Review: Bonsei Concrete, No Comply decks, BRR kink ledge
I would like to start this review off with the Blackriver-ramps kink ledge.
Next is the Bonsei Concrete curb.
I ordered this from Mike Schneider, via flatfacefingerboards.com the shipping took about 2-3 days via priority mail. It came in a priority mail box wrapped in a sponge like material and packaged inbetween a ton of newsprint, it was very secure inside.It can also be purchased from Blackriver-ramps. The block was wrapped in a paper to resemble the actual block itself with the bonsei logo printed ontop.
The curb itself is very very smooth, fresh out of the package it grinds amazing, it doesnt need wax or anything. I have heard of them chipping easily, mine has not even after about 3 solid days of use, however, there is a special substance you can apply to it to prevent chipping, which I am not at liberty to tell, it's what you call secret.
The block itself is a bit low, it's about an inch and a half tall, it does have a nice length and width, about 8.5 by 2.5 inches. The height issue can easily be fixed by putting a few pallets (which can also be purchased at blackriver) or what I did since I have no pallets, is use a couple mini dv tape cases.
The edges of the block are really smooth and grind easily, even after a few days of solid use they stay smooth and grind nice.
The pictures I have taken are after a few hours of use.
I highly suggest you pick one of these up, they are definitely worth the price, shipping can be a bit pricey if you live in the United States, so I suggest buying from Flatface, if you live in Europe, support Blackriver. The guys at Bonsei did a wonderful job and I can't wait to see what they produce in the future.
Lastly we have No Comply decks. I got this deck from Todd, the owner of No Comply, for being on the team. This particular model is a new one, when ordering you can ask for the Tim Alexiel mold.
The shipping was extremely fast and the deck was packaged in a mouse pad, inside a small box, inside a bubble mailer, very secure.
The craftsmanship of the deck is amazing, the dips are nice and even, the holes are drilled perfectly, perfect lacquer, and the graphic is brilliant. I had the option of getting the graphic as an everslick, but I chose to get just a normal one and it out, the graphic will be available as an everslick when Todd opens and it is my graphic.
I set the deck up and immediately had no trouble adjusting to the shape. The deck has a super realistic shape as you can see in the pictures, the tail is slightly shorter than the nose just like a real board. It has awesome pop and the perfect amount of concave, not too deep but not too mellow, right in the middle. The kick height is also right in the middle for optimum performance.
The plies are very brightly colored and it also has white plies, which hasn't been seen on many fingerboards.
Over all, I suggest picking one up when Todd opens, I am not sure of the price at this moment, but the decks will definitely be worth it.
I would also like to take the time to review No Comply flex tape. Flex tape is a soft griptape material similar to rip tape or fbs smooth tape. It is .5 mm thick and has a nice smooth feel to it, more similar to fbs extra smooth than rip. It comes in precut and uncut pieces, the precut pieces come in regular and wide, to cover both kinds of deck sizes. You can also get die cut designs in the the flex tape.
The grip is really good, however there are some faults with it. I have noticed when using it I have alot of trouble popping regular kickflips, I am not sure why this is, my theory has to do with the thickness of the tape, sometimes thinner isn't always better. The tape also tends to shred kind of easily after long periods of use. It is a good product, but probably not my preference to rip, but it is definitely worth trying out, what doesn't work for me, might work for someone else. You will be able to purchase it soon off of the No Comply site, coming in the near future. Here are some pictures of the tape and it compaired to rip.
thickness comparison
flex tape
rip tape
I did not order this from BRR, but as everyone knows, the shipping from them is always fast and they always pack their products securely.
The craftsmanship of the ledge is amazing, like most BRR products so don't be fooled by those imitations on ebay, get the real thing. The wood is perfectly sanded, and coping is flush with the wood, and grinds amazing.
The ledge is about 7.75 inches tall at the highest point and 4.5 at the lowest. It is also almost 11.5 inches long, so it is kind of a large obstacle. It can be either high or low depending on what you have it set up on.
The fun factor of this obstacle is easily a 10/10. You grind or slide down the ledge and just float out of all your tricks, it makes for hours of fun.
Next is the Bonsei Concrete curb.
I ordered this from Mike Schneider, via flatfacefingerboards.com the shipping took about 2-3 days via priority mail. It came in a priority mail box wrapped in a sponge like material and packaged inbetween a ton of newsprint, it was very secure inside.It can also be purchased from Blackriver-ramps. The block was wrapped in a paper to resemble the actual block itself with the bonsei logo printed ontop.
The curb itself is very very smooth, fresh out of the package it grinds amazing, it doesnt need wax or anything. I have heard of them chipping easily, mine has not even after about 3 solid days of use, however, there is a special substance you can apply to it to prevent chipping, which I am not at liberty to tell, it's what you call secret.
The block itself is a bit low, it's about an inch and a half tall, it does have a nice length and width, about 8.5 by 2.5 inches. The height issue can easily be fixed by putting a few pallets (which can also be purchased at blackriver) or what I did since I have no pallets, is use a couple mini dv tape cases.
The edges of the block are really smooth and grind easily, even after a few days of solid use they stay smooth and grind nice.
The pictures I have taken are after a few hours of use.
I highly suggest you pick one of these up, they are definitely worth the price, shipping can be a bit pricey if you live in the United States, so I suggest buying from Flatface, if you live in Europe, support Blackriver. The guys at Bonsei did a wonderful job and I can't wait to see what they produce in the future.
Lastly we have No Comply decks. I got this deck from Todd, the owner of No Comply, for being on the team. This particular model is a new one, when ordering you can ask for the Tim Alexiel mold.
The shipping was extremely fast and the deck was packaged in a mouse pad, inside a small box, inside a bubble mailer, very secure.
The craftsmanship of the deck is amazing, the dips are nice and even, the holes are drilled perfectly, perfect lacquer, and the graphic is brilliant. I had the option of getting the graphic as an everslick, but I chose to get just a normal one and it out, the graphic will be available as an everslick when Todd opens and it is my graphic.
I set the deck up and immediately had no trouble adjusting to the shape. The deck has a super realistic shape as you can see in the pictures, the tail is slightly shorter than the nose just like a real board. It has awesome pop and the perfect amount of concave, not too deep but not too mellow, right in the middle. The kick height is also right in the middle for optimum performance.
The plies are very brightly colored and it also has white plies, which hasn't been seen on many fingerboards.
Over all, I suggest picking one up when Todd opens, I am not sure of the price at this moment, but the decks will definitely be worth it.
I would also like to take the time to review No Comply flex tape. Flex tape is a soft griptape material similar to rip tape or fbs smooth tape. It is .5 mm thick and has a nice smooth feel to it, more similar to fbs extra smooth than rip. It comes in precut and uncut pieces, the precut pieces come in regular and wide, to cover both kinds of deck sizes. You can also get die cut designs in the the flex tape.
The grip is really good, however there are some faults with it. I have noticed when using it I have alot of trouble popping regular kickflips, I am not sure why this is, my theory has to do with the thickness of the tape, sometimes thinner isn't always better. The tape also tends to shred kind of easily after long periods of use. It is a good product, but probably not my preference to rip, but it is definitely worth trying out, what doesn't work for me, might work for someone else. You will be able to purchase it soon off of the No Comply site, coming in the near future. Here are some pictures of the tape and it compaired to rip.
thickness comparison
flex tape
rip tape
Labels: Review
posted by tim alexiel at
4:51 PM
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