Top 5 Grip Tape Brands You Need To Try Out

One of the most important parts of your skateboard is the grip tape. Now, it’s not sand paper. Do not make the mistake of putting sand paper on your board, it doesn’t work. That is too hard and it’s going to eat through your shoes, and will not give you better pop or control. I cannot stress this enough. DO NOT USE SAND PAPER!

Now, there are a lot of companies right now that are promoting grip tape and not all of them are that good. Some are actually made by the same factories, and truth be told, they are all pretty good. But if you’re going to get the best, and you want to know my opinion on the matter, here are my top 5 grip tape options that you can purchase right now.

I tested each one of these, and can say that they all have their upsides, although branding plays a role across skateboarding. These are my thoughts on the top 5 grip tape brands you need to use today.

5. Grizzly Grip Tape

Grizzly Grip is one of the most promoted brands that you may find today. I see their ads all over the place, including skateboarding magazines and videos. They are good, they are a bit pricey at times, but they put out quality product, alongside Primitive skateboards.

4. Black Magic Grip Tape

I’ve been using Black Magic for a long time, and they put out strong grip tape. If you keep yours without sand and water getting on it, this will last a great while. It’s strong, it grips tight, and it is a bit harder than a lot of other options. I like it.

3. Jessup Grip Tape

Another great choice, Jessup grip tape is usually the standard that many skate shops put on their boards. It’s a strong overall brand, and I can’t really complain. It is cheap, it’s easy to apply, and it works. It’s not too coarse, but it works. I don’t think it lasts as long as the top 2, but it still is functional and most often, free.

2. Mob Grip Tape

I like Mob Grip a lot, but I haven’t used it in about 6 months. It’s a good overall piece of grip, and really does well for flip tricks. I haven’t tested it on vert, but then again, I’m not a vert skater. Mob Grip has upside, but again, it very well may be another brand being made in this one.

1. AM Grip Tape

My top pick right now is Am Grip. You can buy this grip tape from theshredquarters.com. This is some of the best grip that you can pick up, and it’s not that expensive. If you like supporting the little guy, and don’t want to give your money to corporate entities, then here you go, AM Grip is solid, strong, and it’s all over Revive Skateboards. If you’re a fan of independent skateboarding, AM Grip is your best bet, if you ask me.

Dogtown Loose Trucks Eric Dressen Photo Deck Review

Dogtown Loose Trucks Eric Dressen Skateboard Deck

The Dogtown Loose Trucks Eric Dressen Photo Deck is a new deck I just spotted. This is a skateboard deck is 8.25 x 32.5 and is a perfect size for street boarding. It’s interesting to me, because I know Eric Dressen. He would come to this bowl my friends and I put up in Santa Monica. He broke our bowl. We had a complete bowl, he whipped around the thing and launched himself onto a brick wall nearby, then threw himself back in. Our jaws dropped, but so did our bowl.

With the release of the Dogtown Loose Trucks Eric Dressen Photo Deck, this is a classic skateboard deck that features a picture of Dressen doing a killer wall ride, most likely at Stoner or some other school. As for the pop, and concave, this is a great overall deck, made for speed and made for street. I love it. If you’re a fan of Dogtown skateboards, then this is a great one to consider.

Skateboards are released on a limited time, limited quantity basis. These won’t last. If you’re interested in this skateboard or any of the options mentioned, check out these links:

Click here to order skateboards from small skate shops selling on amazon.com by clicking here.

Or

Click here to order from Tactics.com, which is a Northwest skate shop that features the biggest selection of skateboard decks and gear.

Zoo York Skateboards Daniel Scales Genesis Part HD Skateboarding Video

Daniel Scales just made me a believer with his part for Zoo York skateboards. This is Scales' "Genesis" part. He has put on a showcase of pure talent, and dedication to the sport with this clip. Don't sleep on Zoo York's skateboarding right now, the team is killing it, and they keep putting out quality boards and clothing. This is a great part, check it out and support the company if you'd like.

Zoo York Water Color Liberty Skate Deck Review

Of all the skateboarding companies that have made it big, I feel that Zoo York still maintains a lot of their graphic design elements. They still push modern skateboarding, even if the team is not like it once was, and there are a lot of people rocking their clothing, etc. Whatever the case may be, they have a new series of decks that feature different New York staples done in water colors. This is the Zoo York Water Color Liberty Skate Deck, for instance, and it’s 8.5 x 31.875 and it’s an instant classic if you’re from New York City.

