10 Best Skateboard Brands
Table of Contents
Finding The Best Skateboard Brands
Now that Tony Hawk has gotten involved with NFTs (we apologize if this is how you found out), it may seem like the skateboarding industry’s golden child has been slain. However, to look at things that way would be to exclude the huge variety of other skateboarding companies.
Skateboarding has maintained a strong presence in both mainstream and countercultural movements since the 1990s. Many skaters were inspired by the skateboarding tapes of late 1980s skate legends and even more picked up their first board after playing the untouchable series of Tony Hawk video games.
It’s of little surprise that you, dear reader, are interested in getting in on the skateboarding action.
This list of the 10 best skateboard brands will cover some of the most famous companies in the sport’s existence, their histories, their visions, their product ranges, and more so that you can make the best selection (and hopefully not unconsciously give any money to an NFT scam).
10 Best Skateboard Brands
1. Element Skateboards
Element Skateboards take their namesake from creator Johnny Schillereff’s love of nature. He was a lifelong skateboarder before he founded the company, receiving his first skateboard as a gift when he was only four years old.
His overflowing passion for the sport along with his interests in rap music, street art, and wildlife shaped Element Skateboards into one of the best skateboard brands.
They’ve been around since 1992 and marked a positive change in Schillereff’s life. He’s carried that positivity forward by espousing an all-inclusive employee roster.
Element Skateboards produces mostly skateboarding items like decks, shoes, and clothes. Their deck designs often integrate psychedelic and naturalistic art influences, as shown in these best-selling items:
- Element Solar Vibes Complete Skateboard, $110
- Element Magma Section Complete Skateboard, $110
- Element Adonis Complete Skateboard, $110
Their unique approach has allowed them to partner with big name media properties like Star Wars as well as assemble an all-star lineup of professional skateboarders like Bam Margera and Tom Schaar.
Highlights
- Naturalistic deck designs unlike other brands
- Many of their items are regularly available for discount prices through their website
- Stores are located all across the world
- My Element rewards program allows members to earn savings on Element Skateboard products as well as free shipping
2. Plan B Skateboards
Despite their name, Plan B Skateboards might be your first choice. The San Diego, California-based company was founded by Mike Ternasky, Danny Way, and Colin McKay in their own attempt to emulate the NBA’s concept of a dream team.
The three men each had experience working in skateboarding or production companies prior to creating Plan B in 1991. They came together to combine their talents and use their momentum to assemble a team of some of the best skateboarders at the time like Mike Carrol and Rick Howard.
Flash forward to the present and Plan B is still riding off of that momentum. Their catalog is slim but focused, which is actually what makes them one of the best skateboard brands. Plan B only makes decks, wheels, and skateboards, but that narrow vision helps them optimize their products.
Their deck designs range from geometric designs to 60s-influenced Americana, all with a clean finish. Some of their most notable complete skateboards include the Plan B Hawaii 8.25″ Complete ($110) and the Plan B Original Team Metallic Black 8.0″ Complete ($110).
The brand’s team-building efforts are as strong as ever. They not only feature skateboarders like Chris Joslin, Felipe Gustavo, and Tommy Flynn, but they also collaborate with them to design their decks. That means that a Plan B skateboard will likely be designed with a professional in mind.
Highlights
- Embody the spirit of a skateboarding team
- Free worldwide shipping on orders over $100
- Their decks are tough due to using 7-ply maple wood
- A deep roster of professional skateboarders
3. Zero Skateboards
The third entry on our list of the best skateboard brands is the brainchild of 1995 X Games Gold Medalist Jamie Thomas. The wild man who coined the Leap of Faith trick took his overactive imagination and applied it to clothing in Carlsbad, California in 1996.
Zero Skateboards began as a clothing company, but they started to manufacture skateboards when Thomas left Toy Machine and became his own company’s first sponsored athlete.
Their history in fashion explains why so many of their products are clothing-related. Not only do Zero Skateboards make apparel but they also make hats, beanies, socks, belts, and stickers.
But don’t let their fashionable eye dupe you into thinking they don’t care about their skateboards. Au contraire, mon frere.
Their boards are so esteemed that they’ve earned collaborations with American hardcore punk legends Misfits. The band’s iconography fits in well with Zero Skateboards’ edgy art philosophy. The brand uses plenty of skulls, crossbones, snakes, and horror iconography in their designs.
