In the competitive skateboard world of today, there are countless names that you can hear. Among various skateboarding companies, Dwindle Distribution makes its name as a top manufacturer with many famous brands under its management, such as Darkstar.
In this article, we will get to know more about this brand’s history, as well as what we like and don’t like about their products. Especially, our review of the best Darkstar skateboards can help you come up with a perfect choice!
Company Overview
Founded in 1977 by Chef Thomas – a professional skater, Darkstar company originally started as a skateboard wheel company. Soon after the company was managed by Dwindle Distribution, and later Globe International Limited, Darkstar expanded its product lines with skateboards, exceptionally high-quality decks.
Along with other renowned skate brands under the Dwindle umbrella, such as Enjoi, Dusters, Bind, and Almost, Darkstar has made its name as a high-quality skateboard brand with the iconic logo of the armored knight.
Besides being a reliable deck manufacturer, Darkstar is a famous skateboarding brand. All of the company’s products are made by DSM – the Dwindle’s exclusive manufacturing woodshop. It employs the single deck-pressing technique to guarantee the consistency of the products. Aside from that, DSM utilizes its patented epoxy technology and produces its own veneer, which is made of imported maple logs from Canadian Great Lake.
Are Darkstar Skateboards good?
General Information
Since Darkstar previously focused on producing wheels and decks, no wonder why the company has earned a solid reputation in the industry. Darkstar’s decks are best known to be unbreakable, while the wheels provide high-performance quality, which allows skaters to board faster with ease.
Speaking of complete skateboards, the brand also receives a significant number of plaudits from skaters for good quality and affordable prices. If you are seeking for a highly-valued skateboarding brand, look no further than Darkstar!
What We Like
- Decks: Obviously, one of the most factors that affect your decision to buy a skateboard is the deck. Thankfully, Darkstar offers durable decks that last for a high amount of time of up to more than a year. They are guaranteed to be breakage-free, thanks to the durable construction of 7-layer maple wood with a strong resin glue. Besides, they are really lightweight and provides exceptional pop.
- Wheels: As the company had years of manufacturing skateboard wheels, their quality is undoubtedly worth your money.
- Designs: Besides the iconic logo of the armored knight, Darkstar features creative and unique graphics that mark the exclusive style of the brand.
- Concave: Most of Darkstar boards have an excellent medium-depth concave, which is fit for various types of skating.
What We Don’t Like
- Not for advanced skating levels: Although a complete Darkstar setup is of decent quality, it does not meet the demands of harder skaters. If you want better performance, you should consider upgrading the wheels, bearings, or trucks of your board.
- Fake products: Many fake and cheap Darkstar products appear in the market now. Therefore, it is best for riders to purchase a Darkstar board from Darkstar official website, reliable online merchant, or quality skate shops.
Who Can Use Darkstar Boards?
Darkstar skateboards are recommended for novice and intermediate skaters, like riders with less than 2-year experience. At an amateur skating level, Darkstar provides many useful and excellent functionalities to make it a decent beginning skateboard. If you like to customize your ideal board, you can purchase single components like decks and wheels. In addition to that, you can purchase a hassle-free pre-assembled skateboard as well.
Best Darkstar Skateboards Review
Darkstar Skateboards Harley Davidson Legend Complete Skateboard
Technical Specifications
- Deck Size: 7.875” x 31.7”
- Wheels: 55mm – 88a
The first Darkstar complete skateboard to look at is this Harley Davidson model. As a collaboration between Darkstar and Harley-Davidson incorporation – one of the biggest US motorcycle manufacturers, this skateboard is undoubtedly sought-after in the market.
When looking at this cruiser, you will certainly enjoy its creative graphics. This unusual artwork is said to portray the American bike culture. It is a comic-inspired design with the combination of Darkstar’s iconic skull theme and Harley Davidson’s classic logo.
While a majority of Darkstar decks feature a double-kick popsicle design, this cruiser sets itself apart from other Darkstar models due to its directional shape. So, what can riders benefit from this type of deck? The most apparent advantage is that it allows you to adjust the board’s flex pattern. Moreover, it offers better stability than most other types of shape.
Now, let’s look at other advantages of the deck. It features an approximately 7.8-inch width, which is the standard size for the majority of skaters. At this size, you can practice and perform street skating, as well as other technical tricks with ease. Besides, the deck is made of 7 layers of Canadian maple wood with strong Epoxy Resin glue to offer the perfect durability.
Pros
- Stable
- High-quality trucks
- Excellent concave
- Outstanding graphics
- Great-quality deck
- Include a customized grip tape
- Features aluminum trucks and ABEC-rated carbon steel bearings
Cons
- The graphics don’t last long
Darkstar Lockup Royal Blue 7.875 First Push Complete Skateboard
Technical Specifications
- Deck Size: 7.875” x 31.7”
- Wheels: 51mm – 95a
Are you in need of a reliable first-push skateboard? Then check out on this Darkstar Lockup collection. It is a low-budget choice for skaters who are into mastering street/park skating.
The skateboard has a maple wood deck with a strong water-based Resin glue, which is the typical formula in almost every Darkstar board. Not only does it offer fine durability that can last for a relatively long time, but the deck can also tons of pop for impressive stunts.
This product is highly recommended for first-time and inexperienced skaters. Besides the high-quality deck, the board features bouncy and small-sized wheels, alongside with softer bushing and carbon-steel bearings. The construction facilitates both faster turns and easier control, which are what the beginners want for their boards.
With this board, you can also perform pool skating, Ollies, and other basic tricks with ease. At an affordable price, it is a highly-valued choice for beginners to start with. However, it will need a higher upgrade for average and hard skaters.