The Zoo York Water Color Liberty Skate Deck is a good overall shape, with the classic Zoo York concave and hard wood pressing. I’ve always liked the rounder edge that comes with the Zoo York decks, but that’s just a subtle taste element that you may not even notice. Once gripped, this board rocks, and it’s easy to work with if you’re usually skateboarding on a 8.5 deck.

The Zoo York Water Color Liberty Skate Deck is out now, and it’s a good board for the art, and the streets, if you know what I mean.

Purchase Zoo York Water Color Liberty Skate Decks and more by clicking HERE.

Zoo York Water Color Freedom Skateboard Deck Review

Zoo York skateboards is one of those companies that I’ve always wanted to emulate. They have made it big in a lot of ways, and they still push out core skateboarding products. Not a lot of shops that I know carry them, but when you see them in the wild, they are quite good. With the release of the Zoo York Water Color Freedom Skateboard Deck, you get some stellar artwork that represents New York very well.

This water color artwork is not just great for the board, it can be placed on your wall with ease. I have 4 on my wall right now, not all Zoo York, but boards in general. The Zoo York Water Color Freedom Skateboard Deck features 8.25 x 31.875 sizing, and the concave that’s great for the streets. This isn’t much for pools or anything like that, but it’s a good versatile skateboard deck for street skateboarding.

If you’re used to the Zoo York skateboards shape, then the Zoo York Water Color Freedom Skateboard Deck is going to fit right into your collection. I like it, and it’s just the right size for flips and board slides. Although, not good for vert, if you ask me.

You can purchase Zoo York gear and skateboards by clicking here.

Deathwish Skateboards Ellington The Dancer Pee Wee Herman Skateboard Deck Review

The Deathwish Skateboards Ellington The Dancer Pee Wee Herman Skateboard has a very unique painting on it. It’s from an artist named The Dancer, but the image is of the man, the myth, the legend, Pee Wee Herman! Not only that, He’s flipping you off, sucka! It’s so subtle, you’re going to miss it if you don’t look closely. Whatever the case is, this is a great art piece from Deathwish.

Now, in regards to the deck size, this is 8.125 x 31.5 which isn’t that large, and isn’t going to really feel too far away from 8. I like the 8.25 – 8.5 options more often than not, and this is a street classic. There’s a lot of pop on this, with good concave, but it’s more for flip tricks and catching shove-its.

Deathwish puts out quality boards, and this is a combination of art and design. It’s not as high tech as some of the Almost or Black Label ones, but it’s definitely a good option. I like the Deathwish Skateboards Ellington The Dancer Pee Wee Herman Skateboard because of Pee Wee more than anything else. It’s really cool.

You can pick up Deathwish Skateboard Decks by clicking here.

Chocolate Skateboards Selena Skateboard Deck Review

There are a lot of skateboards that come and go, and lots of artwork has come through from Chocolate skateboards, but nothing quite like this. The Chocolate Skateboards Selena Skateboard Deck is 8.25 x 32 and it’s the Perez pro deck, with a picture tribute to the lost singer Selena. She was gunned down by the president of her fan club, and well, if you’re a Latino, you know how much her music and life impacted you.

But does it ride well? Well, the Chocolate Skateboards Selena Skateboard is good overall, no doubt. The Chocolate skateboards shape hasn’t changed since the inception of the brand. It’s nice, has firm pop, and will last you a few months of hard wear and tear. At 8.25 x 32, it really is a wider deck than what I’m used to, but not by much. It’s a good overall board, but because of the artwork, you may not want to ride this one. You may want to put the Chocolate Skateboards Selena Skateboard on your wall.

This deck has great artwork, and the classic Chocolate Skateboards pop, simple as that. I’d recommend it, but then again, it’s hard to negatively review a skateboard sometimes. What can I say?

Pick up boards featured, support shops and more with these links 

Click HERE to purchase skateboard decks from amazon with FREE shipping

Valencia Report Transworld Skateboarding Video

How can a nearly 10 minute video inspire you to skate?

Well, here is a report from Valencia, Spain (unless it's California, but highly doubtful), and the riders rip. If you're going to watch one skateboarding video today, this is the one that you want to check out, no doubt.

Jeff Dechesare Krux Trucks Skateboarding Video

Jeff Dechesare is featured in this Krux Trucks video.

Some sick tricks in this clip, with a lot of skateboarding action in a short span. Not bad. Not bad at all. Now go skate!

2 Killer Skateboards From Baker Skateboards

Baker Skateboards has a lot of decks out right now, but I ran into 2 that made me laugh. The first features Mr. Rogers on a skateboard, and the second features a Rasta drawing of Bart Simpson. Either way, you're going to find that these are a couple of skateboard decks that you're going to want to pick up.

