Here's what I think of some skte products in my humble opinion.
Decks
Element- pretty light,snappy too. chips easy tho
Black Label- nice shape, but get soggy over time. break after a few months of hard skating.
New Deal- greatest decks in my opinion. don't lose pop!
Powell- break easy!
Blind- spare me
Shorty's- stick to hardware
Think- longboards could be another ply or two thicker
Trucks
Venture- axle slips. otherwise real good
Unit- pretty good but remove the bushing washers first
Destructo- heavy but if you grind em go for it
Independent- to heavy for my blood
Grind King G6- too light, bad grinding, too trendy
Fury- get these if you skate vert
Tensor- good! i like them
Tensor Hi- good for big wheels and heavy grinders
Krux- pretty good but bad kingpins
Wheels
Pig- pretty good
Darkstar- some of the best i've tried
Element- soft
Xtreme Wheelz- greatest longboard wheels ever
Bearings
Black Panther- Good at first but will freeze up
Empire- nice solid set
Powell Reds- Best kind money can buy. take a but to break in tho
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Hardware
Shorty's Silverados- the silver screws keep the trucks attached better than the black ones
Lucky- stupid Irish made my Powell snap
Shoes
Vans- get something that lasts. get a signature model
Osiris- more trendy than skatable. you've seen these before
Etnies- good shoes but get destroyed quick. still skatable once dstroyed tho
Emerica- Great shoe. get one with alot of padding and stitching
Circa- if you've got the cash get some
DC- don't fall for the pro garbage. get some with alot of meat
Es- good all around shoe
DVS- good for walking
Grip Tape
Jesup- good cheap tape
Black Magic- eats your shoes alive. my personal favorite
