Pure OM 29mm
Deck Review by Xi Jin
A pretty bad picture of the deck
About me and this board
I have been fingerboarding for 11 years, finally picking up a sponsorship from Close Up in the last half year. I have been involved with the online scene on FFI, FBHQ and YouTube; Currently, I am a moderator on FBHQ. I have written fingerboard product reviews before as I am genuinely interested in fingerboard products and want to share the information. This is my 17th review and I hope the reader may see this as an unbiased review, despite my sponsorship.
As for experience with decks, I have had 39 different types of wooden decks and have tried many more.
This deck has been set up with Ace Fingerboarding tape, China baseplates, Close Up hangers, tuning and bearing wheels. I am a little ashamed to say that I have been slacking in putting out this review so I have had it for over 2 months. This does, however, mean that I have had a lot of experience with the deck. I've used it as a main board for over a month. I have only had it for indoor use.
I pretty much just copy and paste this same format for all my reviews to save hassle. I personally prefer text-based reviews as opposed to video reviews as the reader can choose to read it at their own pace instead of being forced to follow the speed of the reviewer and who can often trail-off topic. I like to write my reviews detailed with enough information for potential buyers to know everything about the product before purchasing.
Apologies for my low quality pictures, I intend to invest in better optical equipment in the future.
I have been fingerboarding for 11 years, finally picking up a sponsorship from Close Up in the last half year. I have been involved with the online scene on FFI, FBHQ and YouTube; Currently, I am a moderator on FBHQ. I have written fingerboard product reviews before as I am genuinely interested in fingerboard products and want to share the information. This is my 17th review and I hope the reader may see this as an unbiased review, despite my sponsorship.
As for experience with decks, I have had 39 different types of wooden decks and have tried many more.
This deck has been set up with Ace Fingerboarding tape, China baseplates, Close Up hangers, tuning and bearing wheels. I am a little ashamed to say that I have been slacking in putting out this review so I have had it for over 2 months. This does, however, mean that I have had a lot of experience with the deck. I've used it as a main board for over a month. I have only had it for indoor use.
I pretty much just copy and paste this same format for all my reviews to save hassle. I personally prefer text-based reviews as opposed to video reviews as the reader can choose to read it at their own pace instead of being forced to follow the speed of the reviewer and who can often trail-off topic. I like to write my reviews detailed with enough information for potential buyers to know everything about the product before purchasing.
Apologies for my low quality pictures, I intend to invest in better optical equipment in the future.
Components of the setup
Company Profile
Pure Decks is operated by Brian C in the US. Their primary offerings are low cost standard shape fingerboard decks and they come in 2 molds - OM & NM. The OM is a low concave mold and the NM offers more concave; the two molds being able to accompany more people's preferences. The decks themselves are also made in different styles - there are standard maple decks, exotic woods, split-ply, metal-bottom, hand-painted graphics and wood printed graphics. The level of skill at Brian's disposal allows for a very diverse range of decks to suit the customer. The origins of Pure were established from making custom decks and although there are some general stock decks, there are sure to be decks for everyone with custom orders. The widths of decks can also be ordered from a great range. My first Pure deck is a 26mm, the standard size of years gone by and there are also 32mm decks, a popular size today. Despite being known for a low cost company, the quality of the decks in terms of craftsmanship and performance are at a very top level.
Besides from making decks, Pure also have wooden benches (let's not talk about KL/BR, please). Brian is also able to make other obstacles but the main focus is on decks.
In my personal opinion, Brian's decks are worth much more than they are valued at but he does it for the community rather than himself. The costs of materials, labour and time spent on creating the decks should mean more expensive decks. Brian is a very valued member of the community with his contribution of great low cost decks.
Pure normally operates from the two main English-speaking fingerboarding forums, FFI (BrianC.) and FBHQ (BrianC). He has also opened a small webshop.