You can buy Baker Skateboard decks by clicking here 

Anti Hero Skateboards Frank Gerwer Straight To Floppy Disk Video

Anti Hero skateboards has some new boards coming through, and you can check them all out hitting skateboard shops and online stores. I featured some of them if you click HERE.

They also put up a cool low-tech skateboarding video, which is below. Watch it, and then go skate, that's what I'm going to do, right after I drop some comments on a new John Hill video where he whines about how hard his life is, boo hoo...I only kind of kid.

Heroin Skateboards Street Sharks Skateboard Decks

Street Sharks The Cartoon Show

Heroin Skateboards put on a serious showcase of parody. These boards are exactly what you would expect from the short lived cartoon show Street Sharks! That's right, STREET SHARKS! Do you remember that show?

If you don't, you're missing out.

Anyways, these boards from Heroin Skateboards feature that same kind of cartoon style that you will no doubt love. These are amazing boards to put up if you're a fan of nostalgia.

Heroin Skateboards is not one of my personal favorite brands sometimes, but these boards are undeniably cool. I'm not sure if they meant to be like the show, but hey, it's really cool if you ask me.

You can order Heroin Skateboards by clicking here, and have these boards and more delivered to your front door!

Krooked Skateboards Artist Series Skateboard Decks Full Art

Krooked skateboards is one of the greatest brands for me. They have been deliberately doing things differently for so long, thanks to Gonz. Mark Gonzales has been able to transform art into skateboarding, and these decks all feature that sort of push forward. I love a lot of brands from the skateboarding world, but few of them capture the artistic elements that creative types possess.

With this series of skateboard decks, Krooked skateboards really puts on a showcase. The art is varied, comes from a lot of different perspectives, and talents. You can really get a feel for the brand with the series of decks that you will find here.

Up front you will get 3 Krooked skateboards, but if you click the jump, you will get 8 more. If you're going to look into skateboarding, and you want art for your wall, or you just want to ride some killer decks, then I recommend Krooked skateboards. For the art, for the love of skateboarding, these are amazing. You won't find another consistently stellar brand right now, at least in regards to art. Maybe Chocolate, maybe Deathwish, but consistently artistic?

It's hard to beat The Gonz and Krooked skateboards. Check out the art on these decks below.

Oh, and if you're interested in purchasing Krooked skateboards, click HERE, and order them directly to your door. 

Boo Johnson Cali Love Deck Artwork Is My Favorite of 2017

I'm from California. I grew up in the skateboarding scene in the early 1990s. I was there when Jason Lee skated the Santa Monica Place Mall, before they turned it into an extension of the Third Street Promenade. I skated Wilshire, the Court House, and the Kaiser Medical Building. I loved 90s skateboarding, and DGK Skateboards represents that a lot of the time.

With this graphic from Boo Johnson, I feel that the California element is represented so well, I have to make mention of it on this page. I'm in my 30s now, I still skate, and I feature boards that Love on this site.

There are no other boards that I've loved as much as this deck, with the exception of the Shorty's Muska Skateboard decks that I used to ride. You know, the ones with the shadow.

Boo Johnson's Pro Model Cali' Love Skateboard Deck is my favorite thus far in 2017. DGK Skateboards keeps bringing out some amazing boards. Great stuff here. I love it. I am going to buy it, and most likely put it up on my wall.

If you're interested in supporting Boo Johnson, and DGK skateboards, click HERE and order some pro model decks. Each board helps the rider, and of course DGK as a brand. 

Tershy Floral Series Decks from Chocolate Skateboards

Chocolate skateboards has come out swinging once again with some incredible boards. This is the Tershy Floral Series from Chocolate, and they are really cool. There's about 3 or 4 layers to the prints on these boards, and the Chocolate skateboards name across each one.

This set of professional boards are definitely worth picking up right now. Whether you choose to ride them or put them up on your wall, you're going to love how these boards look.

As for those that are riding Chocolate skateboards, the pop is still good, the 7 layer process is great, and it's been about 10 years since I've broken one of them, so you'll love the style. Chocolate skateboards really does well with their artists, and this is another testament to the classic nature of their overall color and floral patterns on these. Check them out.

Pick up boards featured, support shops and more with these links


Click HERE to purchase skateboard decks from amazon with FREE shipping

Click HERE to purchase Chocolate skateboards clothing from amazon with FREE shipping

Alien Workshop Mind Screen Skateboard Decks

Alien Workshop is one of those skateboard brands that I skated when I was a teenager. When I was a teenager, I skated Shorty's, Zero, Element, and Alien Workshop. They've gone through a lot of changes in recent years, and they are still producing some slick wood. Here is a series that I personally would love to put up on my wall more than skate. These are from the Mind Screen series of Alien Workshop skateboards.

