So it’s not like I even have much followers here, but I wanted to minimize my secondary blogs and just put stuff I’m interested in in one blog. This way, there won’t be long stretches of dead silence. Things I like to post about:
Skate stuff (duh, it’s why I started this blog)
Travel
My art+design (Photography and calligraphy, mostly)
Tech—not so much, but maybe small reviews
Basically a real life blog
So to my (few) followers, I’ll understand if a huge chunk of future content might not interest you, but I hope you guys still stick around. Nevertheless, please feel free to keep asking me any questions you guys might have, even non-skate questions! I hope I can stick to a more regular blogging schedule—this blogging business is hard work.
P.S. There will also be a name change. CucumberSpice is finally signing out!
Yeah whoops I was referring to the banana board. When I first bought it I thought I was ripped off but it such an amazing board so now I know the board is actually worth that price even in other countries. Thanks!
No problemo! Hope you have fun with your board. Let me know if you like it/love it/hate it ;D
Hey I wanted to ask how much you got this board for? I bought mines from the middle east at around $130. Is that overpriced?
I’m not sure which board you’re talking about?? I got the Bantam Clear and the Banana for around USD130-150 each, which is expensive but they have to import it into the country so I guess it’s fair. The Stereo and Penny were bought on sale in Australia so I get them for way cheaper!
I think that Globe tried to do a board closer to the original Penny and Banana and thus gave birth to the Bantam ST. It’s physically smaller than the regular Bantams so it’s an alternative to a Penny/Banana if you want other graphics!
Personally, the Globe Bantam. I didn’t think I’d like it as much as I do now when I first saw it, so if you’re basing a decision on this, please take both boards on a spin first because you never know what you might like better! Some people swear by the Banana, so ride wisely! ;)
Ever, ever? That’s pretty hard, because I wouldn’t choose plastic. I’m guessing you mean just plastic boards so I’ll go with the Bantam. Love how it looks, love how it rides :)
I'm about to buy my first skateboard ever. I'm getting a Globe Bantam. I was wondering if it's okay to decorate the bottom of the board with stickers? Is it recommended?
Definitely no problem with the stickers! I have stickers all over mine. Only downside is if you scrape the underside of the board, like on sidewalks (or even rails), some stickers will scrape easy. And some stickers aren’t weather proof, so it really depends on what you put. This is all aesthetic, by the way; it won’t change your ride, so sticker on to your heart’s content! Ride safe :)
Woof I'm a beginner and I just want to cruise (life goals) and by beginner I mean I've stepped on a skateboard but never rode it. I've been thinking about a Penny Nickel board and now after looking at your review for bantam is pretty conflicted. Is bantam a better board for cruising beginners?
Meow! Like any other advice I give, I always recommend trying out the boards you're considering in your local skate shop. Those two boards are kind of harder to compare because the Bantam is closer to the regular Penny than the Nickel. In fact, if this is a life goal, maybe you should also try out some wooden cruisers, though they might be on the bigger side. No board is really 'the better board' for all people because it will always depend on the rider.tl;dr if you have friends or a local skate shop or skate park, go and try some boards out before buying. If there is absolutely no one near you with any kind of board, just buy whatever looks nice to you and is within your budget 👌Skate safe and let me know what you got!
Okay, so this review has been a long time coming. It's a year late, since I was planning to put this up around June/July of 2014. Life happened, and I'm actually busier now than ever. But really, what a better way to procrastinate than by doing this?
Anyway, before I got my Bantam, I thought I wouldn't like it as much as my Banana, but I surprisingly love it. Read my review to see why!
A note about the pictures: I just took my board on a ride around a gravelly area with construction going on. The wheels are super dusty, but the color is way more purple (but still transparent) than what it looks like. I was just too lazy to wipe it off...
***I honestly never even noticed the board had risers until I started taking pictures of this. Pretty sure I answered a question a while back about putting risers on a Bantam and I obviously didn't know what the hell I was talking about. But now I know better.
The Ride
Smoothness
Globe has a patent pending S-TRAC grip that I won't even bother to describe the shape off, so just take a look at the close up picture below. Being the kind of girl who wouldn't grip her boards unless absolutely necessary, I've been perfectly fine with my Bantam... until my Vans got a little damp.
My cousin and I were coming back from the beach, and I was riding my board with Vans on. While it was a very hot day and I took off my shoes far away from the water, it may or may not have gotten a little wet after swimming. I was cruising along when my front foot did a little (or not so little) skid on the deck, and I was fortunate to have controlled the board (and myself) before I faceplanted and ate gravel. That mini heart stopping moment broke my confidence in S-TRAC (not that I trusted it much in the first place), but I am still too lazy to grip it. In the meantime, I have no plans of riding this again with wet shoes.
Lesson from this experience: if you may find yourself in the event that you'll ride this on a wet day, please add some grip to your Bantam.
The wider and longer size of the Bantam allows the rider to have a a little more foot space to work with. This also allows you to feel a little more stable with your stance, especially if you've got size 12 feet. I found it very good to ride, and the longer kick tail compared to the Banana feels so, so good. I never fully appreciated kick tails until I experienced the oompa-loompa sized kick tail of the Banana.
True story: my 50-something year old aunt wanted me to teach her to skate. She started with my Banana but always had a problem placing her back leg on the board after every push. In comes the Bantam, which she is more comfortable and confident with. Love at first ride, I tell you.
The Material
At first look, the Bantam looks so much larger than my Banana in length, width and even thickness. It's both longer and wider, but it's actually not that much thicker. The Banana only looks thinner because the edges curve, where as the Bantam is more box-y. The underside of the board is thinner in the center, but is supported by 3 lengthwise beams.
