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Search "best skateboards" and you'll get a wall of top-10 lists, half of them American, most ranking decks like it's a beauty contest. None of it tells you what actually matters: who's riding, what they're riding for, and what size makes sense.
We'll skip the hype. Here's how to work out what "best" means for you, and where to look once you know.
A beginner learning to push and turn needs something different to a parent buying for a seven-year-old, which is different again from an improving skater working on flip tricks, or someone chasing a pro setup. Ask us "what's the best skateboard" in the shop and the honest answer is always another question: who's it for?
That's the approach worth taking here too. Rider type first, then size and setup, then product.
For a first board, the easiest and most reliable route is a complete skateboard. It arrives built and ready to ride, grip tape already applied, trucks and wheels already fitted, so there's no guesswork and no missing parts.
An 8.0 inch complete is a solid neutral starting point for most teen and adult beginners. It's wide enough to feel stable, not so wide that it's a struggle to control. Our complete skateboards for beginners collection is built around exactly that kind of starting setup.
If you're an adult beginner, or a taller teenager, an 8.25 inch complete often feels more comfortable, with a bit more room underfoot without feeling oversized. Have a look at beginner skateboards for adults if that sounds like you.
Don't overthink deck width at this stage. Shoe size matters less than people assume. Any width is technically rideable with any shoe size. Start with a sensible middle-ground size, ride it, and you'll know what you'd want next time.
For riders under 5ft, usually somewhere between ages 3 and 10, a junior complete is the better starting point. Most junior boards run around 29 inches long and 7.25 to 7.5 inches wide, which is easier for smaller riders to carry, stand on and turn.
Our junior and mini youth completes collection covers this age and size range properly, rather than treating kids' boards as a scaled-down afterthought.
There's a tricky middle ground around ages 10 to 13, where a junior board often feels too small but a full 8.0 inch complete can feel a bit much. A 7.75 inch complete is usually the better call here: lighter, easier to learn tricks on, but not childish in feel.
For a full breakdown by age and height, our skateboard size guide by age goes into more detail than we can fit here.
Once someone's ridden a few months and started developing preferences, favouring the park over street, or wanting more pop for flip tricks, that's usually the point to think about deck width more deliberately rather than sticking with the beginner default.
Wider decks (8.25 inch and up) feel more stable and suit park, transition and cruising. Narrower decks (7.75 to 8.25 inch) feel lighter and flip more easily, which suits street skating and technical tricks. Neither is objectively better. It's a trade-off between stability and manoeuvrability, and by this stage most riders have a feel for which side of that trade-off they prefer.
This is also a natural point to start looking at individual parts rather than only completes, swapping trucks, wheels or a deck as they wear out or as riding style becomes clearer. Our skateboard decks range covers this, and it pairs well with our how to choose a skateboard: beginner's guide if you want the full picture on sizing trucks and wheels to match.
Pro decks and pro-spec setups are built for riders who already know their preferences: specific concave, specific wheelbase, specific brand feel. They're not automatically "better" than a solid complete. They're built for people who've ridden enough to know exactly what they want and why.
Our pro-level skateboards collection is there for riders at that stage. If you're still working out your preferences, a pro deck won't fix that. More time riding will.
A complete skateboard is the fastest way to start: one product, ready to ride, no compatibility guesswork. For beginners, juniors and most improving riders, this is genuinely the smarter buy, not just the easy one.
Building your own, choosing deck, trucks, wheels, bearings and grip tape separately, makes more sense once you know what you're after. Maybe you want a specific deck width and shape not sold as a complete, or you're replacing one worn part rather than the whole setup. Our custom skateboard builder kits are built for exactly that stage. You choose each part, we make sure it fits together properly.
There's no prestige in building your own before you need to. A well-specced complete outperforms a badly matched custom build every time.
Cheap and bad aren't the same thing, and cheap and toy-shop aren't either. A well-made complete at a fair price is a genuinely good buy for a beginner. The problem is toy-shop boards: the ones with soft, poorly shaped decks, loose trucks that don't turn properly and wheels that barely roll.
Those boards aren't cheap in any way that matters. They make learning harder, they put people off skating within a fortnight, and they often need replacing sooner than a proper complete would. If you're comparing prices, compare what's actually in the setup: deck construction, truck brand, bearing quality, not just the number on the price tag.
Work through it in this order: rider (age, height, experience), then riding style (cruising, street, park), then deck width, then browse. Shoe size is worth a glance at the end, but it's the last check, not the first.
If you're still unsure, our how to choose a skateboard: beginner's guide goes further into the detail. Or give the shop a call on 01837 55778. We'd rather talk it through for two minutes than have you guess and end up with the wrong board.
What is the best skateboard for a beginner? A complete skateboard around 8.0 inches wide for most teens and adults, or 7.25 to 7.5 inches for younger riders under 5ft. It arrives ready to ride, which removes most of the guesswork for a first board.
Is it better to buy a complete skateboard or build my own? For most beginners and improving riders, a complete is the smarter choice, it's matched and ready to go. Building your own makes more sense once you know your specific preferences on deck shape, width or components.
What's the difference between a cheap skateboard and a proper one? Price alone doesn't tell you much. A fairly priced complete with a properly shaped deck, real trucks and decent bearings is a good buy. A toy-shop board with a soft deck and loose trucks isn't cheap, it's just badly made, and it often makes learning harder.
What size skateboard should I buy? It depends on age, height and riding style more than shoe size. Under 5ft, look at junior completes around 7.25 to 7.5 inches. Teens and adult beginners usually suit 8.0 to 8.25 inches. Our size guide by age covers this in more detail.
Are pro skateboards worth it for improving riders? Only once you know your preferences. Pro decks are built for riders with a clear sense of their ideal shape and concave. They won't make an inconsistent rider more consistent on their own.
Where can I get help choosing? Call the shop on 01837 55778 or email info@skatewarehouse.co.uk. We'd rather help you get the right board first time than have you guess.
