15 Top Longboard Brands in 2023 For Beginners
- Apollo Pro Sports
- Retrospec
- Magneto
- Volador
- Fish
- Quest
- White Wave
- Gonex
- Sector 9
- Atom
- Santa Cruz
- Arbor longboard
- DB Longboard
- Landyachtz
- Loaded Boards
Want to know about the best longboard brands? My complete list you give you a proper idea about the leading longboard brand in the industry.
The popularity of longboarding is rising every day, and so does the number of new brands entering the scene. So, through this horde of brands, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to choose the one you can trust. Though no brand in the industry is a guaranteed indication of good quality, it can give you a pretty good general idea about the brand’s reputation.
If you are a beginner looking for a longboard brand where you can safely invest your money, then this article is for you. I have compiled a list of the 15 top longboard brands to help you make the right investment here.
The list is not short, but every brand has its individual reasons for making it into this list. Whether you are a beginner, a veteran, or on a budget, there is something for everyone. So, without further ado, let’s check out the list and find the brand best suited for you.
15 Best Longboard Brands For 2022
First up on my list is Apollo, a Germany-based skateboard brand known for its premium longboards worldwide. As popular as longboarding is, finding a truly premium option is getting harder with new names entering the scene every day. But Apollo surprisingly has managed to keep the trust of its users with consistently high-quality longboards.
Surprisingly enough, Apollo doesn’t manufacture regular boards, and I think that’s one of the key reasons how they managed to draw all their innovation towards the development of their longboards.
All of Apollo’s models cost around hundred dollars, which might be a bit hard for beginners to invest. But if you are determined to step strongly into longboarding, Apollo as a brand is an easy recommendation. Apart from standard Maplewood deck longboards, Apollo also offers bamboo and fiberglass as deck materials for a more premium user base.
All the skateboards offered by Apollo have a wide variety of designs, and if you’re looking for options, you definitely love this brand.
Retrospec isn’t any regular skate brand on the market that launches tons of products every year. In fact, most of you might not have even heard about this brand before in the skating scene. Let me tell you, even I was skeptical about this brand at first, but once you get to know their longboards, it’s tough to move on from this brand.
Retrospec is already an established name in Bicycling scene, and that’s why you might feel like hearing about this brand before. Quality over quantity was always the motto of Retrospec as they always have a very limited product lineup, like around half a dozen boards in total.
However, every one of their boards, whether longboards, cruiser boards, or skateboards, has been super popular among skaters due to their excellent performance and minimalist design.
Another thing I appreciate about this brand is its versatility. Though the product lineup is so limited, Retrospec has managed to put almost every type of longboard in their lineup. So whether you are a fan of pintail or drop-down longboards, there is something for everyone here.
Finally, a dedicated skate brand makes its entry on my list. Compared to my first two entries, Magneto is a well-known name with a wide lineup of longboards. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran skater, Magneto has something to offer you.
All the Magneto skateboards are made with high-quality materials to ensure the performance demands of everyone. But what actually sets Magneto longboards apart from the rest of the game is its unique design aesthetics.
Instead of aggressive design language, Magneto focused more on natural and local elements to create their own design that’s both simple and looks cool.
As a brand based in Carlsbad, Southern California, the homeland of longboarding, you can expect absolutely the best build and performance from Magneto’s longboards. Both owned and designed by pro skaters, Magneto has always been famous for listening to customers and delivering them accordingly.
If you can’t make up your mind which longboard you should choose, Magneto brings you a wide variety of different longboards types. Each of these longboards is guaranteed to give you a unique experience and freedom to choose one that fits your need.
This is another brand only longboard enthusiastic know about. If you are looking for a beginner longboard to start your journey with, Volador won’t disappoint you for sure. Most of the time, our beginner longboarders have a tight budget, and there are many requirements to meet in that budget.
For many brands out there claiming themselves as beginner-friendly brands, it becomes challenging to meet those needs. However, that’s not the case for Volador.
Everything you might ask for a beginner longboard, whether it’s a high-quality maple wood deck or a good set of wheels, Volador has everything covered for you. Additionally, you’ll be getting to choose from multiple styles as a bonus.
Deck artwork is a department where I have seen lots of brand compromise to keep the price low. However, Volador was determined not to let that happen with multiple attractive artworks on their skateboards.
As a china-sourced brand, I know it’s not easy to choose Volador over other brands. But if you even look at thousands of positive user feedbacks on Volador longboards, you’ll get an idea of just how good their products are. In addition, the number of high-quality parts Volador longboards put together at a low price makes this one of the best longboard brands for beginners.