The deck is made of clinky plastic. I have no better way to describe it, but if you tap the plastic with your fingernail, it is distinctly different and obviously harder compared to the softer, fleshy plastic of the Banana. But plastic is still plastic, so your board will still flex. No worries there.
That clinky feel to it actually makes the deck feel like it's going to crack, but the material feels very strong. Just don't go smashing it around or something stupid. Also, because the plastic is different, the deck also scratches different. The Banana peels (get it. haha. so funny. badumtss) off easier, so your scratches are deeper, while the Bantam looks more like you scratched sandpaper on it. I prefer the slower destruction of the Bantam to the eroding Banana.
Slant trucks have a lifetime guarantee, believe it or not, but I don't intend to test this. The trucks are wider than even the Nickel's by a quarter of an inch, but the Nickel is way larger in deck size. The 22" Penny, closer in overall size to the Bantam, only has 3" trucks. I do believe that this lends to a more stable ride, and I have no complaints with the trucks. I might even swap it out to test on other boards.
The wheels are also 3mm larger in diameter compared to Penny wheels. Paired with the wide trucks, I'm going to assume that there's a risk of wheelbite without the quarter inch plastic risers that come with the board. I am too lazy to take off the risers and test the board, so I'm totally winging this assumption.
Verdict
The Globe Bantam's size could be good or bad, depending on the need, but I think it would be a good board for beginners. If you want the portability of a regular Penny but find it too small, grab a Globe Bantam :)
Pros:
Constructed very well, feels sturdy
Good for beginners
More stable than the regular Penny
Cons:
Bigger than most plastic boards (not by much, but still noticeable)
Heavier compared to a Banana/Penny
While the little increase in size and weight could lower its portability, it's not as cumbersome to lug around for me like the Nickel. The extra size, however, gives your a more stable ride. This might give some beginners who feel wobbly on a Penny more confidence by giving them a wider deck to ride on.
I'm out of budget for boards right now since I sell stuff I don't like/need to buy new ones like this baby. I only review the boards I buy, and then I sell it if I don’t like it. So I’m not sponsored or whatever so these come out of my pocket! I'll try to post some comparison pics with the Banana when I find free time again!
Ride safe, and have fun, dear readers!
P.S. This has apparently been in my drafts since forever, and I honestly don’t remember why I never posted it. Thank you anon for reviving this blog.
hey! i saw some of your posts so i was just wondering if you could provide some input on my dilemma. i'm having a difficult time choosing between the penny and nickel. i have tried the nickel and felt comfortable riding it, but never the original. however, the penny seems to be more portable. (ps im a small girl with small feet and also i am a beginner.) would be so very grateful for your help! thank you and have a nice day!
Hi, anon! I’d personally go with something I’m more comfortable with than for portability, but it’s entirely up to you. It also depends what you’ll be using it for. If you’ll be commuting with it, I’d go with the Nickel because I do NOT want to be flying off a board I’m not comfy with!
As a board suggestion though, if you want to go plastic, you should try the Globe Bantam boards. I’ve yet to put up my review in that (it’s been on months-long back log I’m just too lazy to finish it lol), but they give me a more stable feel. The Bantam board is a tiny bit thicker, a tiny bit longer and a tiny bit wider than a regular Penny. It sounds like a small difference until you ride it!
Disclaimer: I don’t work for any of these companies but I’ll be honest and say the Globe Bantam gives a more stable ride than Penny for me!
Yo I'm planning on buying a used Darkstar deck from this dude online and I just want to know what I should ask about it and stuff. I had a penny nickle and I could skate from point A to point B but I want to get really fucking good.
Hey! Even if you’re more into skateboarding as opposed to longboarding, it would be good if you could have a feel of the board. I’m assuming this is a whole setup and not just the deck itself, so you’ll have to also ask the guy how good the wheels are bearings are right now. You need to be prepared to shell out some cash in case you have to replace some parts. It’s hard to tell when it’s an online deal. If this is your first wooden skateboard, I’d suggest to get one that you can try in your local skate shop, but if you’re on a tighter budget, nothing wrong with taking a risk. You can set a newer skateboard as a reward when you learn enough tricks on your Darkstar :) Skate safe!
I have no idea why I never linked this, but I love Kualalumpar's channel on YouTube. If you do any basic Googling for reviews of the boards I have, maybe half of you have probably seen his videos already. For the rest of the people too lazy to bother with Google (but somehow landed on my blog), take a look at some of his videos:
Penny vs Nickel
Penny vs Banana
Penny vs Bantam vs Stereo
Bantam vs Bantam ST
And loads more so just subscribe to him! By the way, no, I'm not getting paid for this, he doesn't even know who I am but I DID watch his videos before buying my boards, so A+ recommend. Hopefully, people will also find my blog useful when trying to decide on what board to buy :)
Lastly, this video made by James Lee and his friends on YouTube might answer some of your questions. They're comparing the Banana Board, Penny and a Globe Bantam, of which 2 I made/is making reviews for. Yes, they are kids, but the video is pretty informative, so take a look.
Anyway, Globe Bantam review is coming up for real this time. Probably today or tomorrow at the latest, so stay tuned!
do you have any experience or hearsay about the gold cup peanut board? which brings me to this. my plastic deck looks brutal after some use! i just saw that gold cup make a vintage powerslider... which of course would take all the beating instead, if installed. on a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a shitty idea is it to drill holes into a plastic cruiser to install one of those? :)
I've seen the Peanut, but I've never ridden one!
I think installing a power slider on a plastic board will be fine. Depending on your board, you'll need to file down/smooth the areas where you'll drill the holes since some plastic decks have deep grooves.
Also, some plastic decks have tiny kicktails so you need to make sure the power slider fits. From the photos, I think the power slider they sell separately is different from the slider on the Peanut. The one on the Peanut is circular, the separate one is more oblong.
