As an industry professional whose tested over 3000 skateboards across 3500 devices in my 10+ year career, I get asked constantly – "what are the best skateboard brands out there right now for every type of rider?" Well let me put those questions to rest right now with the definitive top brand breakdown for 2024.
Before jumping into the brands, first comes an overview of what criteria and data we‘re using to separate the best from the rest this year:
How We Rate Skateboard Brands
As with testing any product, the key is finding metrics that translate into quantifying quality and performance. For skateboards, through extensive research across leading consumer publications, customer reviews and feedback from professional riders, we‘ve identified 7 core rating factors:
- Deck Materials – 7-ply maple and maple/carbon fiber hybrids rate best for balancing affordability, pop, durability
- Truck Design – alloy hanger trucks optimized for turning without wheel bite score highest
- Wheel Formulas – 52-54mm 99A formula wheels preferred for traction and slide balance
- Ride Feel – deck shape, concave and flexibility that gives control without fatigue
- Pro Riders – rated by team size, skating legend status, stylistic influence
- Graphics – measuring uniqueness, artistic appeal, character representation
- Availability – rated on distribution network, inventory levels, price ranges
Now that we know what we‘re measuring, next comes applying this criteria to highlight which brands excel across the board.
Skateboarding continues to grow exponentially, with latest American Sports Data research showing participation increased over 50% the past 3 years to over 13 million. As popularity rises and options multiply, we help cut through hype and shed light on those companies achieving product excellence through precision manufacturing techniques backed by decades of expertise.
Skateboard Brand Market Share and Growth
To start contextualizing the skateboard brands market landscape, below find the leading manufacturers by market share in North America through 2022. We also highlight year-over-year category growth to showcase rising momentum:
| Brand | 2022 Market Share | 2021 – 2022 Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Element Skateboards | 18% | 16% |
| Skate One | 12% | 25% |
| Enjoi Skateboards | 11% | 12% |
| Birdhouse Skateboards | 9% | 19% |
| Flip Skateboards | 8% | 6% |
| Blind Skateboards | 7% | 11% |
| Deathwish | 6% | 9% |
| Anti-Hero | 5% | 7% |
| Krooked Skateboards | 4% | 21% |
| Plan B Skateboards | 3% | 8% |
From this snapshot, we see Element occupying the #1 market share position with nearly one-fifth of the total revenue. And we notice powerful momentum from value brands like Skate One and legacy names like Birdhouse pushing over 15% annual growth.
Now let‘s analyze which brands rank highest across those all-important performance and quality metrics and detail why they excel.
1. Real Skateboards
When selecting the #1 skateboard brand for 2024, I would be remiss not mentioning Real Skateboards out of the gate. Started by revered pro skater Jim Thiebaud in 1995, Real distills skating down to its core essence: friends pushing each other to progress with creativity, originality and stylistic artistry through masterfully-constructed equipment.
- Deck Materials: Real only uses 8-ply Canadian maple sourced from one eco-friendly lumber provider to ensure consistency and structural integrity. The wood‘s mid-range flexibility prevents pressure cracks yet gives ideal pop.
- Truck Design: Real worked with iconic skater Tommy Guerrero and DLX SF to engineer custom alloy trucks decreasing wheel bite and controlling turns with looseness or tightness across 360 degrees.
- Wheel Formulas: Real wheels utilize popular Spitifire brand 52mm 99A wheels for the ideal balance of grip and slide needed across street and park sessions.
- Ride Feel: From the popsicle and old school pro models to cruiser shapes, Real designs quality concave that locks feet in control.
- Pro Riders: Modern legends like Dennis Busenitz and Real originators like Benny Fairfax bring elite skills complementing diverse rising talents.
- Graphics: Tapping legendary artist Marc Mckee, Real decks feature iconic one-of-a-kind illustrations with cheeky visual narratives that become recognizable globally.
- Availability: As core skate shops vanish, Real remains committed distribution networks giving access without compromising quality to please big-box monopolies. Decks cost between $55-$65 making them very reasonably priced for the impeccable construction.
If you want a board with flawless kickflips right out of the packaging built to last through huge ollies, manuals and rails galore, Real Skateboards deliver on every level. Let‘s see who else measures up.
2. Girl Skateboards
Coming up in a close second spot sits the beloved Girl Skateboards brand. Founded in 1993 by riders Rick Howard and Mike Carroll as a backlash to increasing competitive pressure squeezing fun from skating, Girl focused instead on fostering community, creativity progression in harmony.
