Today we have a special, SPECIAL, SPECIAL cruiser to review. I’m so stoked to tell you all about the Comet Cruiser! I had to wait for ages, it took quite some time before it arrived but when it finally did, the FedEx guy was the hero of the day.
I can tell you right off the bat that there isn’t anything like this out there. At least to my knowledge, I tested quite some cruisers, but this one is something else.
The Comet Cruiser checks almost all the boxes; power slides, ollies, speed, stability, carving, downhill, and a super challenging ride. Stoked yet? Let’s dive into all the components, do a test ride and drool all over your screen because this board is from another dimension.
I know there are a lot of you that are waiting for this review, and I took my time testing this board but I’m still not done.
Update: After riding the Comet for a couple of years I think it’s great but not very comfy. You have to be alert all the time because of it’s narrow deck. Still a great board, but not for those who want a relaxed ride.
Contents
Comet Cruiser First Impressions
I never heard of these guys before, mainly because I live in Europe (The Netherlands) but they’ve been at it for over 30 years, so forgive my ignorance. The Comet Cruiser just looks super rad, heck when I was riding this board a kid told me “hey! Cool skateboard”, and a mom remarked to her kid that it was a super cool skateboard. Win!
I tested almost a dozen cruisers and never experienced someone commenting on my board twice in one ride. I’m so impressed with this board that the rest is now collecting dust, even my beloved Arbor Pilsner is no match. My kid is now fighting me for the Comet when we go out and ride, easy win though he’s only 8.
Enough jokes, time to get down to business. Let’s look at the specs first and then go through each component.
- Deck: 34” long /7.875” wide /20.25” wheelbase /3.5” nose /5.75” tail
- Trucks 108mm Paris
- Bushings: 83a / 88a Venom SHR
- Wheels: 69mm Powell Snakes, 75A
- Bearings: Zealous
- Risers: 7º Soft Wedges
- Griptape: Jessup
Comet Cruiser Test Ride
I admit, at first I had to get used to the narrow deck. I’m also not used to flexible decks, but it took only a few minutes. After that, it was pure bliss. This board has soul, it lives and breathes when you ride, and at some point you feel like it’s becoming a part of you.
You can punch it and really put your weight in and feel what it likes and doesn’t. I’m still learning to be honest, but I feel pretty confident on this board.
I love how it carves and how smooth it rides. None of my other cruisers ride like the Comet though but it’s narrow shape requires you to keep focussed.
Deck
You know some boards look rad and you feel like riding them only to be disappointed. Not this one! The mahogany strips and two sheets of triaxial fiberglass make this board both durable and handsome.
The first time you get your hands on it, you feel you have something special few others have. I live in the Netherlands and I paid quite some money for this board, but it was more than worth it.
I love the flex and carve, you can really put in all your weight and it will go wherever you want. Popping an ollie is possible, but I still can’t commit to it fully because I am scared to destroy the deck. Getting a replacement is expensive and will take time, it’s something that is really holding me back to test the full potential of this board.
I love the fact that the nose is flat; you see so many cruisers out there that mimic a regular skateboard with a nose that supposed to look like a regular skateboard, but it doesn’t really add anything useful.
Glad they left that out, I guess they really focused on form and function. Yes, you can ollie this boards and it works, but the wheels and trucks feel heavy when you do. The board can take it and the plastic skid plate will protect the kicktail from wearing.
It’s also very capable of manuals, but I still am working on those because it never was my thing. The rather narrow profile makes the ride a bit tricky, you have to pay attention at all time because the board is very unforgiving.
Wheels
The wheels are just standard Powell Snakes (69mm/77A) but somehow they really shine on this setup. It’s like these guys know what they are doing. In anticipation of the Comet I ordered a couple of Snakes and I must admit, these are awesome cruiser wheels. I tried them on my Dinghy and Pilsner, they are stable, grippy, and fast.
