

They were thin and had a shallow concave. They tested great on the abrasion resistance test, (lowest tested). Meet STDV on slide wear. They did great on the fatigue test.  The innovative design of these Dykema decks shows why Dykema will continue to influence the skateboard industy for years to come.

Based on cost vs. performance these decks would be a great purchase for any consumer anywhere.

 

9 1/2 stars Great Buy

Dykema Tip and Tail Slider Decks, Meet STDV on Torsion, Flexural, Fatigue, Moisture Content, Brinell hardness and tested great on the abrasion resistance test. These decks had a shallow concave and were thin.  Some of the best tested this year. These decks included materials other than wood. They have a layer of a plastic type material mounted to the bottom of the decks on the tip and tail. Hence the name Tip and Tail slider. Note: I think a deck coated with this plastic on the entire bottom would make a great deck. Again, yet another reason why Dykema decks continues to provide a quality product to the consumer.

 

8 1/2 stars

Afro Man

These decks were thin and light and meet the STDV on Brinell hardness and the Torsion test.  I really thought the graphics on these AfroMan Decks was great. They received many compliments for my testing associates. These Skateboards proved this year why they are some of the best skateboards available. These decks would be a great purchase for any skater.

 

8 1/2 stars

Bob Merrium

This deck was thin and did well on the Brinell hardness test. Thus it did great on the abrasion resistance testing. I can't see any reason that these decks would not prove to be as good for the consumer as any on the market. Bob sells already pressed uncut blanks to schools for wood shops and art classes.

 

 

Note: The Tum Yeto decks tested best overall on the Fatigue test. Which means these decks will last a long time. Any Tum Yeto deck based on this testing would be a great purchase. Special Thanks to the fine people at Tum Yeto who took a chance and decided to get involved in this testing.

 

9 1/2 stars Great Buy

Tum Yeto Lot 1 is a Foundation Experimental Prototype Lamination. Tested better than the majority of wood decks tested. These decks did great on the slide test (surface is super slick). Meet STDV on weight, thickness and concave. They did great on the abrasion resistance test. Foundation Weave Prototype - This 7 ply lamination configuration is still in the R&D stages and is not yet available to the public. Designed by Tum Yeto and made exclusively by Watson Laminates. Wood and fiberglass. This deck would be a MUST BUY

 

8 1/2 stars

Tum Yeto Lot 2 is the "Pop Top" used exclusively by Foundation. Tested good on abrasion resistance. They had a shallow concave and they were thin.   Foundation Pop Top - This thinner 7 ply fiber-laminate board has been available for about 4-5 years now, it is pressed in the Fire Mold and comes in 3 popular sizes. Designed by Tum Yeto and made exclusively by Watson Laminates. This board is used by Foundation only. 

These decks would be a great purchase for any skater. 

 

 

 

8 1/2 stars

Tum Yeto Lot 3 Teaspoon/Tablespoon molds -  This 7 ply all-radial mold/board is still in the R&D stages and not yet available. Designed by Tum Yeto and made exclusively by Watson Laminates is an experimental all-radial mold. These decks were thin and both decks did well on the abrasion resistance test.  Another example of a great purchase.

 

8 1/2 stars

Tum Yeto Lot 4 Pig Wood and New Order Brands, Hellbent Mold - This 7 ply deeper and steeper mold/board is designed to keep your feet on board while making the board even stronger. Designed by Tum Yeto and made exclusively by Watson Laminates. This mold is used for the Pig Wood and New Order brands only. These decks were light and thin, with an average concave. Another example of a great purchase.

 

8 1/ 2 stars

Tum Yeto Lot 5 Foundation, Toy Machine and Deathbox. Fire Mold - This 7 ply mold/board is a Tum Yeto standard and has been used by Toy Machine and Foundation for almost all logo and pro boards for at least the last 10 years. Also used by Deathbox, Pig Wood and New Order brands. Designed by Tum Yeto and made exclusively by Watson Laminates.Decks meet STDV on weight, concave, thickness, and moisture content. Another example of a quality product by Tum Yeto.