Here are the prices of some of their available complete boards:
- Zero Skateboards Single Skull Complete 8.0, $110
- Zero Skateboards Legacy Ransom Youth Complete 7.5, $110
- Zero Skateboards Bold Youth Complete 7.25, $100
Highlights
- Free shipping on all orders to the US over $80
- Edgy imagery
- Won three King of the Road titles through Thrasher Magazine from 2004 to 2006
- Manufacture many different sizes of skateboards
4. Girl Skateboards
Oh hello Mike Carrol, it’s good to see you again. It seems Carrol was awfully busy in the 1990s because he took the time to found Girl Skateboards in 1993 alongside other recurring characters in this list of the best skateboard brands: Rick Howard, Megan Baltimore, and filmmaker Spike Jonze.
They formed Girl Skateboards in the hotbed of skateboarding, California, as a response to their perception of other deck-producing companies. In short, they thought they could do better. And boy, it seems like they have.
Girl Skateboards is one of the most recognizable skateboarding brands on the planet but we guess that’s what happens when your logo is a female silhouette in a male-dominated market. What makes them one of the best skateboard brands is their accessibility.
Since their founders were all professional skateboarders, the brand originally only made professional-grade skateboards. However, they’ve expanded their catalog to include beginner-friendly decks.
They also have a sizing guide on their website so that newbies can learn how specific shapes and sizes affect handling as well as detailing which of their athletes use particular sizes.
Currently, Girl Skateboards is a subsidiary of Crailtap who also distributes products from Chocolate Skateboards, Royal Skateboard Trucks, and Fourstar Clothing.
Highlights
- One of the best brands for beginner skateboarders
- Important in shaping modern skateboarding culture by sponsoring many skateboarding events
- Free shipping on US orders over $75
- Creates apparel, boards, decks, and wheels
- Their average complete skateboards are more affordable than other brands, usually costing $100
5. Creature Skateboards
Creature Skateboards are an artistic arm in the sports company NHS, Inc. Their parent company is mostly recognized through their iconic screaming hand logo. NHS, Inc. was founded by three California surfing bros Richard Novak, Doug Haut, and Jay Shuirman in 1973.
In fact, Creature Skateboards isn’t the only skateboarding brand that operates under NHS, but we’ll cover their label mates in the next entry of our best skateboarding brands,
This company is notable for offering customers the ability to build their own skateboards. They offer three templates of escalating prices as well as a completely customized option. Their templates are as follows:
- Good (intended for intermediate skaters, prices begin at $148)
- Better (more freedom in regards to customization options, prices begin at $185)
- Best (access to professional-grade accessories and features, prices begin at $228)
Beyond their custom skateboards, this brand also produces decks, wheels, stumps (skateboards that run closer to the ground to grant more agility), hoodies, and t-shirts.
Finally, what we believe makes Creature Skateboards worthy of being included on this list of the best skateboard brands is that they make skateboards for all ages. What we mean is that they have boards designed for children between the ages of 3 and 10 as well as appropriately-sized skateboards for youths aged 10 and up.
Highlights
- Customers can create their own skateboards to their specific preferences
- Beginner and youth-friendly models available
- Free shipping on orders over $75
- A vast array of board shapes and sizes to choose from
6. Santa Cruz Skateboards
We’re not done with NHS, Inc. yet. It seems that they went all-in with the skateboarding idea, resulting in our previous entry about Creature Skateboards. However, they’re most well-known for Santa Cruz Skateboards.
This brand is one of the oldest skateboarding companies on the planet as its production history dates back to NHS’ inception. They made their first skateboard in 1973 and only continued to produce them after founders Novak, Haut, and Shuirman were challenged by a friend to make 500 skateboards.
The boards were a hit, and NHS founded Santa Cruz Skateboards not long after. The screaming hand that we mentioned earlier is Santa Cruz Skateboards’ world-famous logo. But a brand is built on more than a shrieking appendage and a handful of boards. Thankfully, that’s not all to Santa Cruz Skateboards.
They’ve got your standard decks, wheels, complete boards, and accessories, but they also have an eye-catching fashion line. Unlike other skateboarding companies, they make clothing for all genders.
We don’t just mean that they make unisex clothing; Santa Cruz Skateboards promote diversity by making clothing for men, women, babies, teens, and products designed for all genders.
Their complete skateboards hover around the $110 price range, meaning you won’t need to shell out extra cash to get your hands on a piece of this legendary brand.
Highlights
- One of the most recognizable skateboarding companies
- Inclusive fashion line
- One of the widest product catalogs out of all the best skateboard brands
- A long history of developing skateboards alongside professional riders
7. Almost Skateboards
Look, if a company is the byproduct of two of the greatest skateboarders to ever scrape their knees on a cement staircase then you can rest assured they’re one of the best skateboard brands.
That’s what Almost Skateboards have on the docket. Rodney Mullen and Daewon Song, arguably the most influential skateboarder of all time and one of the best skateboarders of the past 15 years respectively, founded the company in 2003.
