Skateboard hardware is exposed to an extraordinary amount stress and strain, especially the skateboard deck itself. Thus, there have been a steady output of new deck innovations and technologies that promise to improve the hardware’s lifetime. With that said, the old fashioned seven wood ply layers of North American maple have stood the test of time as a successful all-purpose formula. So most “advanced“ technologies of the past, such as the use of special adhesives, alternative materials  and new production processes, have come and go from the scene.

The enumerated improvements were often used individually for different companies. But now Dwindle, which includes Blind, Cliche, Almost, Enjoi, and Darkstar, has combined all of these different technologies to result in the Impact Plus Technology. We here at Weartested put these Dwindle boards to a stress test and in the following few paragraphs gave our opinion on whether or not the extra bit of money for a Dwindle board was worth it. Check it out below.

Idea

The Impact Plus Technology combines three technologies to improve durability. Firstly, the eight instead of the normal seven layers of wood are held together by a very robust epoxy glue. Secondly, since the main stress zones are around the axes, (because it is around this area where the nose and tail are divided by the holes for mounting on the trucks) Dwindle added two laminate carbon fiber discs to evenly disperse the impact stress in these areas. Lastly, the top layer of wood is provided with a further stamped carbon fiber inlay. All three points strengthen the deck so that it has a stronger pop, the pop is retained longer and benefits longevity of the deck in all.

Materials

The main material used to increase the durability of the deck is carbon fiber. This material is suitable insofar as carbon fiber has both a very high strength, and a low fatigue. It also has a high module of elasticity often described in numerical values, where rubber itself is around .01 and steel is around 200. Carbon-fiber itself is around 30-50. This value describes the relationship of strain and stress, or how much something bends under a given amount of stress. A high modulus of elasticity therefore means that carbon fiber has a high resistance to deformation. Thus, carbon fiber has suitable properties to make a deck more durable and also stiffer.

Impression

Overall, the improved stiffness of the deck from the start is very noticeable. When you stand on the mounted deck it is clear that it flexes much less than a regular deck. This rigidity also makes itself felt in the landings. Landings feel less cushioned. The rigidity of the deck also significantly improves the pop of the deck, with one characteristic quite noticeable: the sound of the pop. It is not dull, but very clear and loud. At the beginning, it may be tricky getting used to the improved pop, because less force is needed for you to pop. However, after a short settling time and a few sessions, you become much more used to it. An advantage of the Impact Plus Technology compared to normal decks is that the deck stays stiff for a much longer amount of time, which helps the board’s pop retain longer and inaccurate landings on nose or tail have no impact to the overall strength of the deck.

Summary

Dwindle decks with the Impact Plus Technology offer excellent and stiff pop due to their improved stiffness. The eight-layer ply composition of the deck has way more durability compared to seven layers on  normal decks. The additional few bucks is well worth it since the Impact Plus decks do significantly have better pop, longer lifetime and a perfect overall durability.

A

Tensor Silver Maglight

The Tensor Mag Light focuses clearly on the weight. Tensor’s Mag Light Trucks are made of magnesium in the hangar and the baseplate, which drops weight without sacrificing on strength. The kingpins and axles are hollow as well, giving you a truck that’s 30 % lighter than an average truck.

A

Andale Swiss Bearings

Andale is a skater owned and operated company that feature high quality skateboard bearings by non other than Joey Brezinski & Paul Rodriguez. Andale bearings are the best option if you want to have Swiss bearing with  the highest quality standard for a reasonable price.

The post Almost Impact Plus appeared first on Weartested - detailed skate shoe reviews.

Skateboard hardware, especially the skateboard deck, is continually exposed to an enormous amount of load and stress. That’s why there’s no question that time is being invested into researching innovative technologies to improve the durability of such boards. On the other hand, Skateboarders often decide that the marketed newest space-age technology in boards isn´t their cup of tea, so 7 plys of North American Maple are still their predominant weapon of choice. Most innovations such as new adhesives, various materials and inserts, as well as new production processes usually vanish sooner or later. With that said, Dwindle decided to see how people reacted if they simply combined all these technologies into one, which lead to the development of “Impact Technology” and can be found in most Cliche, Almost, Enjoy, Zero, Darkstar and Blind boards. We wanted to try something new for once and gave that technology a go to see if those extra dollars actually pay off.

Idea

Impact Technology is the combination of two ways to improve durability. First off, the wood plys are fused by a extremely tough epoxy-resin. Secondly, the upper-most ply is fused with carbon inlays. These approaches aim to improve and sustain the deck’s pop over a longer period of time and improve its overall durability.

Materials

The main material to improve the durability of a deck is carbon fiber. Its main features are its tensile strength, as well as low material fatigue. Its high modulus of elasticity is a key feature as well, as it describes the relationship between stretch and stress. A high modulus of elasticity means that the carbon fibers are extremely resistant to deformation, thus ideal for improving the stiffness and durability of the deck.

Impressions

The improvement in stiffness is noticeable from the start. It bends much less than a regular board from just stepping on it, which which can also be felt during the first few landings. The main advantage and selling point of Impact Technology is its improved pop and reduction of lost pop, especially when landing directly on the nose or tail of the deck. This promise was fulfilled.

Summary

Dwindle decks with Impact Technology deliver improved stiffness with great pop. Those 8 ply boards tend to be a little more durable than average 7 ply boards, which means that the cost of a few extra bucks might actually pay off.

Thunder Trucks Titanium Lights 147

Thunder trucks have a high-end truck in their product portfolio, called Titanium lights. Titanium is a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density and high strength. The truck’s axel is made out of titanium, which is extremely strong and hard to wear down. In addition, the trucks are much lighter than regular trucks due to a hollow kingpin and a honeycomb structure baseplate made out of aluminum.

Spitfire Formular Four 99 Duros

Spitfire introduced the Formula Four wheel range a while back. The wheels tend to be more abrasion resistant. They are using a special formula of urethane which lasts longer and withstands more abuse. Spitfire’s Formula Four Urethane is developed to combine the properties of a wheel without sacrificing one attribute at the expense of another. Due to the longer lasting urethane, the wheels retain more material, cone less and keep their original shapes and sizes longer.

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