Webshop: http://puredecks.bigcartel.com/
Product Overview
When you order a custom deck, not only will you expect the deck but there should be a small selection of extras. There should be a sheet of tape, a Pure pin badge, some Pure stickers and a couple of pivot cups.
Deck Statistics
Deck Length: 101mm
Deck Width: 29mm
Nose and Tail concaves (dips): low
Rail to rail concave: low
Ply Construction: 5-ply, assumedly maple, top to bottom - natural, green, natural, green, natural
Kicks: medium
Asymmetry: nose is 2mm longer than the tail
Kingpin holes: yes
Wheelbase: 41.5mm
Graphic: blank maple bottom
Note: All measurements are approximate
Transaction Details
Price: -
Shipping cost: -
Time to arrive: -
I cannot really comment on a purchase of the product since this was an extra I received from Brian after I purchased a Pure bench. I have purchased a deck previously and the transaction was very smooth. There was a bit of a wait for this order as Brian was busy but he added some nice extras so there were no complaints from me.
The bench, deck and extras were shipped in a cardboard box with lots of shredded paper inside to protect everything. Unfortunately, from the US to China, the bench was damaged but it was easily put back together with some glue. The deck and extras were all unaffected and arrived in good condition.
Pure Decks is operated by Brian C in the US. Their primary offerings are low cost standard shape fingerboard decks and they come in 2 molds - OM & NM. The OM is a low concave mold and the NM offers more concave; the two molds being able to accompany more people's preferences. The decks themselves are also made in different styles - there are standard maple decks, exotic woods, split-ply, metal-bottom, hand-painted graphics and wood printed graphics. The level of skill at Brian's disposal allows for a very diverse range of decks to suit the customer. The origins of Pure were established from making custom decks and although there are some general stock decks, there are sure to be decks for everyone with custom orders. The widths of decks can also be ordered from a great range. My first Pure deck is a 26mm, the standard size of years gone by and there are also 32mm decks, a popular size today. Despite being known for a low cost company, the quality of the decks in terms of craftsmanship and performance are at a very top level.
Besides from making decks, Pure also have wooden benches (let's not talk about KL/BR, please). Brian is also able to make other obstacles but the main focus is on decks.
In my personal opinion, Brian's decks are worth much more than they are valued at but he does it for the community rather than himself. The costs of materials, labour and time spent on creating the decks should mean more expensive decks. Brian is a very valued member of the community with his contribution of great low cost decks.
Pure normally operates from the two main English-speaking fingerboarding forums, FFI (BrianC.) and FBHQ (BrianC). He has also opened a small webshop.
Webshop: http://puredecks.bigcartel.com/
Product Overview
When you order a custom deck, not only will you expect the deck but there should be a small selection of extras. There should be a sheet of tape, a Pure pin badge, some Pure stickers and a couple of pivot cups.
Deck Statistics
Deck Length: 101mm
Deck Width: 29mm
Nose and Tail concaves (dips): low
Rail to rail concave: low
Ply Construction: 5-ply, assumedly maple, top to bottom - natural, green, natural, green, natural
Kicks: medium
Asymmetry: nose is 2mm longer than the tail
Kingpin holes: yes
Wheelbase: 41.5mm
Graphic: blank maple bottom
Note: All measurements are approximate
Transaction Details
Price: -
Shipping cost: -
Time to arrive: -
I cannot really comment on a purchase of the product since this was an extra I received from Brian after I purchased a Pure bench. I have purchased a deck previously and the transaction was very smooth. There was a bit of a wait for this order as Brian was busy but he added some nice extras so there were no complaints from me.
The bench, deck and extras were shipped in a cardboard box with lots of shredded paper inside to protect everything. Unfortunately, from the US to China, the bench was damaged but it was easily put back together with some glue. The deck and extras were all unaffected and arrived in good condition.
Picture of the packaging
Packaging
Just commenting on the Pure decks, they should arrive in a medium sized plastic zip lock bag with the extras inside it. Pretty standard and functional.