You can pick up Alien Workshop Decks by clicking here.

They just announced Yaje Popson and Joey Guevara as pros for the brand, or at least they just posted a video a couple of weeks back. Here's the clip from that announcement via Alien Workshop.

Revive Skateboards Spring and Summer Skateboard Deck Releases

Revive Skateboards just dropped some killer wood, and if you aren't up on them, come on, support indie skateboarding brands. These images are theirs, I just used them, but you can check out more on theshredquarters.com, and support their brand. I for one love the 3D cat boards, as they come with 3D glasses! Great stuff. Here are the latest decks from Revive! Now go shred!

Doug Des Autels 100 Percent Skateboarding Montage HD Video

Doug Des Autels is one of my personal favorite skateboarders on Revive right now, and he kills it. He just released one hell of a montage featuring some Skatelab locals and himself killing it. I'm originally from southern California and can testify to how awesome Skatelab is. I never got to skate it, but these clips make me wish I was still living there.

Anyways, Doug Des Autels has a youtube channel called amskater, and he puts up awesome videos. Hit the jump and check out this latest skateboarding montage. It's so awesome.

5Boro Skateboards x Dan Funderburgh Art Series Out Now

Brooklyn-based illustrator Dan Funderburgh drew up some amazing decks. These are artistic, have good concave, and just impresses the hell out of me. Of all the skateboarding brands out right now, 5Boro puts on a showcase of art.

If you're not down with New York's 5Boro Skateboards you are really missing out. 

Check out this line up below, and hit the jump for the rest of the boards. 

How To Set Up A Darkslide Skateboard Video

How To Set Up A Darkslide Skateboard Video

If you're not following Revive Skateboards out of Cincinnati, you're missing out. Andy Schrock and his team have been putting out skateboarding videos for a long time, and they have made more of an impact than many of the mainstream skateboarding teams and brands out there.

Well in this video, after the jump, he shows you how to set up a skateboard for darkslides. Now, if you're an experienced skateboarder, then you know how you can do this trick with your grip tape placed correctly on. But this is a different option. Schrock does well here, and you owe it to yourself to check it out. Having a separate board just for Darkslides will save your main deck, that's for sure.

Primitive Skateboards Vampirella Skateboard Decks

When I was working at Seattle's #1 skateboard shop, I had this idea to mix skateboards and comic books. I was laughed at. But here is Primitive Skateboards coming out with official Vampirella decks. So what's up now mofos?

Hit the jump for the latest skateboarding clip from Primitive as well. I'm excited about these, can't say enough about Primitive's art direction.

I wish I worked for them. Instead, I'm freelancing like a chump, and it's been slow.

Anti Hero Fables Skateboard Deck Series

Anti Hero Skateboards has one of the coolest series of decks out right now. They are in direct relationship to Fables. Once you see these decks, you’ll see why I had to feature them. If you aren’t a fan of Anti Hero Skateboards, perhaps these decks will change your mind.

These are just too cool. You’ll want to get 2 of each to put them on the wall, and then ride a few of them. Man, I’m going to go broke with all of these cool skateboards coming out this spring. Check these out from Anti Hero Skateboards today.

Pick up boards featured, support shops and more with these links 

Click HERE to purchase skateboard decks from amazon with FREE shipping

ReVive Skateboards In Arizona - Doug Des Autels Vlogisode

Revive Skateboards Vlog in Arizona via Amskater/Amgrip

Here is a quick video that you should check out. Amskatere/Amgrip pioneer Doug Des Autels posts up a lot of videos about his daily life, skateboarding, and more. He's a truly inspirational guy out on the west coast.

Big ups!

Recently he joined the Revive Skateboards crew in Arizona. This is so rad. Hit the jump, check out Doug Des Autels, Revive, and more. It's rad.

Gabriel Alcala 5Boro Skateboard Deck Series Out Now - 5Boro Skateboards

Gabriel Alcala is an artist that you may or may not know about. If you are a skateboarder and you like 5Boro Skateboards, then you now know who he is.

I've been a big fan of 5 boro skateboards since I was working at a skate shop in Seattle. If you're looking for a skateboard deck to pick up, then I suggest going to get these.

I'm going to be purchasing them for my collection and wall. Support the arts, pick up these skateboards and represent core skateboard shops, etc. Or order online, what do I care?

Pick up boards featured, support shops and more with these links 

Click HERE to purchase skateboard decks from amazon with FREE shipping