Plain Jane under the decals? No: Elegant, functional design. I have firsthand experience with some 20 boards in all shapes/sizes including three different aluminum boards. While this is no longer my favorite board, it is the best aluminum board I know of for dangerous work: downhill, freestyle, and anything involving ankle-rail contact. A review follows, but first, a word to the wise... CAVEAT EMPTOR: while Yocaher pairs great-to-amazing decks with good wheels, I cannot recommend this A+ board in good conscience unless you IMMEDIATELY replace factory bushings on arrival. I've dealt with three sets of Yocaher black factory bushings and all were extremely hard, encouraging UNSAFE riding: you either loosen the trucks so much for a "normal" feel that you are unstable on the gentlest slope or you have no control at all. I've played with ~80-95a stock, Khiro, Venom, and Blood Orange bushings. The "90a" bushings feel more like 100a+ in my book. Yocaher's customer service is A+, but their bushings suck as of 2018. It hurts to see a great brand shoot itself in the foot. Well... that hurt. Literally. Thank God for helmet(s). Now, where were we... I live in Minnesota, where all the people are nice, the coastal elites "fly over", and the weather don' look too good for longboarding: the roads are awful, the sidewalks worse, and the water won't go away (frozen, falling, or fumes). We stay sane by channeling our desperation and getting outside, rain or shine. Wanna be happy? Get out there with good gear and get on with it. I bought my first aluminum complete from Yocaher and it hasn't let me down. I'll never forget how beautiful it was when I first cut through it's thick plastic cocoon finding a gorgeous golden beetle beneath. The finish is great and tough, standing up very well after a year of hard use and some stupid scrape-ups. I always get compliments on the board whether stopping by indie skateshops or cruising past sidewalk cafes. I kid you not: random people from kids to cops to suits downtown feel compelled to comment when I come up to intersections... it's almost a safety hazard. Unfortunately, there were some real bugs to work out. First, it's a Yocaher, and the factory hangar-protectors were immediately replaced with a pair of Blood Orange wedges on a longer kingpin. Second, the trucks aren't the best quality with hangars that cut up the pivot cup and grind into the truck plate, but they work fine with a little grease if you're in a bind. Third, the wheel bearings are steel-shield uncleanable cheapies, lasting two weeks before the MN road grime halved my max speed. Finally, someone had a really bad day on the assembly line: 2/8 speed rings were missing, bushing cups were installed upside down, and the shock pads were put in wrong, but Yocaher got me parts and spares STAT with no complaints. HOWEVER, Once I got this hammered out I had a true five-star board. Its construction is like an aluminum high-school bleacher with smooth rounded lip and moderate concave, the only Aluminum deck I've handled that treats hand and ankle like a maple longboard. The nose/tail guards are well designed, although you may have to zip-tie the rear to the deck if you have the nasty habit of kicking it after every push (wide stance, big feet...). The aluminum is extremely rigid, much stiffer than the Beercan Boards I've used, but the road vibration pays off in an extrememly responsive, nimble platform. It's like riding in a sports car... slow commutes churn the stomach, but lay on the speed and life is good. That said, my "beetle" wound up being an ideal multipurpose board with the right sets of wheels. For commuting & cruising, 83mm flywheels just barely clear the wheelwell, speeding things up while eating most the cracks and gravel. For downhill & freeride, choose your poison; mine is a set of 70mm Abec11 flashbacks in amber, perfectly matched to the board and great for sliding the night away. After a year of hard use the grip tape is wearing out but everything else is in ship shape: no bending in the board, no broken parts, no regrets. CONCLUSION: This is an ideal board for those who like a "sports suspension", a sports car of boards. If you want a hot rod, buy this and budget for mission-driven components. If you just want a four-season cruiser, look into a Beercan Boards Ginger Ale or Hard Cider Read more
The quality is supreme, however I have to say it’s not exactly what I was hoping for. It gets 5 stars because it is everything that it is advertised to be! Super solid and durable, little shorter than I’d like and tape isn’t quite as grippy as I’d like. I also am higher off the pavement than I’m used to, but all in all it’s a great board for wet climates and if you weigh over 200 lbs like I do. Read more