 

9  Great Buy

Tum Yeto Lot 6.  Price Point blank - This 7 ply board is used only for ready-made price point completes on these brands Pig Wood, Toy Machine and Foundation. Moisture content, torsion test, abrasion resistance, weight, slide wear, concave and thickness at or near STDV. Easily amoung some of the better decks tested this year.

 

9 1/2 stars Great Buy

Performance Sk8 They showed again this year why they are some of the best decks on the market today. They did well in all areas of testing and would be a great purchase by any skateboarder.

 

 

 

Companies In 2004 Skateboard Testing and Company Statements:

 

Decks used to develop the standard deviation, in groups of 5,

Alien Workshop: Manufactured By California Skate Factory in USA,  Steep Concave

Alien Workshop: Manufactured By California Skate Factory in USA,  Medium Concave

ABC: Manufactured in USA, 

Jart Skateboards: Manufactured In Spain

Penn's Wood, Manufactured by Penn's Wood in USA,  Medium Concave

Roarockit: Manufactured in Canada, Designed in Hawaii, 

Kryptronics:  Made in China,  Shallow concave www.kryptonics.com Supplied by Notanotherskateboardzine

Mini Logo, Skate One Corp. SST Coating deck, Cost $29.99. Made in Santa Barbara, CA.

Baker: Manufactured by Bareback,  Made in Mexico/USA  * they have a shop in both

Decks tested are,

baker ellington pro model "lies"
baker long pro model "fish face"

baker dollin pro models "bakerrr" and "booze cannon"

baker "logo"

 

Decks used to compare to the standards established,and number tested

Tum Yeto,  12 decks, 6 groups of 2 like decks, Labeled 1-6.

Afroman: Manufactured specifically for them by ABC in USA, 1 deck

Bob M's:  Supplied by Bob Merrium. 1 deck

Performance Sk8: http://www.performancesk8.com 2 decks 7.75 x 31.5 Made in USA

Rob Dykema Mfg. Co.  Made in USA 3 Dimple Rock Boards & 2 Tip & Tail Slider boards

 

 

Notanotherskateboardzine

Special thanks to Tim Swike :

http://www.notanotherskateboardzine.com

Tim supplied the Kryptronics complete decks for this testing as well as several sets of trucks. Tim doesn't sell these decks on his website, he purchased them for me for the testing. Several sets of trucks also broke last year during the testing and we are testing several different brands this year as well.

 

Trucks Tim also supplied:

Phantom Unit Trucks
Tensor Trucks 5.0 Mid

Destructo Bam Trucks 5.0 Mid

 

 

Penn's Wood Skateboards

Message from Joe McDonald:

www.pennswoodmfg.com

We do OEM for small companies and shops. Our minimum order is 50 decks, that can be broken down into different shapes. All boards are made of North American ( Canadian ) maple. Laminated with high quality glue strictly for skateboard manufacturing. Everything is done here in our factory in Pennsylvania. All work done by American skateboarders with pride in what we do. We build all of our own equipment, do all the design and construction of molds, shapes, and presses. All boards are coated with waterbased laquers, printed with waterbased inks. Pricing is based on wholesale cost. Roughly starting at $15.00 per deck with additional .70 per color for screenprinting. Most of our decks retail for between $35 - $45 depending on what the shop prices.

 

 

Roarockit Skateboard Company

Message from Ted Hunter:  http://www.roarockit.com/

These 5 Roarockit decks were built using the exact same process that we use when teaching young adults how to laminate skateboard decks. Our classes are taught worldwide at community and art centers and private schools. The process involves laminating with glue, 7 layers of pre-cut Hard Canadian Maple veneer, placed on top of a one sided mold that is in the negative shape of a skateboard deck. The mold and veneer are then placed inside a vacuum bag and the air is removed. Once a vacuum is produced inside the bag, atmospheric pressure of almost 3000 pounds presses down on the veneers. The lack of air acts like a giant clamp, pressing the veneers tightly together. When the glue dries, the veneer is now in the shape of a skateboard deck can be removed from the bag and separated from the mold. A small amount of rasping, sanding and finishing is all it takes for a student to finish their deck.

