Best Longboard Brands
Complete Reviews Buying Guide to the Top Decks
Longboards are a different beast when compared to a skateboard, as they are used for a completely different purpose as you'll find out later on in this guide. If your looking for a new board, don't make a costly mistake, make sure you're informed and read this buyers guide before you make any purchasing decisions.
Keep reading as we break down and give you our honest review of the best longboards on the market today.
In a Hurry? Here's Our Top 5 Best Longboard Recommendations
1. Volador 40inch Maple Longboard - Basic Cruiser
2. Atom Drop Through – 36 Inch
3. Rimable Drop-through Longboard (41-inch)
4. Sanview Bamboo Drop Through Longboard Skateboard Cruiser
5. SCSK8 Professional Speed Drop Down / Drop Through Complete Longboards
Why should I get a longboard?
This is a question we get a lot at Skatesphere, why should I get a longboard? Well, there are a few different reasons we recommend to purchase a complete longboard.
Longboarding is a great past time/challenge. If you are looking for a hobby or looking for a challenge and something to pursue, longboarding is perfect for you. Longboarding is actually a real challenge to learn and you have to discover all the little tips and tricks to really excel at longboarding.
Longboarding is also a great social sport. Longboarding has a huge and accepting community surrounding it and you can learn from other talented longboarders in your area. Skateparks are a great way to learn new tricks and there will definitely be other longboarders in your area. Overall you can make many new friends by entering the longboarding community.
Another benefit of longboarding is the fitness and health benefits you can gain from longboarding. Everyone thinks about all the scratches and bruises you will get overtime, but no one talks about all the fitness benefits such as Cardiovascular benefits, where it is proven that longboarding improves stamina and lung capacity and you also gain muscle in your legs and core as longboarding is very much about balance.
Why is a longboard different to a skateboard?
To the normal person, longboarding and skateboarding seem basically identical, even though you both ride around on boards, there are a few differences between the two.
The first thing is the size between the two, it even says it in the name ‘longboarding.’ A longboard is quite longer than a normal skateboard where a longboard is usually 35-60 inches long and has a width of 8-10 inches. A skateboard normally has a length of 24-34 inches long and a width of 6-10 inches.
A longboard is also used for different things, such as downhill and cruising was a skateboard is more used for skills and tricks.
Overall it depends on what you're trying to do if your planning to skate around, cruise and go for speed you should pick up a longboard, but if you're looking to go for tricks and flips you should purchase a skateboard.
Is it easier to ride a skateboard or longboard?
This is also a very common question I receive. This is because finding the easier board to ride is very important in deciding on what board to buy. There are a few differences in riding styles, such as longboards are made for more turning and and cruising at longer distances. Because of the design which is made for longer cruising, a longboard is much easier to control. Yet a skateboard is made more for zappy transports and made more for tricks. So overall a longboard is made much better for riding, meaning a longboard is much easier to ride overall.
How much do longboards cost?
Longboards can cost anywhere from $50 to $300, but the price of your board will ultimately come down to the quality of parts and board you buy. But for a good quality longboard that you will use regularly it will cost you around $50 - $150. This is for a regular good quality board that will have decent parts.
Anything under $50 may be alright, and is normally called a cheap longboard. and you can find some hidden gems but most longboards under this price thresh-hold will be terrible quality and not provide you with a great ride. Anything over this price thresh-hold will normally be very high-quality and is good if you are planning to use your board for downhill purposes.
How fast can longboards go?
Longboards go at a variety of speeds, but it all comes down to your fitness level, the speed truck and the board your riding. Yet, the general conseous between the community is that longboards go around 6mph, which is around 9km/h. This is a general speed on flat street ground.
You can exceed this speed with the right board, and if you are going downhill, well you can expect to be going around 50mph, which is crazy high and one of the highest speeds you can achieve on a board.
The fastest longboard ride ever clocks in at 89.41mph or 143.89km/h which is crazy speeds, here is a video on the record being broken.
Riding Styles of Longboards?
There are a few different main styles of longboarding. There is downhill, cruising and freeride, there are also other cool longboards riding styles such as carving and arbor but these are the main ones.
Cruising
Cruising is the most popular type of longboarding. Cruising or commuting is just riding for as long as you can and embracing the view, it's not about speed it's just you riding with no tricks or fancy movements, just pure commuter longboarding! We've done a in depth on cruising which you can find here
Downhill
Downhill boarding is where you go downhill to the max speed. This is normally done for adrenaline seekers and people looking for an adventure and is one of the most fun experiences ever. Check out our downhill rides reviews for our top picks.
Freeride
Freeride is similar to downhill, except your attempt to ‘tear up’ the hill with advanced movements and slides. This is one of the most advanced styles of skating over here, and will take a while to learn but once you have, it's one of the coolest styles around!