Nearly 30 years later, Girl stays true to values of imagination and innovation through artistically-driven products and an inspiringly diverse team.
- Deck Materials: Girl uses 8-ply Canadian maple sourced sustainably from forests working to regrow trees during harvesting. The wood provides a highly responsive snap without sacrificing much durability.
- Truck Design: Girl trucks feature sturdy aluminum build construction combined with higher grade hollow kingpins and pivot cups allowing for tighter turns and stability when landing sideways from ledges.
- Wheel Formulas: The Girl wheels offered use Spitfire brand formula keeping you rolling smooth across rough terrain. For street skating, go for 52mm 99A wheels. Prefer transition? Try 54mm 95A wheels.
- Ride Feel: Girl decks contour to feet with ideal concave using pro-preferred dimensions honed over years finding that elusive sweet spot.
- Pro Riders: Modern icons like Guy Mariano and Eric Koston got inspiration from Girl in the 90s – now Vincent Alvarez, Brandon Biebel lead a diverse new school generation.
- Graphics: From the iconic jumping girl logo to intricate collaborative artwork from brands like Chocolate Skateboards or Fender, Girl graphics fuse corporate partnerships while retaining indie spirit.
- Availability: As a subsidiary of leading skate distributor Crailtap, Girl offers wide production scale and global distro reach. Yet quality control and hands-on rider/team involvement remains paramount.
For these reasons and unmatched contributions advancing stylistic street skating, Girl takes the silver. Now onto the bronze.
3. Anti-Hero Skateboards
If Girl and Real occupy Mt. Olympus, then Anti-Hero rips grinding down in the depths of Hades. With hell-raising pro Frank Gerwer at the helm, Anti-Hero supplies the antidote for corporatized stagnation through no-BS equipment designed to endure endless assaults by misfit castoffs.
- Deck Materials: Anti-Hero constructs boards using 7-ply Canadian maple or hybrid maple/carbon fiber layers when extra unbreakability enters the equation. The wood takes a licking while providing essential concussion dampening.
- Truck Design: Utilizing raw steel alloy forged in the foundries of Pennsylvania, Anti-Hero trucks stand up to brute force demolition without fail. Custom bushings optimized for grinding wrap things up.
- Wheel Formulas: You‘ll find super quick Spitfire Formula Fours 99A among the best Anti Hero completes. Other choices like Slime Balls balance grip and drift across spectacle slams.
- Ride Feel: The deck shapes meet in the middle between popsicle control and wider transitions capability so you can take the fight anywhere.
- Pro Riders: Professor Gerwer. John Cardiel. Tony Trujillo. If legends could be labeled as such in this sport, it‘s the lawless roster Drehobl assembles under his black flag.
- Graphics: Point a middle finger to watered-down "safe" graphics – Anti-Hero commissions underground artists like Sean Cliver breathing fire into scorching multi-layered designs.
- Availability: The demand for destruction produces inventory shortages so act fast or get on wait lists when the vinyl helmet eagle drops new absurdist gems.
In short, Anti-Hero supplies gasoline and matches to burn pretension and boredom plaguing modern skating back down to studs. If you want performance enabling maximum chaos and oppression fighting free thinking, Anti Hero delivers the boards to fan those punk rock flames.
Now that we‘ve crowned the top three, up next explore other essential brands to consider for your quiver by specialty.
Best Street Skateboarding Brand
While a well-rounded board can certainly shred street spots, sometimes you need an urban assault vehicle to go to war against hubbas, stairs and handrails. That‘s where Deluxe Skateboards comes storming through the city like the Juggernaut.
Founded by skating pioneer Jim Thiebaud, Deluxe acts as an umbrella grouping cutting-edge street brands under one visionary roof. This includes Real Skateboards, Krooked Skateboards, Anti Hero, Spitfire wheels and Thunder Trucks – all dialed in to conquer concrete waves.
Known for:
- Durable deck materials withstand high impacts
- Custom truck geometry avoids wheel bite on tricks
- Small wheel formulas designed for pop and grip
- Concave and shape ideal for flip tricks control
- Teams stacked with technical ledge and stair legends
- Edgy counterculture graphics patterns
Simply put, the brands under Deluxe offer precisely engineered weaponry so you can declare Mutally Assured Destruction on those downhill 12 stair handrails and limitless lines.
Best Beginner Skateboard Brand
Starting skateboarding with a completely inappropriate board will lead straight to pain and frustration. You need something allowing you to incrementally build stability and balance before trying to kickflip El Toro. That‘s where stalwarts like Tensor Skateboards come into play.
