For the "Best Of Week", I thought that it'd only be entirely appropriate to spotlight one of the Product Review products for the title "Product Of The Year". This year, we're giving that title to Santa Cruz's "Dead Pool" model.
Of course, this will be an immediately controversial pick. As The Solitary Life generally supports small companies (which Santa Cruz isn't) that generally use domestic wood sources (which Santa Cruz doesn't... at least, not in this case). But, that's exactly why I picked this review as the year-end spotlight: Because it clearly represents the departure between where the industry has been going (until now), and where it's actually going now.
Truth is, the product itself is remarkably impressive. Most of this is due to the Cruz Missile Concave, which is still a world-beater twenty-five years [or so] since it's debut. Honestly, a lot of companies could do themselves a lot of good by carefully studying the subtleties of this concave, and milking 'em for all they're worth.
This deck represented a few more milestones for Cruz, as well. Marrying time-tested technology with brand-new shape and graphic treatments (finally getting at least one leg off of the "reissue" bandwagon). Listening to what the skaters actually wanted, and then delivering on those wants (thanks to Goon and Skull and Bones for that one). Affordably priced, durable, beautiful, surprisingly good board-feel underfoot, and infinitely functional all added up to a deck that was well worth the money, and then some. Even if it was heat-transferred, and made in China. Simply put: This was a skaters' skateboard, made to be skated. Not something to be quietly hung on a wall for the rest of eternity.
All in all, the board was a real hoot to ride, and held up well. Yeah, it suffered a few unsightly pressure cracks and a fairly substantial warp (caused by my unwisely leaving it in my greenhouse-like-car for three weeks mid-summer... never a good idea, that one...)... but all in all, everybody that rode this board (which was pretty much, everyone we know), liked this ride. Get one today, and feel for yourself why this is the case.
Oh yeah. American woodshops? 2011 is gonna be "The Year of The Concave". Get busy quick, or get busy falling behind. Because in terms of "concave", this deck sets the bar for everybody else to measure up to.
Good luck with that.
Editor's Note: This review will be slightly longer, and more informative, than most reviews that we do here at The Solitary Life. Why? Because, the product at hand is so outstanding, and so unique in so many ways… that it deserves, and demands, a little bit of discussion. That's all. On with the review:
Just The Facts, Ma'am:
Width: 9.25"
Length: 32.50"
Wheelbase: 15"
Nose: 6.25"
Tail: 6.875"
Concave, construction, whatever: We'll get to all that in a hot minute.
The Set Up:
Independent 169's (with the Krux-bushing upgrade), 1/2" risers, some sort of bearings (I forget…), and NOS 60mm 92a Bullets. Also known as "The Usual" around here…
No matter which way you're lookin' at 'er, she's still a beauty...
The Only Way To Review This…
…is to deviate a bit from the standard "Good, Bad, and Verdict" formula, and start with:
How We Got It
We have a policy here at The Solitary Life, of buying "review" products, whenever we can. Instead of asking the manus for a constant supply of freebies. So: We got this one from Mike Hirsch at SoCal Skateshop… a great guy that probably gives the best customer service in the whole damned industry. So, how much was it?! About $63.
But: After skating it, I started thinking to myself that… it's seriously worth a lot more than what I paid for it. I started to actually feel bad, like I should send Mike or NHS a bonus-check or something. Now that I've spent some time on it, $63 seems pretty fuckin' cheap.
I don't say that sort of shit every day. Let alone, about Santa Cruz...
Surprise, surprise…!
When it arrived in the mail, the first impression was: "This wasn't what I ordered…!" Be warned, people: The illustrations of the deck that you're seeing all over the 'Net, aren't what it really looks like. The illustrations look sort of like a slimmed-down, and bigger-nosed Bevel. What this actually resembles, though, is a cross between Tom Knox's and Mike Youssefpour's first pro models on Santa Cruz. True: It was a pleasant enough of a surprise. As a rider, it's actually way better than I thought it'd be.
However: Surprises are almost always, bad. That's why we took so many photos of this thing: To cut out "the surprises".
The top photo shows the "true" shape, while the bottom photo shows the "advertised" shape (as seen at SoCal). The "advertised" shape much more closely resembles a slimmed-down Bevel, while the "actual" shape is a lot more like an OG Tom Knox...