Slap them on the Comet and suddenly they come to life. Maybe it’s the combo of the Paris trucks and Venom bushings, or the rather long and flexy deck. They just feel exactly right. These wheels plow through almost anything, but there are limits.
Keep in mind that power slides will destroy the wheels over time, easy to replace though (if they are in stock). Snakes also have the tendency to chunck, it’s not uncommon.
Most riders won’t really have this issue though, extreme downhillers and very skilled riders that are able to push the board to its limits and will destroy the wheels. Us mortals though that like a smooth cruise won’t have any issues though.
Pebbles/rocks are no problem, the Snakes easily roll over them or launches them straight into orbit (I love it when a pebble just takes of when you hit it). No noticeable resistance when riding over cracks, and even crusty asphalt is doable (with some effort), though it requires you to push hard and it’s not exactly pleasant.
Trucks
Hey nothing special here, just Paris trucks BUT!!!! I am not a fan of the Paris stock bushings. Sure Paris are excellent trucks but they really need to work on this. The only Paris trucks that came with bushings I liked from the start are from my Arbor Pilsner. The rest took quite some time to break-in and, in some cases, I replaced them entirely.
The good news is that Comet Skateboards are aware of this problem, so they removed the stock bushings and replaced them with something that just works so well straight out of the box.
The rear truck comes with 88a Venom SHR bushings and the bushings in front are a tad softer (83A). It might feel a bit loose to some (depending on your weight) but you’ll get used to it, it really makes this cruiser super carvy.
Angled Kigho Risers
I really should remove the risers to give you a fair comparison, but that will come when I update this post in a few months. For now they seem to give an extra carvy experience, the slim angled risers seem to work very well with the trucks bushings and wheels.
Can’t exactly lay my finger on it because I honestly don’t know how this works just yet, but somehow they seem to make this boards carve like no other.
The only cruiser I can compare is the Landyachtz Surfskate, but that board is pretty boring compared to the Comet and you pay about 200 bucks for a mediocre board with crappy wheels and bearings. It’s a bad comparison anyway.
UPDATE: removing them was a bad idea but I learned new things, angled risers really make a difference.
Bearings
So far, no complaints. I haven’t swapped out the bearings yet. Come back in a few months and I can tell you more. I ordered a second Comet for a friend but will do a couple of tests to see if there’s anything to improve, highly doubt it though.
Can This Board Do Tricks?
Like I always say, you can kickflip a banana if you’re skilled enough. You can ollie, power slide, and do board slides (waste of the deck though). Don’t expect to kickflip this board like a popsicle shaped skateboard.
Buy a regular skateboard and shred it to pieces, but be respectful to your cruisers. Who on earth would want to destroy such a fine board like the Comet? It’s a cruiser and you will love riding snake runs and cruise parks. It will be a blast!
Conclusion
You want a great nimble cruiser that requires your attention at all times? Go with a rather independent brand and for those of you who can tell me which board or local brand can compete with the Comet Cruiser, I’m all ears.
I really want something out of a board, it needs to be aggressive but also a chill ride when I don’t feel like doing anything gnarly. I want to pop a few ollies and not worry about my deck (I still do though, I only have one). This board can’t handle all of that, but it delivers nonetheless.
Want a smaller cruiser which is flexy, can pop and carve at the same time? This is your board.
Worth It?
That really depends on what you are looking for. Sure it’s a great cruiser and doesn’t require much pushing to get going. It also is a cruiser that is rather narrow. You have to keep paying attention and place your feet exactly right or else you will have difficulties controlling your ride.
Be aware that the wait time currently takes up to 6 months and this is not a cheap board ($260).
If you’re a downhiller and want to learn more, make sure to check out downhill254, he did an awesome review.
If you want to know a little more about the history of Comet Skateboards, check out concretewaves.com they did an indepth article a long time ago.
I’m an aged skateboarder and still shred responsibly. Started skateboarding 25 years ago, peaked in the 2000’s, and still ride to this day. I am a total geek when it comes to skateboard gear, love test to stuff and share my findings.