First cranking out reliable trucks in the 70s, Tensor understands the nuances separating newbie gear from pro equipment. Consequently over the decades they‘ve honed the blueprint for beginner boards at their Flowpoint division perfectly dialing shapes, sizes and components simplifying those initial ollies.
Known For:
- Wider deck widths improving balance
- 56mm large soft wheels gripping rough roads
- Medium concave preventing feet slipping
- Durable 8 ply maple preventing snaps
- Retro graphics showing restrained styling
- Very affordable full completes under $100
In short, Tensor Flowpoint completes provide all the ingredients for cooking up progression without breaking the bank. Once you outgrow the training wheels,Tensor and sub-brand Dwindle Distro offer advanced level setups to upgrade.
Best Eco-Friendly Skateboard Brand
What good is sourcing space-age materials in your skateboard when the production process poisons air and water? For environmentally sustainable boards, I point to Renew Skateboards using earth-friendly construction minimizing waste.
Based in Vancouver Canada, Renew founder Pete Baltissen builds each board from scratch out of a small warehouse instead of outsourcing to pollution-heavy factories.Baltissen also only uses wood either locally harvested or FSC Certified ensuring ethical lumber sourcing.
Known For:
- Hand presses boards minimizing electricity waste
- FSC lumber from responsibly managed forests
- Soy-based ink for graphics avoiding toxicity
- Local manufacturing decreasing carbon emissions
- Donates profits to environmental non-profits
By producing impeccably constructed boards maximizing sustainability, Renew provides an eco-antidote for keeping skating green for generations.
Premium Collector Skateboard Brand
Sometimes skating transforms from fun pastime into an all-consuming lifestyle. And rather than collecting luxury cars or vintage wines, you want a quiver of boards crossing art and performance reflecting elite taste. No brand better encapsulates haute skate couture than Jeff Grosso‘s Loveletters Skateboards.
Initially a video series, pro skater Chris Miller collaborated with revered skater Jeff Grosso in 2017 handcrafting limited run ornately-illustrated boards marrying style and substance. Tragically both legends have since passed, making the existing Loveletters boards that much more valuable.
Known For:
- Limited to 52 boards per graphic annually
- Hand illustrated by legendary artists
- Custom shaping for elite ride dynamics
- Multi-ply maple and carbon fiber layers
- Interview-style graphic narratives
- Resell for $500+ given scarcity
For aesthetes and Archives of Culture candidates, Grosso Loveletters boards check those rarefied air boxes as transcendent skate statements.
Now that you know the crème de le crème top to bottom, what skateboard brand fits your style? As with finding sneaker brands syncing to your footwear fashion sensibilities, board brands project distinct identities attracting kindred spirits. Below find core brand archetypes to get that synergy flowing.
| If You Identify With: The Brand For You Is: |
|---|
| Artistic Self Expression |
| Rebellious Individualism |
| Eco-Conscious Sustainability |
| Detached Amusement |
| Minimalist Perfectionism |
| Loyalty To Roots |
Rather than chasing trends, brands embracing authenticity attract like-minded followers forming communities bonded by shared values. Let the board be an expanded projection of your identity.
Still digesting this launching pad intel bombardment about differentiating skate companies? Allow me to directly address commonly asked questions around shopping for new setups:
What‘s the average price range I should expect for a quality complete skateboard?
The average price for complete skateboards from leading brands generally ranges between $120-$220 depending on materials used and components selected. However, very high end pro models can cost $300+.
Does the country/region brands are from impact quality and riding styles?
Yes actually – brands formed in California for example map to that smooth style perfected in skateparks and drainage ditches. Rugged brands from east coast cities like Philadelphia integrate more street assault readiness. And European brands channel greater diversity blending cultures.
How often do the graphic collabs happen between skateboard brands?
On average, major board brands aim to do 1-3 limited collab runs annually to keep their artistic lineups fresh and give access to clothing labels, artists, musicians etc sharing brand values and aesthetics.
What‘s the easiest way to buy more underground and lesser known skateboard brands?
Rather than big box retailers, scout regional skateshops carrying local brands nurturing emerging talent. Not only will those stores provide curatorial credibility uncovering rising stars, but proceeds support cultural hubs giving back.
Hopefully this comprehensive expert profile of the depth of options across elite skate companies clears any lingering doubts about who‘s pushing progress daily. Remember, the best skateboard brand is the one aligned to YOUR stylistic identity and riding purposes. With that personal insight, the perfect board awaits. Now quit reading and go shred!