If you have followed my list close so far, you’ll notice that quite a few brands here are not based in the USA yet quite popular here. That proves how widespread the popularity of skateboarding is. One such brand on my list again is Fish, a dedicated skate brand based in Poland.
In 1980, plastic boards were extremely popular worldwide, and Poland was no different. But later, when wooden decks took over the market, Fish decided to make its entry with plastic boards to make this 80’s style popular again. However, they also have their fair share of wooden decks too.
You might have noticed in different forums or shops people looking for something called fishboards. Actually, that’s what penny boards and cruiser boards are called in Poland, and that’s where Fish truly excels.
But what about their longboards? Well, their longboard segment is sort of a hidden gem for this brand that offers seeming perfect longboards at a very reasonable price tag. Maple wood deck, aluminum truck, ABEC 9 bearings, waterproof grip, and vibrant design, everything you can ask in a longboard, Fish have put everything in their longboards.
As a beginner, if you are trying to cover every aspect of a cruiser longboard with a tight budget, Fish will be one of the best longboard brands for cruising.
Remember when you were getting on a longboard for the first time? For me, my first longboard buy was online, and that first longboard I bought shaped my longboarding journey going forward.
Now, if you are a beginner and looking for an affordable and high-quality longboard, Quest is a brand you should look for.
Quest is a brand based in the USA that also sells snowboards and surfing boards. But if there is one thing they have mastered in all these years of operation, that’s longboards.
Whether beginner or expert skater, Quest’s Quest delivers a balanced experience for their user base. So far, I have to say they are pretty much successful in their Quest.
One sector you’ll notice Quest has paid special attention to is the deck design. Their longboards come with very detailed graphic designs and vibrant colors, rare to see in the same price segment.
Instead of going with a single material, Quest offers decks made with bamboo, wood, and plastics to keep the options open for their customer. Another great thing about these decks is that they come in different shapes and sizes to meet the demand of different types of riders. Especially if you are into pintail longboards, Quest has some excellent options for you as one of the best pintail longboard brands out there.
The wheels and trucks are not the best quality as I have seen users complain about these parts. But hey, for a price this low, you should probably give this a pass. In addition, you always have the opportunity to replace these parts later.
White Wave is a comparatively new brand in the industry, established in 2014 and basin in California. Designed by long-time longboards, White Wave’s objective was to help skaters catch the perfect wave on concrete, and they have been pretty successful in doing that so far.
Before establishing White Wave, its chief designer Josh noticed that the price was the difference between a good and bad longboard. And this fact inspired him to work hard to create the perfect longboard not affected by the price. This plan of Josh came to fruition in 2014 when he partnered up with fellow firefighter Chuck. Since then, White Wave never had to look back.
As mentioned previously, the motive of White Wave was to create the perfect longboard that doesn’t hurt the wallet. Impressively enough, they were able to pull that off without cutting any major corner.
White Wave still managed to deliver a wooden deck made with a blend of Canadian maple wood and bamboo within a reasonable price tag. As far as other parts go, they were pretty decent, and there wasn’t anything major worth complaining about.
Lastly, White Waves attention to detail was really impressive to me. Though their graphic design was quite simplistic compared to other brands, it was heat-pressed to last long. For the grip tape, White Wave uses clear sprayed tape that allows you to showcase the fine wooden color of the deck.
Primarily famous for travel backpacks, Gonex has made a name for itself in the longboard industry that many people don’t know about. It all started in 2008 when a bunch of travel enthusiasts came up with the idea to improve the existing travel backpack options. Eventually, Gonex was founded then, but it wasn’t until 2013 that they launched their skateboard lineup.
Apart from boards for different age groups, another thing Gonex manufacturers well are safety gears for skaters. There are quite a few protective gear sets, helmet, and padded shorts options that Gonex offers for their customers. Despite being a secondary concern of Gonex, it’s surprising to see how well-reviewed their longboards are on different websites ad third-party stores.
Coming back to the skateboards again, Gonex has a dedicated lineup of boards manufactured for kids only. If you are looking for a kids skateboard, Gonex might be a good stop for you then. For regular longboards, the collection is somewhat limited here.
Compared to other brands, Gonex’s boards are considerably cheaper. But still, you’ll get a maple wood deck, aluminum trucks, and ABEC 7 rated bearings, which is impressive for the price tag. The addition of skate tools with every board is another thing you’ll love about Gonex.