 

This process of building the decks has been taught to kids as young as 7 years old. During the making of the decks, kids do all the work using only basic hand tools with either an electric vacuum pump or one of our Roarockit hand pumps to produce a vacuum.

 

The Roarockit Skateboard Company is not a manufacturer of skateboard decks although the end result of buying one of our kits or taking a class is a quality deck that we feel rivals a mass produced deck. Our interest at Roarockit is in teaching young adults how to build things, using interesting and modern techniques that challenge them. The process of building one of our deck kits, teaches kids and young adults about science, art and basic wood related skills and we hope will act as a catalyst for them to learn more about build things in our modern world.

 

 

Jart Skateboards:

Message from Angel Gonzalez:  www.jartfactory.com www.jartskateboards.com

email: Jart@jartskateboards.com

Our decks are manufactured from 100% hard rock maple from the USA, Great lakes area..

All boards sold are first quality. Retail priced from $39.99 for blanks and $49.99 for decks containing graphics.

All boards are certified to be manufactured by our company in Spain.

Jart Skateboards was founded in 2000 by a company with 25 years of wood technology and silkscreen printing

Jart is an skateboard industry leader, with the latest technology for pressing wood, silk screening, and machining with CNC technology.

In order to guarantee the boards maintain thier concave and mold design, and to avoid rebound, we use Individual Board Process (IBP). Each board is pressed one at a time.

Unlike other manufacturers that press 5-10 decks per mould.

The boards are treated with high frequency and pressed with heated surfaces. This process allows the boards to get different treatment in the middle and the top where we get higher surface hardness and wear resistance.

All boards are cut individually using CNC technology. In order to get the closer tolerance in the size of the boards (1/800 inch) Other companies are cutting their boards straight and sanding the corners. The end result of our IBP cutting process is a  tolerance of only 1/8 inch and you can guarantee that the boards are of the same high quality.

We use a varnish of high quality with resistance against humidity and against wear to ensure a long life.

Jart has different molds at this time, which are a result of extensive market research. The goal was to determine the most desirable shapes by skaters and decks that had the longest lifespan.

There are new designs coming out in 2004, to adapt ourselves to the different tastes in skateboards that exist.

We have 25 different designs among out present molds. Varying from rounded street decks to long boards.

We are open to making new moulds and cut to your specifications, respecting the confidentiality of that mould and cut.

We have a 5.6 Mb file where you can download all out shapes and concaves.

We use the same high standards to perform our silkscreening process.

All silkscreen printing is applied directly to the board to get the high quality printing and durability of the drawings all thanks to out Printing Semiautomatic System (PSS).

This system gives the boards the highest quality and uniformity you can imagine.

Specialized Studies Technology Center thru standard board testing has proven our boards are the same level as the best brands on the market considering the breaking force and flexibility.

We continue to develop new manufacturing systems, boards, shapes and designs.

 

 

Performance Sk8:

Message from Becket J Colon:  Products becket@performancesk8.com

You will see that our decks have noticeably more pop, facilitate rotational ollies and last for months of skating. Every ollie causes irreversible damage to your tips which reduces your pop. Unless, you get your boards for free like the pros, you'll need to buy a new deck every week just to maintain optimal performace. We are a market driven skateboarding innovation company. We look for opportunity in creating value for the consumer in the research and development of functional, economical and better performing skateboard hardgoods products. The fact that we skate ourselves in combination with our product engineering, material science, and polymer technology background has enabled us to examine the typical problems and performance limitations of today's skateboard hardgoods commodities and come up with solutions which work and create value for the consumer in both functional and economical terms.

Performance tip system - engineered for the the ollie Skateboarding has come a long way since the "pre-ollie" sidewalk surfing days of the late 1970's; back then ollie wasn't even invented, today it's the fundamental starting point of almost every trick.

