Blank Skateboard Parts - To buy or not.

Are blank decks and other skateboard parts any good? This is a great and often asked question. Blank skateboarding parts mostly consist of wheels, bearings, and decks that are made without any company name attached to them. They are plain and generic, usually just a simple one color, and relatively inexpensive.

There is not just one company that makes blank skateboarding gear and there lies the source of problems that some unfortunate skaters have encountered. These parts are usually made in China (big surprise there), by several manufacturers, and shipped and sold in bulk. Because of this, it's hard to tell if you are getting anything well made. Becuase of this I typically recommend that you avoid them, but there are times that you might want to buy blank gear. If you keep these points in mind you should be able to avoid some of the worst items:

Blank Decks:

Be careful when buying blank decks; some companies use cheap and softer wood that won't have very good pop, and likely won't last long. Be sure that the deck is made from 7 ply hard maple wood. It can be tough to know if you are getting quality, so ask the owner of the shop and make sure it is made of good wood. If it is, it should be fine; although, I wouldn't expect it to last nearly as long as a pro grade skateboard deck. If you aren't that aggressive of a skater or just take it easier, it might last you quite a while. One thing that should be pointed out is that blank decks and shop decks are not necessarily the same quality or from the same manufacture. Sometimes they are, so ask your shop and find out more about the shop deck.

Blank Wheels:

There is no clear way to determine the quality of the urethane in the wheels before you buy them. You can ask at the shop you are looking to buy them from, but there's a good chance they won't even know. If you can get them cored, then that will help. Fortunately they are relatively inexpensive so you can experiment and pick some up and try them out with out much of a dent in your wallet.

Blank Trucks:

There aren't really blank trucks out there, but there are low end and cheap skateboard trucks on the market. I recommend that you stay with the name brand trucks however if your not aggressive or not sure if skateboarding is right for you and want a cheap skateboard give them a shot. When they crack or the king pin breaks pick up a new name brand pair.

Blank Bearings:

These bearings are easy to find and pretty cheap. If you are going to get some make sure that they are ABEC rated. Most of the time you can get a cheaper good quality skateboard bearing set like Black Panthers or Luck’s for only a little bit more money so look around.

There are a lot of people in the skateboarding industry who flat out hate blank skateboard gear or hate the idea of no name skateboard gear, and they think that if you buy blank gear, you are helping to undermine skateboarding as legit sport, because you aren't supporting pro skateboarding. Perhaps there is a ring of truth in this, but in our humble opinion it doesn't really matter. Skateboarding has been evolving and changing over the last several decades, and skaters will continue to evolve along with it. "Legitimate sport" or not, professional or not, just so long as you skate you are supporting skateboarding.

The bottom line is this if you have conviction about the legitimacy of skateboarding as a sport, or have the money and want something of determined quality; by all means get pro grade skateboard gear instead of no name blank equipment. However, if you are strapped for cash, just starting out, or just don't want to support pro skating, then blanks aren't all that bad of an idea. Keep in mind; you get what you pay for.