Just commenting on the Pure decks, they should arrive in a medium sized plastic zip lock bag with the extras inside it. Pretty standard and functional.
Deck top
Deck craftsmanship
Brian has been making decks for a while now. My first Pure deck, a blank 26mm OM, was actually Brian's second deck ever sold. It is relevant to this review to mention that even this old deck was amazingly crafted. I analysed it very carefully in lots of detail and it was very similar to the Berlinwood OM regular, despite Brian not even owning one of those decks. There wasn't a dyed bottom and the lacquer used was different but the quality was pretty much on par with the Berlinwood.
As for the 29mm Pure OM I am reviewing, Brian has improved on the craftsmanship of the old 26mm I have. The 26mm was already amazing but the lacquer is now thicker than on my old deck. I've got a few noticeable big marks on my old deck but the newer deck only has tiny marks even though it has had months of use. Another noticeable difference is that the rails (sides) of the newer deck has a much smoother finish with extra lacquer. There is evidence of sanding on the old deck but it seems completely smooth on the new OM.
29mm is a more modern size to the 26mm and there are some optimisation changes to the 29mm. Although there are same kick positions and the same low concave on both OMs, the 29mm has a slightly smaller wheelbase. Older styles of fingerboard decks were made to be realistic to skateboarding, whereas the newer boards are more tailored to fingerboarding. Although it has a change in wheelbase, it just feels right. In addition, the larger 29mm board has also had its kick sizes appropriately increased and become a tiny bit pointier. Another new aesthetical feature is the burn mark on the top of the deck. I think it looks pretty cool as a form of branding and the old decks lacked this.
Overall, both of these boards have completely parallel rails, perfect holes for effortless mounting, clean kingpin holes for compatibility with old Tech Deck baseplates, good countersinks for all screws, uniform lacquering and a consistent shape along the decks. With these two Pure OM decks, I can see that Brian is obviously very consistent in his deck making with a very high quality standard.
Both of the decks also feature alternating plies. They both have standard blank 1st, 3rd and 5th plies; the 29mm has green on the other plies and the 26mm has dark brown.
So were there any flaws? There is nothing really noticeable. The kicks may not be perfectly symmetrical in shape but they are as close as you can get really - even Berlinwood Classics have this. There is also a rectangular shaped light dent on one of the rails of the deck but that is probably from the postal services not taking care of the box it was shipped in. As the bench I ordered was damaged, I think one of the legs of the bench may have hit the rail of the deck to make the mark. Most people will probably order a single deck so this won't happen to anyone else. My first deck arrived fine. There is nothing to complain about from me though, I am really happy with the deck.
Brian also makes a lot of different styles of kinds of decks (handpainted graphics, metal bottoms, 32mm's, etc.) and I would count on them also being very high quality. If the quality and performance of Pure decks are this good, it's just a shame I didn't buy a more premium version like a graphic deck.
Brian has been making decks for a while now. My first Pure deck, a blank 26mm OM, was actually Brian's second deck ever sold. It is relevant to this review to mention that even this old deck was amazingly crafted. I analysed it very carefully in lots of detail and it was very similar to the Berlinwood OM regular, despite Brian not even owning one of those decks. There wasn't a dyed bottom and the lacquer used was different but the quality was pretty much on par with the Berlinwood.
As for the 29mm Pure OM I am reviewing, Brian has improved on the craftsmanship of the old 26mm I have. The 26mm was already amazing but the lacquer is now thicker than on my old deck. I've got a few noticeable big marks on my old deck but the newer deck only has tiny marks even though it has had months of use. Another noticeable difference is that the rails (sides) of the newer deck has a much smoother finish with extra lacquer. There is evidence of sanding on the old deck but it seems completely smooth on the new OM.
