Transparent longboards have seen a spike in popularity in the past few years.
And now you’re probably wondering if they’re worth your hard-earned money, right?
I was also curious, so I bought one, took it apart, and tested it.
Who Is It Best For?
These are basic cruiser longboards meant for casual cruising.
These boards are solid if you want something that can get you from point A to point B without doing anything fancy. Don’t get these if you want to do tricks or bomb hills.
Or if you want an art piece to hang in your office or bedroom. The cool part about them is that you can customize the design to your liking. Whether it’s your name, company logo, or anything else you can think of.
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Deck
The deck is plexiglass, making most people trip out when they see them.
Especially when paired with wheels that light up, it gives off a futuristic vibe. It’s cool they give you the flexibility to create your own vision.
It’s important to note that they’re thicker than other longboards made from maple.
I initially thought it wouldn’t flex, but it actually does. If you get a shorter board, then it’ll flex less.
If you hit it on hard surfaces, it will chip. You can pick up one of their nose bumpers if you’re concerned about it.
You never wanna ride in wet conditions, but the deck can get slippery if your feet get wet since there’s no griptape. There are solutions for that, like transparent griptape, but that sort of defeats the purpose of the transparent look.
I was expecting the deck to be more slippery than it was, but as long as you don’t get it wet, it’s solid.
Hardware
Next, we have the hardware which is your standard bolts, nuts, and washers. The nuts have a self-locking plastic to ensure they don’t loosen over time, which is always solid to see.
Trucks
Moving on to the trucks, they have their own Ghost longboard reverse kingpin trucks. They’re decent quality, and nothing stands out as being bad.
Not the best, but you can’t expect much for a basic cruiser.
Wheels
They offer a variety of wheels – light-up LEDs, shark wheels, and standard-colored ones.
One thing I noticed while riding the LED wheels is that they’re harder since they don’t have as much urethane in them as the others. So, as a result, you can feel bumps and cracks more while riding.
I’d suggest going with either the shark wheels or regular ones since riding will be smoother.
Main Takeaways
After reviewing every part of this board, here are some pros & cons.
Starting with the pros…
Unique Aesthetic
As far as the pros go, I love the unique aesthetic of it. This is why these boards are so popular; they just look so cool.
Customization
I also love the fact that they allow you to customize your board. Whether you want your name or your company’s name engraved, they can do it. They can most likely do it even if you have a wacky pattern.
Chips Easily
I noticed the nose and tail chip easily if you hit it on curbs or the pavement. The one cool thing is they now offer rubber nose guards to prevent them from chipping. But compared to a traditional wooden longboard, I’d say this is a con.
Heavy
Since the decks are thicker than normal, the overall weight of Ghost boards is heavier. So if you plan on walking around town with it, I probably wouldn’t get one of these.
You could get a smaller one, but there are better options if you need something lightweight and portable. Maybe look into the Landyachtz Dinghy or Landyachtz Tugboat.
Below I’ll answer some common questions I’ve been asked about Ghost Longboards.
Do Ghost Longboards Have Grip?
Ghost longboards don’t have traditional grip tape, but they really don’t need it since they’re meant for basic cruising. The grip is enough without grip tape if you don’t get them wet.
Are Ghost Longboards Good For Beginners?
Ghost longboards are fine for beginners, especially if you want to just do casual cruising. Remember that they’re heavier than most other longboards out there. And if you plan to do anything besides basic cruising, I probably wouldn’t get a Ghost Longboard.
Are Ghost Longboards Good For Tricks?
No, you shouldn’t get a Ghost Longboard if you want something to do tricks on. It is possible to do some dancing on them if you get a longer deck, but it’s ultimately not ideal. I’d only suggest getting a Ghost if you want something for casual cruising.