Top Five Best Longboards To Buy - Rated & Reviewed
Whether you're just starting out or you a seasoned pro, the task of finding the best longboard brands and decks to buy is definitely not a simple one with the ever growing amount of choices on offer. Today, I show you the Best longboard brands, and boards.
So below, we've done the hard work of find the best longboards for you and reviewed the top 5 longboards you must consider when making your next purchase.
The Volador Longboard is perfect for all longboarding, and Volador is known as one of the best longboard brands!
The deck is a drop-through deck giving you a low center of gravity to help control your deck and do those sharp turns! The hard and sturdy 100% Maple deck will allow a safe and undisturbed ride so you can ride with no worries.
The board is also environmentally caring reducing negative impacts to the environment as much as possible. The board is furnished with ABEC-7 precision bearings and durable 70mm 80a wheels so you can have a smooth and fast ride.
This is one of the best longboards because the art adds some old school taste the board and makes you pop out on the road! This deck is perfect for all long-boarders, beginner or intermediate it will allow you to have an enjoyable ride
Pros
Cons
The Atom Drop-through board is great for all ages and experience!
The board comes ready to ride out the box, which will allow you to experience this board instantly! The wheels on this ride are equipped with Super High Rebound technology and are very grippy and don’t wear quickly like other boards.
The board comes with High-Grade Grip Tape which allows a strong stance on the board and will keep you safe through the roughest terrains.
The deck has lots of flex which are great for tight areas and the board is also very easy to carry due to its flex.
Pros
Cons
The Rimable Drop-Through Longboard is a great looking board and will provide an enjoyable experience for every rider.
The Drop-Through deck allows quick and sharp turns and with it being made out of 9 Ply Maple with Cold Press on it, it will provide a strong base for your riding.
The 7-inch aluminum trucks and loose bushing will allow a smooth and exciting ride. Also, this is one of the coolest looking decks around with a slick looking bottom to the board.
With ABEC-11 bearings for high-speed riding this board will give anyone a fun and exciting ride!
Pros
Cons
The Sanview Bamboo Longboard is created from Multiple Layers of pure bamboo and Maple for a strong foundation to the board, which will allow a smooth ride.
The board comes pre-assembled which is great so you can get on the road as soon as you receive it. With ABEC-9 Bearings made of pure steel and with the bearings being oiled, you can be assured these are not cheap plastic bearings, these are strong bearings and will provide a good turning radius.
With a few different choices of the graphic on the deck, you can choose your style and colors.
Furnished with 7-inch aluminum trucks, this board allows a great ride for every user!
Pros
Cons
The SCSK8 Longboard is a great longboard for everyone and is a new and revamped board for 2018!
The Drop-Down deck provides a low centre of gravity for a smooth ride. The board is furnished with ABEC-9 bearings which will tear up the street and also comes with Professional Grip Tape so you don’t have to worry about those crazy speed wobbles and you can feel safe on your board.
With a 7 Ply Maple Deck, so you can keep sturdy and smooth on the road, this deck will keep you excited and motivated to ride every day!
Pros
Cons
Buying On Price: Should I Go Cheap or Expensive?
Generally, beginners of longboarding make the mistake of buying a cheap deck, but a cheaper or "lower quality" longboard are not that smooth or fun to ride.
Because where they really save costs is in the parts, Items like trucks, wheels, and bearings are commonly replaced with cheaper versions of those parts.
Do you really want to put your faith in a lower quality ride when your cruising or downhill riding at 30-40+ mph?
If your budget permits it, usually spending a little more on a deck from one of the best longboard brands will give you a more noticeable ride, less chance of an injury and a more enjoyable one.
What is the best type of longboard for cruising?
This is one of the main things to consider when looking at the best longboards. On the list above we list the best longboards overall, considering cheap longboards and expensive longboards.
But if you are looking for a in-depth article on the best longboards for cruising, well look no further than our in-depth article on the Best Longboards for cruising. The article will go into the best longboards based only on the factor of cruising, so if you're looking for a board that you can cruise with, check out the article!
Are All Longboard Companies The Same?
If your looking for the best longboard brands then the short answer is "No", each manufacturing company have their own values and mission statement.
For example, some are purely in the business of mass producing as many decks as possible for the general market at the sacrifice of quality, while some of the smaller boutique companies listen to their loyal customer base and design some awesome and cool longboards around what the user really wants, whether it’s a smoother or faster ride for downhill riding, or better stability and comfort in the wheels and deck for cruising. You can see in the video below the work that goes into making a custom made longboard.
Conclusion
If you're looking for the perfect all round board that will allow the greatest experience for every rider around, we recommend one of these. They all have their positives so you can choose what one is best for your needs and what you want to do. The Best Longboard Brands are all listed above, so look into them and read the in-depth reviews of each board to see each boards pros & cons!
If you found this useful then click here for our other honest reviews of long boards and skateboards.
