The strongest skateboard deck is the Lithe Slate 3 Deck. It consists of 2 layers of carbon fiber combined with maple wood. The tail and nose are reinforced with a hybrid polymer, making it very unlikely to chip or razor tail.
Stongest Skateboard decks We Skated:
- Lithe Slate 3 ($200)
- Lithe Nex ($110)
- Santa Cruz VX ($100)
- Powell Peralta Flight deck ($100)
- Almost Impact ($75)
Contents
- The Most Durable Skateboard Decks
- The Lithe Slate 3 and Nex
- Powell Peralta Flight Deck
- Santa Cruz VX
- Dwindle Impact, Impact light, Impact plus
- Capsule Skateboards
- Lib Tech Skateboard Decks
- Skateboard Technologies That Increase Deck Durability
- P2
- How to Prevent Your Skateboard from Breaking
The Most Durable Skateboard Decks
The decks mentioned use different technologies to increase strength while stilling keeping the weight low. Flight decks and VX are pretty common these days but expensive. For a durable deck that’s still affordable I recommend Almost impact decks.
The Lithe Slate 3 and Nex
So let’s start with the king of durability. Crowdfunded on Indiegogo and now available to the public in limited quantity.
Lithe describes these decks as lasting up to 8 times longer, and the tail up to 15 times compared to regular 7-ply wooden decks. That’s a bold statement, but so far tests only confirm their claims. Goodbye razor tail!
Because of its unique construction, Lithe decks not only last longer, they also maintain responsiveness, pop, and strength.
The tail and nose are reinforced using a hybrid polymer, so say goodbye to razor tails, splinters, and chipped noses.
The sidewall is also partially covered with a hybrid polymer to prevent chips and cracks.
The top of the deck has an inlay carbon fiber structure making this deck virtually unbreakable. One other nice feature is the embedding of the graphics.
Lithe uses a specialized fusion printer deeply embedding the prints. You’ll be able to enjoy the graphic a lot longer compared to regular decks.
The street variant length is 32″ and widths go from 7.75″ to 8.5″. Vert, bowl. and mini ramp size is 32.63″ and the available widths go from 8.25″ to 9.0″.
According to Lithe Skateboards they don’t chip and the razor tail resistance is about 15 times longer.
Powell Peralta Flight Deck
This is one of the stronger boards, according to Powell it lasts up to 5 times longer than a regular deck but we didn’t have the same experience.
The flight deck consists of 19oz triaxial fiberglass layers with black epoxy combined with 5 maple wood layers that make this deck ultra strong but lightweight. It’s a has a bit more flex compared to a maple deck.
The flexibility makes sense because of the materials used which prevent it from snapping. You can check my more detailed review here.
The downside is that the fiberglass composite causes splinters. This can cause itch and irritation just from touching the board once it starts to wear.
We managed to break one, but only at the end of it’s useful life, some cracks appeared after months of hardcore skating. It was still skateable for a while but we were able to forcefully break it in half.
It comes with a delamination warranty, leaving it out in the rain would void that of course. Compare prices on Amazon (affiliate link).
Santa Cruz VX
The VX deck is the latest high-tech board introduced by Santa Cruz in 2019. it consists of 2 reinforced carbon plies (patented as Quad X technology) and 5 ply’s of maple.
Santa Cruz claimed the board can deal with impact and repeated shocks 10 times better than the standard 7-ply deck. That was a bit of an exaggeration but it does last longer than a regular maple deck.
Compared to the popsicle flight deck they last just as long but the shape is great for technical street skaters.
Where the light deck comes with a mellowish concave, we found that the VX shape works better for flip tricks.
It has a more concave and is cheaper than a Flight deck, so if you’re in doubt go with the Santa Cruz VX (Amazon affiliate link).
Dwindle Impact, Impact light, Impact plus
In my opinion this is the best option if you’re looking for a more durable deck. It lasted us for a very long time, including the pop. The greater longevity has to do with the carbon discs that are located near the baseplate.
The carbon fiber absorbs most of the impacts leaving the wood intact. The plus variant has an extra layer of carbon fiber on top.
Regular impact consists of 8-ply North American maple wood and 2 carbon fiber laminate discs placed at the truck-mount which is the main stress zone.
The extra maple wood layer makes this deck a bit heavier but provides longer life. We didn’t really notice it being heavier to be honest, this board is super poppy and hard to break.
Impact light consists of 7-plies of Canadian Maple wood held together by Epoxy Resin glue. On top of the deck is a die-cut carbon fiber laminate inserted. This one is the lightest of the three.