Wooden tip boards don't make sense, It's bad enough that every "ollie" wears away your tips and causes irreversible damage to your board . The worst part is that your worn equipment effects trick consistency and keeps your skating from improving at the rate it could be A skateboard is a precision instrument The board's tips are the most important part of the board. Their condition determines not only the amount and degree of "Pop" but also how your board responds and reacts. As your tips wear, you start loosing your pop and the board begins to respond differently. A new board has the best "Pop" and control. The reason why however has less to do with a boards stiffness but to the fact that only a small portion of the boards tip impacts with the ground. This small impact area concentrates the force of the ollie resulting in bigger "pop", as your tip wears the edges wear flat and a larger impact area is created, this leads to dead "pop" since as a tip wears less "ollie" energy enters the board.

Sort of like how the concentrated small point of impact of a finger smashed in your eye does more damage to your eyeball than the impact of a flat larger fist.  Our innovation the Performance Tip™ system A Performance Tip deck Is a standard 7-ply maple deck featuring patented replaceable performance enhancing tips and was developed in part together with Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. The Performance Tip system was designed and engineered for the Ollie, Unlike regular decks Performance Tip boards keep their "pop" and last up to 10 times longer. The marble hard tips are made from ultra-light space age composites and don't crack or chip like wooden tip decks. It's like having a skateboard on steroids, the result is solid impact and on command crisp predictable pop, ollie after ollie. When your tips wear out, instead of replacing your board, you simply recycle your pop by replacing your tip. It's not magic, just basic physics, saves trees too. Performance Tip boards not only outperform a new board, they always performs like a new board. The tips are rock hard which explains why they have more pop than soft wooden tip decks, through regular maintenance you can recycle new board pop through timely tip replacements. The tip system leads to more consistent skating, dramatically improves your decks durability and lifespan and solves all of the chipping problems associated with wooden tip decks. A Performance Tip™ deck not only costs less than regular disposable decks, they last months longer. The idea behind the Performance Tip™ System is replace the tips of the board before you experience a drop in performance On average a tip will last for a week or two of solid skating, when your tips start getting worn out, you simply replace the tip. Instead of throwing away a worn but otherwise perfectly "OK" deck, you recycle the pop replacing the tips!! You will find that your tricks get higher, crisper, and that you have more control of your board.

The low friction tips help guide slides into place resulting in cleaner nose and tail slides. Nollie, flip and switch tricks take on on a whole new dimension. Try the system and you will never go back to wooden tip boards again.  Most people who have tried the Performance Tip™ system see it as the future of skateboarding. The usual response we get is"why didn't anybody think of this earlier"?

 

The decks we sent are 7-ply maple, made at our high desert factory. They are light and strong and because of the tips have way more pop than is possible with wood.

 

 

 

Dykema Mfg. Co.

Seven Six Fifty Series, Deck, Decks  are Made in USA

In this years testing there are 3 Dimple Rock Boards & 2 Tip & Tail Slider boards. The boards are stamped with the Rock Glue brand and serial number on the nose of all our boards. The Rock Glue is a brand new, high rigid glue. These are, by far, the most innovative boards on the market, at similar prices, with more to come.

 

Our decks are made using U.S. hard maple wood. We use a waterbased coating (environmentally safe). Retail price is competitive with the average deck on the market, $35.00 - $45.00.

 

Our decks are manufactured at our location in San Diego, CA. We began in 1975 making oak boards for Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva, Logan Earth Ski, et al. Now, almost 30 years later we are still a top name manufacturer with market-leading innovations, with respect. New on the market, our Dimple Rock and Tip & Tail Slider boards, are now available for manufacture.

 

Contact info is: Rob Dykema

                    @ Dykema Mfg. Co.

                    2212 Main St.

                    San Diego, CA  92113

        Phone: (619) 232-5453, ext. 301

        FAX:    (619) 232-8749

        email:  taylor-dykema@sbcglobal.net

 

 

 

Skate One Corp.

Mini Logo, SST Coating deck, Cost $29.99. Made in Santa Barbara, CA. These decks slide great. The SST coating adds life to these decks. It can take a little getting used to at first but can easily increase your sliding performance. Based on price and performance they are a good buy.

                                                                           

 

 

                                                                           2005 Test Data