Sector 9 is another market-leading in the skateboarding industry. Again, a company based in southern California, Sector 9 has made a name for itself with its high-quality products and innovative designs among all types of skateboarders.
Since the foundation in 1993, Sector 9 has branched out not only in complete boards but into all sorts of necessary skateboard parts. Though all of their products are pretty popular, Sector 9 has massive exposure to longboarding.
No matter what type of skating you are looking for, whether it’s just cruising, downhill longboarding, or dancing, Sector 9 is thee to deliver.
Alongside the longboards, every part associated is manufactured and assembled to ensure that the board can ride according to your particular purpose. Sector 9 is also providing a wide variety of materials for you to choose from. There is maple, bamboo, and an exotic wood option, and all of these decks come with an equally attractive graphic design.
One thing I should mention here is that Sector 9 is mostly known as a premium skateboard with premium products. So for beginners, the prices aren’t going to be that appealing. However, if you are willing to pay the premium price, and want absolutely the best, then Sector 9 has a lot of things to offer.
Often when we go to buy longboards, the price becomes the final deciding factor in our buying decision. Now to remove the pricing factor out of the equation and ensure quality longboards for everyone, Atom started its journey back in 2005. Since then, Atom has been a popular choice among longboards in different countries.
Not only that, Atom is among those handful of brands that are dedicated only to longboards. This focus on longboarding only allowed Atom to drive all its innovation and product development towards this particular category. Eventually, what came was extremely high-quality and polished longboards at a reduced price.
To achieve that minimal price point, Atom also had to cut its marketing budgets, third-party seller and suppliers, and sales team. Only the products spoke for this brand, and its performance singlehandedly brought Atom where it is today.
There goes atom concern about the affordability. If you look at the wide selection of products, that’s even more impressive than the affordability factor. This versatility allows us to get the specific board we need according to our budget and needs.
For example, if you are interested in drop-through longboards, Atom offers a great selection in that category as one of the best drop through longboard brands. Alongside different types of longboards, it’s good to see that Atom has made its way into electric longboards too.
As you can see, Atom has a clear vision in front of them to provide good quality and options at a price point that many high-end brands fail to match. So if that’s the two things you are after, then Atom is the best bet for you.
One of the oldest players in the game, Santa Cruz has been dominating the market with its high-quality skateboards, parts, and apparel since 1973. Even if I consider how old this brand is, it’s safe to say that Santa Cruz knows very well how to handle their business, and so far, they have done it spectacularly.
Throughout the years, Santa Cruz has introduced to us some of the most popular models in the longboard industry ever, and their endeavor goes on with a wide variety of products to this date.
Whether it’s the design, performance, parts, stability, or maneuverability, this brand has mastered every aspect of a longboard. Of course, there will always be a handful of models that have some flaws, but in general, Santa Cruz longboards always excelled in performance.
Not only does Santa Cruz manufacture great products, but they are also the pioneer of some changes in the skate industry that changed skateboarding forever. For example, before 70’s skateboarders were only familiar with metal and clay wheels, and both these materials were either fragile or heavy.
Then comes Santa Cruz with their Cadillac wheels, which we know simply as urethane wheels today. To this date, urethane is the mainstream wheels materials in the skate industry. Additionally, Santa Cruz was also one of those brands that introduced concave design to the skating world.
As a beginner, if you ever feel confused about buying a longboard, you can always opt for Santa Cruz with your eyes closed. Their knowledge and experience won; disappoint you for sure.
Arbor is another premium skateboard brand on this list that has been around for quite a long time. The advantage of being industry for over two decades is that you know what the customers want, and Arbor seems to exploit that pretty well.
Arbor is not a dedicated skateboard brand, and they also sell apparel, snowboards, and skateboard wheels that are pretty well-known in their respective sectors. At first, Arbor started with snowboards, which they repurposed later in skateboards by adding wheels underneath.
That’s how Arbor started their skateboarding lineup. They have different varieties in the skateboarding sector, too, with different types of boards. But one particularly intriguing area is their longboard segment.
As a brand this old in the industry, Arbor also take their environmental responsibilities very seriously. For example, all their skateboards are made using recycled materials, bio-urethane wheels, and responsibly sourced woods to cause minimum damage to the environment throughout the manufacturing process.
However, all this environmental goodness also comes at the cost of a higher price tag. If you want to support Arbors effort to become an environmentally-friendly skate company and want to pay the premium, you’ll definitely be in for a treat. But if it’s regular cruising you are looking for at a reasonable price, you should probably look elsewhere.
