Professional Quality Decks vs. Non-Professional Decks

We’ve discussed that the standard material used in professional quality skate decks is “Hard Maple”. What are some of the other classifications of skate decks, and what types of materials are being used to manufacture them?

• Toy Skateboards – You know what I’m talking about. This may have been the first skateboard your parents bought you when you were a younger kid. It may have had your favorite cartoon characters or a unicorn on it, and was found in the toy section of your local box store right next to the Legos. The wheels probably didn’t spin more than 2 full revolutions when spun, and the deck didn’t look the same as the skateboards that the older kids in the neighborhood had. The materials used in these decks are usually pretty suspect and are most likely made from a combination  of different species of wood,  of which any would unlikely would be Maple.
• Complete Skateboards – These are the most common entry level skateboards by far. As inferred in its name, these boards are sold complete with deck, trucks, wheels and hardware. They resemble a pro quality product in all respects including branding of professional skate companies. However, its components are usually constructed of lesser quality materials than pro quality skate components. These skateboards are intended for the beginning skateboarder who is learning the primary mechanics of skating, and are rarely used by the intermediate or advanced skater, mostly because of the limiting factors associated with the lesser quality materials. For the skate deck portion, we see that the wood most commonly used to be Birch or a species of Soft Maple; both are softer than Hard Maple.
• Pro Quality Skate Decks – This is what we do! Skate decks manufactured to perform at the highest levels of skateboarding. All of our skate decks are produced with the highest quality materials, including 100% Hard Maple from North America. We are proud of what we make, how we make it, and where we make it.