Impact plus features 8-ply of North American Maple and 2 carbon fiber discs at the bottom. The plus has to do with the extra Die-cut carbon fiber laminate inlay top of the deck.
Dwindle decks are totally worth it if you’re a deck breaker, one of the best skateboard decks you can buy.
Features:
- Longer lasting
- 7 – or 8-plies of maple wood
- Reinforced with carbon fiber
- Impact light is the lightest, impact plus the heaviest
- Longer lasting pop
- Less flex and stiff pop
Capsule Skateboards
If there’s on board that can’t break it’s this one. Capsule skateboards offers an indestructible deck and despite it’s unconventional shape it still performs pretty well.
Their first version was rather heavy and the pop felt a bit soggy which has to do with the plastic materials used. We had no issues with ollies of kickflips but it required a bit more effort because of its weight. The plastic pop just can’t compete with hard rock maple.
Capsule recently updated their shape and also managed to reduce some weight. The new version has better pop, and an improved shape.
Capsule’s 8.25 deck weighs about 1340 grams which is impressive, pretty close to what 7-ply maple decks weigh.
You can slam this board with all your weight deadcenter and it won’t break.
Still, it feels a bit different from a maple deck which is to be expected because of the construction materials, it’s hard to get used to.
This deck is so strong, it might even survive the heath death of the universe.
Lib Tech Skateboard Decks
These boards have been around for a while. Lib Tech started as a snowboarding company and used their knowledge to create very durable decks.
They offer decks with a mix of carbon fiber, fiberglass, and laminated wood. That’s guaranteed longevity, ideal for heavy skaters and deck breakers.
The boards feature epoxy pickled maple, the sidewalls consist of birch and the tail has anti-razor birch end grain.
The core is vertically laminated and is reinforced by fiberglass. They go for around $70 which is a good deal if your break decks occasionally.
Skateboard Technologies That Increase Deck Durability
In the last decade or so, new technologies have increased the strength of skateboard decks. I remember the introduction of Slicks for example which is a plastic-like material added to the bottom of a skateboard.
It helps to slide on rough surfaces but also started peel off after a while. Nowadays different brands developed new technologies to makes skateboard decks more durable.
Some of them are similar and many of them are pure marketing. In the end, you just need to make sure to land near your bolts. Here are a couple of technologies that claim or actually make decks more durable:
Powell-Peralta Flight Deck & Santa Cruz VX
Already mentioned this obviously but The Powell-Peralta flight deck is almost unbreakable. It consists of 5 layers of ply and 2 fiberglass layers making it ultra-thin and light-weight.
It’s epoxy infused which means a significant improvement in quality and performance. The fiber makes it a challenge to break this deck. You might need to get used to the flex a bit.
Features:
- A very thin deck
- Light compared to other 7-ply decks
- Tail is about twice as strong
- Last up to 10 times longer
- Slow wear and tear
- Great rebound and snap
- No need to break it in
P2
P2 reinforced decks are made of 6-ply maple wood and one Kevlar fiber on top. T
he Kevlar fiber makes these decks much stronger than plain Maple wooden decks. They claim it’s 100 times stronger compared to regular decks.
They have a decent pop (not spectacular) and flip really well.The downside of this deck is that the nose is a bit awkwardly shaped, probably a personal preference but worth mentioning.
Despite the Kevlar fiber, the tail is still likely to chip. It doesn’t live up to their claims from what I’ve seen so I would take it with a grain of salt.
How to Prevent Your Skateboard from Breaking
Most of the prevention has to do with landing your tricks correctly. Always try to land on the bolts.
When you land in the middle with one or both feet there’s a big chance your skateboard will break. Also, when you put too much pressure on your tail or nose they tend to snap.
Taking good care of your board also reduces the chances of breaking the wood. If your deck starts to delaminate, for example, it might have become waterlogged and it loses its integrity.
The epoxy glue between the layers starts to lose its cohesion causing weak spots. Don’t go out in the rain or leave your skateboard outside.
Buy quality skateboard decks. and make sure to pick a brand with a solid reputation. Also, remember that many decks come from the same factory before they get branded.
I recently wrote a post that lists skateboard manufacturers and brands. Surprisingly many of the big brands aren’t even made in the USA!
If you’re wondering on how to protect your skateboard graphic, try to apply some epoxy resin. It will make your graphic last longer. Here’s a cool video on how to keep your graphic last longer.