The nose is bigger than what you'd ever expect, just by looking at the "ad" photos. Nosegrinds, nosestalls, even a little bit of "switch" action... no worries there. The "spoon-ish" profile of the nose is a nice compromise between kick, and control. It's hard to describe... best bet, is to try it for yourself.
Made In China
Likewise: I was sort of surprised to find that this board comes with a very large barcode (on the shrink-wrap) that clearly states: Made In China. Now, I'm not one of those guys that screams bloody murder over the whole China-issue. Yes: I'd rather support American jobs, and the American economy. But, the broader issue for me is "Honesty and Integrity in Consumer Awareness". In layman's terms: The Manufacturers Should Be Labeling Their Shit. Which Santa Cruz does, and does prominently.
As a skater, I totally appreciate the honesty, and the forthrightness. So: Thanks NHS.
As for the board itself, it's a fairly typical 7-ply construction. If I hadn't have known beforehand, I probably would have assumed that it was made in America. It feels better-than-great, so I don't have any complaints about the wood at all.
Skull and Bones
This board seems to be a straight-ahead response to what the Skull and Bones guys have been asking for, for years now. Let's recap the demands real quick:
- An older-style concave. Preferably, one of the "legends" from the Santa Cruz stable. I.e., the Cruz Missile, or the Cruz Control…
- A "shaped", directional board that has some old-school style, but some modern-day functionality, as well…
- Likewise: A "new" graphic that sort of respects Santa Cruz's legacy… but, at the same time, something that is clearly not, a "reissue"…
- And, lastly: A "big" board, with an expansive wheelbase. "Expansive" being, about 15". Maybe even, a smidge more.
Well: The Boners demanded, and NHS delivered. All of the above: Done well, done better than expected, done very well, and right on target.
The Cruz Missile II Concave
The trump-card here, is the concave. Most of the "good stuff" about this deck, comes right out of those bends and kinks. And, it is a bendy and kinky bastard that we're dealing with here, make no bones about it. But: Each and every one of those, serves a purpose. Combined, they create one of the most comfortable, most resilient, most responsive, and most capable decks that I've seen in……….. fuck. Years? Decades, maybe…?
This is definitely the hands-down winner for "Deck Of The Year", right here. Because of the concave. Hell: It could have been made in Pakistan out of camel shit, and it still would have been a winner…
The competition suddenly has a whole lotta catching up to do.
This angle shows the "bend lines" fairly well. The Cruz Missile is not your standard "popsickle stick concave, on an old-school shape". Far from it, actually. The only concave in the same area code, is the Real Aces 3... which is currently (or, temporarily) out of production. It looks wild, but works wonders.
The Ride:
The best that I can give you here, are quick impressions. First: It took less than one run to "get used to".
I do think that maybe, this deck actually made me a better skater, just by stepping onto it.
It feels good, comfortable… "like home". It feels like how a good skateboard should feel.
It's stiff and responsive: You can pump speed out of the smallest nooks and crannies.
It's not too big, and it's not too small… it really is, "just right".
You'd be a damned idiot, if you didn't buy three of these, right off the bat. And once you buy one, it'll never, ever be enough…
Like the front, the rear end of this bitch is a kinky ride, too: The double-kicked tail (with concave running all the way through, for strength and superior control) also has "dog ears" on the outer corners... or, what we used to call "Tri-Tail". These "ears" work with your heel and toes to facilitate stuff like, positively locking into Smith grinds, popping in and out of feebles... or, latching into a long-ass, stand-up, backside 5-0. Like I said above: Just stepping into it makes you feel like you've instantly become a better skater.
The Re-Drill:
I didn't feel the need, but for those that do: You could probably re-drill another 1" of wheelbase out of this one. I thought the 15 inches that it comes with… coupled with the massive rocker, and the outstanding concave… was more than adequate.
The "Bad":
The only "bad" here would be, if Santa Cruz didn't keep it in production for a few years… at the very least. A lot of the manus need to realize… that the "product cycle" for this sort of stuff, isn't the same three-to-four-month cycle that the "mainstream" market utilizes. Realistically, this board could easily stay in production for three to five years. There might even be a good reason to keep it in production, forever. I mean, once you ride this… where are you gonna go?! Besides, onto another Cruz-Missile-Equipped deck…?
Yeah, it's that good. I hope Cruz keeps it around, because I'm gonna be buying an awful lot of these. You'd be wise to follow suit, my friends.