Just like Atom, DB longboard is another dedicated brand that exclusively manufactures longboards for their customers. The company started back in 2003 when three skate-loving people came together with their vision, which soon became a popular name in the industry.
So, what does the DB stands for? DB is referred to as the birthplace of this company Dash Point, Washington. Back then, the founders named their first board Dashboard, and from there, that name became the company’s face.
All the longboards from DB are made with strict quality control, and you’ll know it as soon as you put your hands o of their boards. DB’s manufacturing plant uses CNC machines, CAD design, and 3D modeling to craft the perfect longboards that can easily compete with any other brand.
DB longboards primarily have three product lineups, regular cruiser boards, complete longboards, and lastly, longboards deck. I appreciate that DB also allows users to build their custom longboards using their premium quality decks.
The complete boards are what this brand is most famous for. Every single part of these complete boards is sourced from different brands and has established their name in their respective sectors.
For example, the trucks of DB longboards are from Atlas, wheels and grip tape come from Cloudride. However, using all these premium materials take a dent in the pricing aspects of the board. So if you are on a tight budget, DB longboards might not be the best choice for you.
DB longboard’s take on environmental pollution is also praiseworthy as they recycle all their deck production scraps and water-based chemical for board manufacturing.
Overall, DB longboards is more of a sophisticated brand that manufacturers their board targeted towards more skilled skaters. But if you can afford the board as a beginner, you’ll love what this brand has to offer.
If I have to pick one, I think Landyachtz might be the most well-known and familiar brand on this list. Not only longboards, but Landyachtz has also branched out in different sectors, from separate skateboard parts to apparel.
Landyachtz formed exactly 22 years ago when a bunch of skate enthusiastic thought about expanding the skateboarding boundaries of that time. Since its Foundation, Landyachtz has gone through highs and lows, but one thing that remained constant was its dedication towards its customer base.
This dedication always pushed Landyachtz to develop and manufacture more innovative stuff that ultimately results in a better skateboarding experience.
One particular area that Landyachtz always focused more on was the complete skateboard. Among different custom boards, good quality complete boards seem like a lost art, and Landyachtz has done an incredible job of reviving a high-quality complete genre.
With Landyachtz’s long-time experience in the skating industry, they put together some of the most popular longboards of all time. The secret of a complete board is pretty simple, where all the parts work in perfect sync. In that regard, Landyachtz just did an amazing job of assembling parts that are not only high quality but work perfectly with each other.
Aside from the completes, if you want to build a board on your own, you can do that too by purchasing parts separately from Landyachtz.
Overall, Landyachtz is one of the most balanced brands out there that offer every type of longboard option for their customer. So if you don’t want the hassle of comparing the options and pick a brand with your eyes closed, Landyachtz is an easy recommendation.
Wrapping it up with another old player in the skate industry, Loaded Boards. Loaded boards have been around as long as brands like Sector 9 and Landyachtz are. Whether it’s cruiser longboards or downhill longboarding, loaded boards is packed with options to fulfill your skating demand.
At first, loaded boards just started as a passion of a bunch of people who dreamt of creating the surfing and snowboarding experience on land. But it wasn’t until 2000 when the decision to found the company was taken.
Eventually, loaded boards launched their first skateboard in 2002. Since then, loaded boards have witnessed the design and cultural changes in skateboarding and impressed us with their innovations.
If we look at the price generally, loaded boards can be pricey, yet they provide good value for money. Loaded’s decks are, for the most part, made of premium materials like bamboo and fiberglass.
They keep the board lightweight alongside maintaining durability. Like the decks, other parts are high-end too. If you are looking for different shapes, loaded boards also have a wide variety of board shapes to match your riding style.
So, if you are looking for brands that will last longer and provide a good value for money, Loaded has some pretty good longboards to offer. Also, if you are into dancing, loaded is one of the best longboard brands for dancing with their Bhangra lineup.
Understanding Different Types of Longboards
Now that we are done with the greatest longboard brands you can buy your longboards from, it’s time to select the type of longboard that’ll suit you most. Now the type of longboards can be categorized in two ways.
The first types are based on the riding style, and then comes the types are based on the shape of the deck. As both of these categories play an important role in selecting the right longboard, I’ll try to give you a general idea about all the types to help you make an easy decision. So without wasting any time, let’s begin.
Cruising
Cruiser longboards types are the most common types used by skaters. If you are planning to skate for transportation purposes, then cruising longboards are your ideal choice. Typically, cruising longboards have pintail shapes and bigger wheels for better control and stability.