Pros
- Suitable for beginners
- Affordable
- High-quality trucks
- Excellent concave
- High-quality deck
- Soft and small wheels
- Smooth riding on many surfaces
- Good-looking graphics
Cons
- Need more upgrade for performing technical tricks
Darkstar Skateboards Box Nagel Cruiser Peach Complete Skateboard
Technical Specifications
- Deck Size: 7.75″ x 31.375″
- Wheels: 51mm – 95a
As Darkstar is famous for making nice-looking high-quality boards, each of their deck features an unusual and impressive illustration. And this Box Nagel cruiser is one of the outstanding models that will definitely catch your eyes.
This product is in the collaborated collection between Darkstar and Patrick Nagel – one of the most remarkable American artist of the 20th century. The printed design portrays a peach-background box with a woman, which is the theme that the collection focuses on. Underneath the box, you can see the printed signature of Nagel. Due to the distinctiveness of this series, its price is much higher than the average of Darkstar complete boards.
What about this cruiser skateboard’s overall performance? It is considered to be of adequate quality, best fit for beginners. The durability of the deck is undoubtedly reliable, as Darkstar has earned a reputation for making unbreakable boards.
This model comes with 51mm wheels with the hardness of 95a. Besides supporting quick acceleration, these wheels can handle rough surfaces effectively. Therefore, this skateboard is really suitable for learning and mastering street/park riding, or the basic tricks.
Pros
- Unusual collaboration with Patrick Nagel
- Impressive artwork
- High-quality trucks
- Excellent concave
- Good-quality decks
- Suitable for beginners
- Good for street/park skating
Cons
- Slightly expensive than other Darkstar models
Darkstar Scrim Black Soft Wheels Skateboard Complete
Technical Specifications
- Deck Size: 7.5″ x 31.1″
- Wheels: 51mm – 82a
Do you want a nice-looking skateboard to highlight your style? Look no further than the Scrim Soft model from Darkstar.
The skateboard deck features a large printed illustration of the armored knight – the logo of Darkstar – in the middle. The image features a dark blue-red gradient that will certainly be favored by dark-color enthusiasts. Besides, the red wheels of this board make the overall appearance attractive and unique.
This product is especially shaped for teenagers and beginners. The concave is customized to give better maneuverability for skaters to become familiar with riding the board. Aside from that, it features a full-size standard deck of 7.5 inches, which is specifically scaled to provide comfort for young riders. Yet, this size may be a bit narrow for skaters with big feet.
What’s more, this Darkstar Scrim board has extra soft wheels, which is measured just only 82a. At this rate, the wheels provide a large amount of grip, allowing smooth ride or cruising even on the roughest surface. Additionally, the wheels facilitate riders to skate over cracks and bumps easily.
Pros
- Nice-looking graphics
- Extra soft wheels
- Durable deck
- High-quality trucks
- Excellent concave
- Great for street/park skating
- Suitable for young riders
Cons
- The deck may be narrow for big riders
Darkstar Bachinsky Heavy Metal II Skateboard
Technical Specifications
- Deck Size: 8″ x 31.6″
- Wheels: 53mm – 95a
If you are a fan of comics and heavy-metal style, then do not miss out on the Darkstar Bachinsky Heavy Metal II. This purple skateboard features a unique comic-inspired illustration that will certainly attract a large number of skaters. The design of this model is no doubt outstanding, but riders may wonder about the quality of the whole skateboard.
When it comes to the performance, this Darkstar skateboard does wonders for amateur and intermediate skaters, thanks to having a variety of fine features.
First, the deck is durable and gives tons of pops that facilitate riders to perform tricks. The size is 8 inches in width, which is comfortable enough to ride for adults and riders with big feet.
What’s more, this product features exceptional bearings using the Skate Rated system from Bones Bearings – a leading manufacturer in the industry. Unlike the ABEC rating that appears in other Darkstar skateboards, the Skated Rated aims to provide better performance and to highlight many factors ignored by the ABEC.
Like other Darkstar complete boards, this model has high-quality aluminum trucks to ensure the best functionality. Additionally, it comes with high-rebound bushings to support higher responsiveness.
Pros
- Perfect for skaters who love comics and heavy-metal style
- Durable deck with great pops
- Excellent concave
- Skate Rated bearings
- Small and bouncy wheels
- Skate Rated bearings
- Highly responsive
Cons
- The price of a complete skateboard is slightly high
FAQs
Can beginners use Darkstar skateboards?
Darkstar is worth a try for every amateur riders, thanks to the good quality that the board provides. It features awesome decks and wheels, the two most fundamental concerns of skaters. Aside from that, other components are of great quality, ensuring an enjoyable ride for beginners.
Are Darkstar skateboards affordable?
Darkstar offers a variety of skateboards with different price ranges. There are many options that are below $50 or $100, which is considered to be affordable compared to other skateboard for beginners.
Should I buy a Darkstar skateboard from Walmart?
The answer is NO. Walmart sells cheap yet low-quality Darkstar boards that fail to meet your expectations. Whether they are originally manufactured by Darkstar is unclear. Therefore, to save your money, you should buy only from the Darkstar’s official website and trusted merchants.
Conclusion
It’s the end of our article about Darkstar skateboards now. So far, we have got to know the origin and quality of this popular brand. If you are considering purchasing a skateboard from Darkstar, then hope that our recommendation list can help you come up with a perfect option for your needs. Moreover, keep in mind that you should only purchase any Darkstar products through the official store and authentic merchants.
If you have used any Darkstar products before, then feel free to tell us your opinion! Thanks so much for reading.