29mm is a more modern size to the 26mm and there are some optimisation changes to the 29mm. Although there are same kick positions and the same low concave on both OMs, the 29mm has a slightly smaller wheelbase. Older styles of fingerboard decks were made to be realistic to skateboarding, whereas the newer boards are more tailored to fingerboarding. Although it has a change in wheelbase, it just feels right. In addition, the larger 29mm board has also had its kick sizes appropriately increased and become a tiny bit pointier. Another new aesthetical feature is the burn mark on the top of the deck. I think it looks pretty cool as a form of branding and the old decks lacked this.
Overall, both of these boards have completely parallel rails, perfect holes for effortless mounting, clean kingpin holes for compatibility with old Tech Deck baseplates, good countersinks for all screws, uniform lacquering and a consistent shape along the decks. With these two Pure OM decks, I can see that Brian is obviously very consistent in his deck making with a very high quality standard.
Both of the decks also feature alternating plies. They both have standard blank 1st, 3rd and 5th plies; the 29mm has green on the other plies and the 26mm has dark brown.
So were there any flaws? There is nothing really noticeable. The kicks may not be perfectly symmetrical in shape but they are as close as you can get really - even Berlinwood Classics have this. There is also a rectangular shaped light dent on one of the rails of the deck but that is probably from the postal services not taking care of the box it was shipped in. As the bench I ordered was damaged, I think one of the legs of the bench may have hit the rail of the deck to make the mark. Most people will probably order a single deck so this won't happen to anyone else. My first deck arrived fine. There is nothing to complain about from me though, I am really happy with the deck.
Brian also makes a lot of different styles of kinds of decks (handpainted graphics, metal bottoms, 32mm's, etc.) and I would count on them also being very high quality. If the quality and performance of Pure decks are this good, it's just a shame I didn't buy a more premium version like a graphic deck.
Setup - side
Setup - top
Setup - bottom
Deck performance
I mentioned my 26mm Pure OM in the previous section and I will also do so here. That deck looked very close to a Berlinwood OM regular and it performed the same too. The BWOM was probably one of the top decks of its day and cost €30 without shipping. Well, this Pure was $13 shipped (I think) offering the same quality and performance for about a third of the price. The only main difference in performance was down to the tapes I put on them - BWOMs came with Rip and that early Pure deck came with Wangster tape. Besides from that, the decks felt indistinguishable.
The 29mm appears to be a more modern version of the 26mm I had. The width is increased for more control and kicks longer to accommodate the larger width. As I said before the wheelbase is also slightly smaller. However, these sizes feel appropriate for this kind of deck. These changes overall do give more control but the feel of the board still feels like a typical board and not something that is alien. I am very pleased to say that the classic low concave feel of the 26mm is still the same feel in the 29mm.
I've made a lot of comparisons between the BWOM and Pure OM but I feel that the shape, quality and performance are so similar, it's the best way for a reader to understand what the deck is like. I am aware that not everyone has owned or been on a BWOM though.
The shape and decent lacquer allows for a very responsive pop, especially with the optimised truck hole positioning and lengthier kicks. In my opinion, low concave decks are better for all-round performance. I love hardcore decks for doing flips but a low concave deck, like Pure OMs, have given me the most consistency when doing all styles of fingerboarding - street, transition and freestyle. Freestyle is a large part of what I do and if you are the same or if you want to include it in what you do, Pure OMs are great. You do need SOME concave on the deck though and the Pure OM has enough to make tricks comfortable.
I mentioned my 26mm Pure OM in the previous section and I will also do so here. That deck looked very close to a Berlinwood OM regular and it performed the same too. The BWOM was probably one of the top decks of its day and cost €30 without shipping. Well, this Pure was $13 shipped (I think) offering the same quality and performance for about a third of the price. The only main difference in performance was down to the tapes I put on them - BWOMs came with Rip and that early Pure deck came with Wangster tape. Besides from that, the decks felt indistinguishable.