If you are planning to get a longboard for cruising, Quest’s super cruiser longboard has all the right qualities to help you with that. Starting from a maple wood deck to bigger wheels, it has managed to meet all the right requirements that make a cruiser longboard great.
Freestyle
Freestyle riding refers to the tricks you can do with longboards. People usually have different purposes when buying longboards, and if you are interested in more technical things like doing tricks, then freestyle longboards are for you. To give you adequate space for tricks and landing, freestyle longboards usually have a bigger deck.
Recommendation: Volador 42inch Freeride Longboard
As mentioned earlier, a bigger deck is important for freeride longboards, and Volador’s freeride longboard seems to have the perfect length to meet your requirements. In addition, the parts Volador used are of high quality, and yet this is a pretty reasonably priced longboard.
Freeride
People often seem confused between the freestyle and freeriding styles. Though the name looks familiar, they are two totally different genres for different skaters. While freestyle is mostly about doing tricks and expressing yourself. Freeride is about much faster longboarding and sliding. Freeride longboards usually haves lower and more responsive decks with smaller wheels for easier sliding.
At this point, you are pretty much aware of the reputation of Sector 9. Now, for freeride, Sector 9’s lookout longboard is a popular choice among longboarders. Durable lower bamboo deck, light concave, and responsive trucks, everything is going in the favor for a good free riding experience.
Carving
Carving longboards are a totally different genre compared to other riding styles. If you were into snowboarding or surfing previously, it would be easier for you to understand carving.
Carving style is the method of generating speed through backward and forward movement without using your feet. The wheels of carving boards tend to have bigger concave and softer wheels to provide better friction for pumping.
Recommendation: Retrospec Rift Drop-Through Longboard
Though Retrospec Rift is initially labeled as a cruising longboard, it can be a great option for carving too. This cruiser longboard will give you a pleasant and portable riding experience, and it’ comparatively compact form factor helps with carving. The price is relatively lower too, which is another plus point here.
Downhill
Downhill longboards, also known as racing longboards, are typically used for high-speed skating. In comparison, it’s pretty similar to freeriding. Though there is no particular shape for downhill longboards, other characteristics separate it from other riding styles.
For example, downhill longboards usually have a top-mount and have a slightly grippier wheel for better sliding.
Among hundreds of options for downhill longboarding, Atom’s drop though longboards stand out of the bunch with their simplicity. The drop-through deck helps to generate more speed as you can push it faster and more often. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, everyone will have equal fun longboarding on this board.
Dancing
Dancing longboard style is pretty much similar to freestyle longboards, except they tend to be taller than freestyle longboards to allow more space on the deck. Also, they usually have a double kicktail design to be popped from either end for creative dance moves.
This longboard from Volador has all the right qualities to provide you with a joyful dancing experience. As mentioned before, dancing longboards need bigger space, and this longboard will provide you with all the space you need with a 46-inch deck and 37-inch wheelbase.
Apart from the size, the shock-absorbent and flexible deck will help you pull off your dance moves better.
Longboard Types Based on Shape
Pintail
Pintail longboards usually have a shape very similar to a surfboard. As the deck has sharp ends like a surfboard, Pintail longboards are best suited for direction skateboarding.
This unique deck shape also helps with maintaining balance and stability. If your skating style needs you to make sharp turns or drift, pintail longboards can be a good choice for you.
Drop Down
I think the name itself is pretty self-explanatory for this board shape. Drop-down longboards have a lower deck closer to the ground. This lower deck allows the rider to have more stability, and pushing becomes much easier.
At both ends, the deck has a cut-out shape to provide better wheel clearance. Lastly, the trucks on a drop-down deck are top-mounted, and the deck usually has near-zero flex.
Drop Through
Drop through decks are those decks that have the trucks mounted through a cut-out on the deck. This type of special truck mount lowers the deck and keeps the center of gravity close to the surface.
The main benefit of drop-through decks is that they have better stability at high speed and while sliding.
Kicktail
Kicktail is not exactly a deck shape; rather, it’s more about what both ends of the deck look like. Kicktail refers to the upward bent at the ends of your deck. These bends help the rider stomp the board freely, ultimately helping with tricks and dancing. Depending on the particular model, a longboard can have both single and double kicktails.
Conclusion
That’s a wrap for today. I hope my article was helpful enough to give you a general idea about the best longboard brands and different types of longboards in the industry. I know the list can be a bit confusing for some, but choosing a brand for yourself will be much easier once you get your priorities straight.
After you do that, these brands I mentioned above will help you choose the right longboard so that you don’t waste your money on the wrong board.
