VOLADOR 42inch Freeride Longboard Complete Cruiser (Drop Through Deck - Camber concave)

This is my second board that I own, with my first being a Kryptonics longboard. By no means am I a pro at skateboarding, but I do use these to commute around campus. Here are some things I've noticed about this board during my week or so of use:Pro's:1. This thing turns very easily. For such a long board, the turn radius is pretty acceptable, and I can hit pretty bendy sidewalks with sometimes up to 110 degree angle turns with good speed without having to pick up the board and adjust.2. The deck is pretty durable, and pretty to look at. Mine came as pictured (I got the "summer" version which looks like the "spring" version of the board, with the blue graphic). I'm 220 lbs and this board holds me with a little flex. It hardly becomes noticeable after some use. The flex and large wheels make this a great ride if you're looking for comfort. It goes over large cracks, rocks, and gravel with ease.3. The grip tape at the top of this board is pretty grippy. So much so, in fact, that it abraded some of the sole of my red Adidas sneakers, leaving a mark. I don't really consider that a bad thing. I'd rather be solid on this board than slip off and crack my head open.4. It's a relatively lightweight board for its size. Please consider the size when buying. Strapping this to a backpack isn't exactly efficient, and this thing can hardly stand on its own against a wall (at least tile or smooth surfaces) without falling over. For its length, it is a light board that is easy to carry one-handed, though.Cons:1. As I mentioned, this thing turns really well. So much so that I had to tighten the trucks to keep myself from falling off this thing when pushing, since the deck has a lot of tilt with pressure straight out of the box. I noticed, however, that no matter how hard I tightened the truck, there was still a good amount of give to the truck. Even tightened all the way, this thing isn't 100% solid, and your deck will tilt no matter what. If I tightened the trucks on my Kryptonics board, it wouldn't flex at all and would be very difficult to turn, but would be extremely solid and easy to ride in straight lines. Also, if you tighten the trucks all the way, or even close to it, you'll notice the wheels become off-balanced and one or two of the wheels will be off the ground even when laying flat on the ground without weight on it.2. The bearings straight out of the box aren't amazing, but they definitely are useable. With a couple of solid pushes on flat sidewalk with the usual gaps you can generally cruise around 10 yards before having to push again. I am, however, a heavier person to be riding (again, 220lbs), and that could certainly affect my ability to cruise for longer distances.Overall, I'd say this is a very reasonable entry-level board that's priced well and is overall well constructed. The deck is beautiful and lightweight, but the trucks and bearings could use switching out. Just getting a cheap set of Reds bearings on this would certainly make this a very good commuter board, and for the price of this board and a set of Reds, it's an extremely good deal. I'd recommend this board. Just be sure to have your balance figured out or have a good, flat place to practice. The trucks don't tighten very well, and could cause some people a little more frustration. I'm not sure if the trucks are made of metal. I'm almost under the impression that they aren't, but if they aren't, they're certainly made of a high-quality material. I've yet to have too many problems other than them not tightening well.

Before I get too deep into my review, I am by no means an experienced skater. With that being said, as far as I can tell, this is an amazing board for the price. I tried to learn how to skate in the past, but I made the mistake of buying a skateboard from walmart that cost $15 (NOT worth it at all. The wheels barely rolled and you couldn't cruise at all). If you want to learn to longboard, it is definitely worth putting out a little more money for a decent board that actually functions properly, and is more stable.I'm a fairly hefty gal, I'm about 5'7 and I weigh 220 lbs, and this board supports me just fine. The deck is springy, but it doesn't bend so much that I'm worried its going to break on me (unlike the walmart board).The graphic on the back is very cute, and super vibrant, so I love it! The grip tape is very sturdy, to the point that it ripped a hole in my converse when I was cruising (no tricks or anything). I'd rather the tape ruin my shoes than not hold me in place at all. Plus, the design on the grip tape looks sweet. As far as appearances go, white wheels arent ideal for anyone who is a total neat freak. It looks great out of the box, but after my first ride, the wheels have taken on a grayish color. Something that personally frustrated me was the sticker that came stuck to the bottom of the board. It was very hard to peel off and left a sticky residue behind. I'm not blaming that on the board itself; that's the nature of stickers.I would definitely recommend this board to anyone who has been considering getting into longboarding. It's a sturdy board for a reasonable price. Great board for beginners

I've waited two months before writing this review because I wanted to see how this board would hold up. Some background information, I've never had any skating experience prior to this board. I first got this board because I wanted to get around my university's campus faster. I bought this board not knowing what to expect. Currently, I take my board with me everywhere I go and ride it around to all my classes. I'd say I use this board at least 6 days a week and ride on it at least thirty minutes to an hour for all of those days.The board comes with surprisingly good wheels and bearings (although I recommend using a tool to tighten or loosen the wheels because mine came a little too tight). I bought an extra set of better wheels and bearings because I expected the ones that came with the board to be poor; however, in comparison, the ones that come with the board are just little worse than the others I bought. The trucks on the board have held up just fine. The art pattern/design still looks the same since day one, and the shape of the board makes it super easy to carve and make really sharp turns. Lastly, the board itself is sturdy and well made. I've had many crashes and wipe outs which I believed would leave huge scars on my board or make something come loose, but to my surprise, the board still remains intact with minimal damage.To summarize, the quality of this board has exceeded my expectations and it gets me around campus quickly every day. I would highly recommend this board to anyone who is looking for a board just to cruise around places like a college campus. Since this is also my first longboard, I would also recommend it to anyone who is interested in getting into longboarding.