The 29mm appears to be a more modern version of the 26mm I had. The width is increased for more control and kicks longer to accommodate the larger width. As I said before the wheelbase is also slightly smaller. However, these sizes feel appropriate for this kind of deck. These changes overall do give more control but the feel of the board still feels like a typical board and not something that is alien. I am very pleased to say that the classic low concave feel of the 26mm is still the same feel in the 29mm.
I've made a lot of comparisons between the BWOM and Pure OM but I feel that the shape, quality and performance are so similar, it's the best way for a reader to understand what the deck is like. I am aware that not everyone has owned or been on a BWOM though.
The shape and decent lacquer allows for a very responsive pop, especially with the optimised truck hole positioning and lengthier kicks. In my opinion, low concave decks are better for all-round performance. I love hardcore decks for doing flips but a low concave deck, like Pure OMs, have given me the most consistency when doing all styles of fingerboarding - street, transition and freestyle. Freestyle is a large part of what I do and if you are the same or if you want to include it in what you do, Pure OMs are great. You do need SOME concave on the deck though and the Pure OM has enough to make tricks comfortable.
Comparison between 29mm Pure OM, 26mm Pure OM and 26mm Berlinwood OM
Overall
Brian is probably thinking I am a massive twat for not writing this review sooner. Well, there have been a few reasons for this - work, gf and general laziness. One other reason is that this deck is just plain addictive. I do normally take a month of using a product to find my bearings on it before writing a review. In this case, I did hold off a bit and kept skating it. The tape on it is actually becoming thrashed yet this is review deck. I do use decks from my sponsor but it's quite evident that I've shown this deck a lot more love than some other decks I have reviewed.
Where to purchase
Brian sells his decks on three places. FFI, FBHQ and his webshop. On his webshop, you can find series of decks and you can also order a custom deck on it. On FFI and FBHQ, you can also PM him directly for ordering a custom or getting additional info/asking questions. There may also be limited stocks that he will put up on FBHQ's Buy/Sell/Trade board or FFI's Transactions.
A standard custom deck will cost $18. This is slightly higher than it used to be but still an amazingly low price. Other decks may be higher or lower.
Links
Webshop: http://puredecks.bigcartel.com/
FBHQ: http://www.fingerboardhq.net/forum/
FFI: http://fingerflipinc.com/forum/
Closing comments
You may use this review and pictures, in part or in full, as long as you credit it to me and get permission from me.
If you have read this review and it was useful, please reply! Review threads don't always get a lot of replies, even if they are read. If you didn't like this review, please tell me why so I can improve. If you want to get a product reviewed, I recommend contacting Kerry Williams from Unitefingerboarding.com.
Brian is probably thinking I am a massive twat for not writing this review sooner. Well, there have been a few reasons for this - work, gf and general laziness. One other reason is that this deck is just plain addictive. I do normally take a month of using a product to find my bearings on it before writing a review. In this case, I did hold off a bit and kept skating it. The tape on it is actually becoming thrashed yet this is review deck. I do use decks from my sponsor but it's quite evident that I've shown this deck a lot more love than some other decks I have reviewed.
Where to purchase
Brian sells his decks on three places. FFI, FBHQ and his webshop. On his webshop, you can find series of decks and you can also order a custom deck on it. On FFI and FBHQ, you can also PM him directly for ordering a custom or getting additional info/asking questions. There may also be limited stocks that he will put up on FBHQ's Buy/Sell/Trade board or FFI's Transactions.
A standard custom deck will cost $18. This is slightly higher than it used to be but still an amazingly low price. Other decks may be higher or lower.
Links
Webshop: http://puredecks.bigcartel.com/
FBHQ: http://www.fingerboardhq.net/forum/
FFI: http://fingerflipinc.com/forum/
Closing comments
You may use this review and pictures, in part or in full, as long as you credit it to me and get permission from me.
If you have read this review and it was useful, please reply! Review threads don't always get a lot of replies, even if they are read. If you didn't like this review, please tell me why so I can improve. If you want to get a product reviewed, I recommend contacting Kerry Williams from Unitefingerboarding.com.
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