Mullen had wanted to work with Song for a long time and he was the first person Mullen called when his other company, enjoi, was facing tough times.
They create three different types of decks, each with a different purpose. The Almost Skateboards Support Decks are made of 8-ply North American maple and 2 carbon-fiber discs to provide long-lasting boards with powerful pops.
The Almost Skateboards Impact Light Decks use 7-ply Canadian maple with epoxy resin glue and a die-cut carbon fiber laminate to deliver a lightweight deck. Finally, the Almost Skateboards Impact Plus Decks combine these aspects of the two prior decks for the company’s strongest and longest-lasting deck.
Their complete skateboards are more affordable compared to nearly every other brand on this list. They usually hover between the $80 to $90 range even when not on sale.
Highlights
- Founded by two of the most impactful athletes in skateboarding
- More affordable compared to other brands
- You can save 10% by signing up for their newsletter
8. Flip Skateboards
While we can’t quite picture the Queen nailing a 50-50 backslide down the railing of Buckingham Palace, that’s not to say that the United Kingdom doesn’t have its own skateboarding scene. Actually, one of the best skateboard brands is of English descent.
That company would be Flip Skateboards. They got their start in 1987 when professional skateboarders Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon, and Graham McEachran founded the brand under the name Deathbox.
Within a few years, they changed their name, relocated to the United States, earned their first few team riders like Tom Penny and Rune Glifberg, and even received support from Toy Machine owner Ed Templeton.
In these times they are known for two of their decks, their regular models and their P2 Models. Their regular decks are exactly what you’d imagine them to be – standardized to fit industry expectations. However, their P2 Models are designed to be both more resilient and thinner than regular skateboarding decks.
The Flip Skateboards Team Odyssey Poppy Complete 8.1″ x 32.0″ is a great example of the former and costs $110, while the Gold Cup Snapback Yellow Skateboard Complete (also available for $110) is a marvelous showcase of the company’s inventiveness.
Between their clean designs, great product performance, and a stellar line-up of decks, accessories, and complete skateboards, it’s hard to choose the wrong option with Flip Skateboards.
Highlights
- Their boards are some of the fastest skateboards available
- One of the only major skateboarding brands that started in the UK
- Timeless designs that capture skateboarding’s rebellious spirit
9. Blind Skateboards
This skateboarding brand features one of the most diverse rosters of any of the brands included on this list. Their lineup of riders includes the Moroccan Nassim Lachlab, Japanese skateboarding prodigy Sora Shirai, and others that show that Blind Skateboards have one of the best active teams.
Blind Skateboards are also notable for their sustainable practices. They have a regrowth sustainability plan in which they plant 3 trees for every tree they harvest to produce their skateboards, ensure their labor practices are fair and accountable, redistribute their earnings to the community, and seek to decrease their carbon footprint.
The company was founded in 1988 in California by Mark Gonzalez, who is no longer with them. And if you don’t know who Mark Gonzalez is then you’ve got a ton more reading to do after finishing our list of the best skateboard brands.
Also, My Name is Earl’s Jason Lee had a helping hand in getting the company off of the ground. How’s that for a quirky crossover?
Speaking of quirky, Blind Skateboards were recognizable through their dwarfish grim reaper logo. Their complete skateboards are a tad more expensive than the average board, and by tad we do mean just a smidge.
For example, the Blind Logo Glitch First Push Skateboard costs $114, but when you take into consideration that the brand uses the money they earn to give back to the planet then that extra bit of money really pales in size.
Highlights
- Diverse skateboarding roster
- Robust sustainability practices
- Founded by one of the greatest skateboarders of all time
- Skateboards are designed for street skating and vert skating
10. Globe Skateboards
The final entry in our list comes to us from the nation down under where the wallabies play and kangaroos skate. Globe Skateboards is an Australian company founded by three brothers, Stephen, Peter, and Matt Hill.
They spent the 1980s developing products for other Australian sports brands before taking their experience and using it to start their own company in the 1990s.
Their roster of professional athletes includes skateboarders, surfers, and snowboarders, which shows that the company’s focus extends beyond halfpipes. However, their skateboarding merchandise is still top of the line.
Globe Skateboards also make premium apparel and take pride in their shift towards more sustainable practices. They use sustainable fibers and test their items to ensure that they’ll last much longer than most fast fashion pieces.
Back to their skateboards. They make their boards with a single deck pressing process created by Rodney Mullen to eliminate inconsistent finishes that usually come with multiple deck pressing. They also use resin glue to make their boards light yet durable.
Most of their skateboards, like the Globe G1 Lineform Complete 8.25″ cost around $102, but they do have some less expensive complete boards like the Globe Goodstock Complete 8.25″ for $90.
Highlights
- Free shipping on all orders over $100
- Available in over 100 countries
- The only Australian company on this list
- Committed to keeping their manufacturing as sustainable as possible
How to Shop for the Best Skateboard
Now that you know a bit more about which companies we believe epitomize the best that skateboarding has to offer, it’s time for you to hunker down and actually pick which skateboard you’d like.
However, don’t fly in blind like a crazy train running through a blizzard of Ozz. Keep these upcoming factors in the back of your head so that you choose the correct board for you.
Brand
You probably connected with at least one of the brands we included on this list whether it be for their ethos, their design philosophy, their practices, or their rider roster. Whatever it may be, choosing a brand is the first necessary step to picking the correct skateboard.
Size
The two most common sizes you’ll find among skateboards are 7.5” and 8”. These refer to the length of the skateboard’s deck. Anybody taller than 5’3” can use a skateboard that’s at least 7.5”. After that, sizing comes down to personal preference and performance tastes.
Style
We’ve spent most of this article covering what would normally pop into your head when you hear the word “skateboard.” However, there are different styles of boards like longboards, banana boards, and stub boards that many of the aforementioned brands distribute,
These styles vary in size, weight, and capabilities. Some are better for transportation and none of them are as ubiquitous as the standard skateboard.
Durability
Smashing a skateboard in frustration may seem like peak alpha-male behavior until you realize your board is made from 8-ply Canadian maple and is tougher than a home-schooled juvenile delinquent.
Obviously, a durable skateboard is going to benefit you more in the long run. But you don’t want to sacrifice mobility just so that you can feel certain that your board will never break. Look for skateboards made out of 7-ply or 8-ply wood as that material best combines durability and versatility.
Parts included
If you don’t want to customize your skateboard and want to order a board in full then just purchase a complete skateboard. Otherwise, you can assemble your own Frankenstein’s monster of a skateboard by combining various decks, trucks, wheels, and other accessories.
Price
Thankfully there isn’t much variance between the brands in terms of complete skateboard prices. All of them hover around the $100 mark, which makes this usually crucial factor less important.
What Inch Skateboard is Best for Beginners?
Luckily for most beginners, the best size skateboard for them to earn their bearings on is the most common. Beginners would benefit most from a skateboard that measures anywhere between 7.5” to 8” as it will give them a good amount of control.
What Safety Gear is Needed For a Skateboard?
This question can have different answers depending on who you ask. Your grandmother will likely tell you that you need a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, a mouth guard, and life insurance.
On the other hand, your cool cousin Niles who dropped out of high school says that the only protection you need is the courage to face your fears.
We’re going to shoot down the middle and say that, at the very least, you should wear a helmet when you skateboard because the only thing less cool than bailing on a trick is getting a concussion.
How Do You Maintain a Skateboard?
Proper skateboard maintenance isn’t much of a hassle. All it requires is that you clean and lube up the bearings every three months, swap out the wheels every three months, and keep it as dry as you can.
How Many Years Does a Skateboard Last?
Depending on how well you take care of your skateboard then your board could last you for months or even years. Now, that will probably require some replacements and fine tunings especially when it comes to wheels and bearings.
However, a sturdy deck can last you around 4 months. If it makes it past that marker then you should look into either upgrading it or repairing any deficiencies.
How Can You Customize a Skateboard With Stickers?
The best place to put stickers is on the underside of the deck because that’s the most aesthetic area of the skateboard. You probably don’t want to put stickers on top of the deck as they could interfere with the grip tape and affect your footing.
But skateboarding is all about self-expression, so if you feel like giving us a proverbial middle by putting stickers on top of your skateboard then more power to you. We’ll consider you an honorary Lord of Dogtown.
Final Thoughts
Skateboarding is one of the purest sports of the planet because it’s divorced from the competition, geographical limitations, and preconceived notions of optimal health. Anyone anywhere can skateboard so long as they have a semi-decent board.
However, why settle for semi-decent when you just read about the best? Skateboarding provides a portal to self-expression through movement that isn’t about anything more than man’s connection to their tools. There are no weight classes, gender divisions, or rules. There is only one guiding principle – ride like your life depends on it.
How We Chose the Best Skateboard Brands
Before choosing any brand, we scour the web and all the biggest e-tailers to ensure we know all the available options on the market. We look at customer reviews, star ratings, brand ethos, processes, materials, accessibility, and so much more. We weigh the pros and cons, so you don’t have to, helping you make informed shopping decisions.
Check out other lists of top brands we’ve curated:
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