landyachtz battle axe vs drop cat

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New Landyachtz Battle Axe & Seeker

Landyachtz Battle Axe and Seeker are two staples of the complete longboard line up on offer. Both are available in a selection of different graphics but here are a couple of the latest we love!

Landyachtz Battle Axe 38″ Paper Tiger Longboard Complete

Paper Tiger, Man of  Steel the hero from the movie reel. If you are a fan of ALL you will know what I’m talking about. And just like ALL, this new complete is is as good as it gets. The all new Landyachtz Battle Axe 38″ Paper Tiger Longboard Complete. A classic pintail shape and lowered standing platform might be the best combination out there for someone looking to pick up a board for the first time and learn to ride. Get out and explore your city in style with a Battle Axe!

Battle Axe Features:

• Grizzly 50 degree 180mm Gen 6 trucks
• Hagws Supremes 70mm 78a Black wheels
• Spaceball Precision Bearings

Why is it so good? Because it’s hella easy to push with a low center of gravity, has a bit of rocker for switch slides and flex for that nice surf like ride. The all new  Battle Axe longboard has enough concave to throw down some big slides when your in that frame of mind. If your into a bit of speed that lower ride will be nice and stable but also give you great lean for carving and sidewalk surfing. The Battle Axe Paper Tiger from Landyactz Longboards comes complete and ready to skate as soon as you open the box.

Landyachtz Drop Cat 33″ Seeker black Longboard Complete

The Landyachtz Drop Cat 33″ Seeker Complete Longboard is part of the new line up from the biggest longboard companies in the world. Fresh new graphics to suit an epic shape. Still one of the best and easiest setups for city cruising, urban transport and long distance commuting but coming in 33″ will give you even quicker reaction and greater aggressive turning.

• 7 Ply Canadian Maple Construction
• CNC Cut Wheel Wells
• Polar Bear 155mm Black Trucks
• Easy Hawgs 78a 72mm Teal Wheels 
• Bear Spaceball Bearings

The super low dropthrough with huge rocker design will allow for the most comfortable ride you will experience. Comes with Bear Grizzly 180mm trucks and 72mm 78a Plow King Hawgs wheels and Bear Space Balls bearings make this a premium complete longboard a more stable ride. The drop through design also eases the strain that comes from pushing

Landyachtz : One Tree One board

Maple is the best material for skateboards. Unfortunately that means removing maple trees from the environment. To give back to the environment Landyachtz will plant one tree for every skateboard they sell. One tree produces at least 60 boards. So with this program, one tree will turn into at least 60 new trees planted. When you buy a Landyachtz board, know that you are making a difference and improving the environment for future generations to enjoy.

Landyachtz is one of the most reliable and solid ranges of longboard gear you can find. The also do some amazing cruiser completes like these and these . Top quality, no holds bared they are some of the best in the biz. Click here to follow them on Instagram. Need kit? Click here for the latest offering at Basement Skate.

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Cruiser review • Deck review • Gear review • Landyachtz reviews • Truck review • Wheel review

Landyachtz Drop Cat review

October 9, 2021

If you’re looking for a cruiser that is compact and super easy to skate, look no further. The Landyachtz Drop Cat 33 is one of the best cruisers I’ve skated to date. It’s low to the ground, easy to skate, and quite turny. I’m quite pleased that I own this board and get to skate it often. However, the turning did feel a bit awkward sometimes … 

Check out my review for more.

Table of Contents

• Width – 9″.
• Length – 33″.
• Wheels -Hawgs 72mm 78a Plow King wheels.
• Trucks – Reverse kingpin Bear Gen 6 trucks. 50*, 180mm.
• Bearings – Space Balls Abec 7 bearings.
• Construction – 7plys of Maple

**Though Landyachtz did send me this to review and ride as part of my sponsorship agreement with them, I will remain unbiased and fair in the review. A big part of me accepting the sponsorship was being able to review products from an unbiased POV.

Expectations

When it comes to cruisers, I like those that are on the smaller side of the spectrum. They’re usually a bit nimbler, easier to carry around and just more fun to cruise with than bigger ones – hitting features, busting out small slides and slaloming between road obstacles is what I crave for and small cruisers have that juice on tap. 

That said, you often can’t fit very big wheels on them and they aren’t suited for skating distances more than a handful of miles. Mini-cruisers do have their limitations.

I really liked the Fireball cruiser as a mini cruiser but I couldn’t push it for too long before getting tired. Pushing uphill and over rougher roads kinda sucked as well – it just wasn’t the type of board suited to that sort of riding … 

I was itching for something that was just as compact as the Fireball but was better for getting around, especially over those longer distances.

I had been eyeing the Drop Cat 33 for a long time (even before my sponsorship) as it seemed like the sort of board I was looking for – it was relatively compact (33inches long), had a standing platform that was low to the ground (easy to push), had bigger wheels (would roll longer and over most things), and seemed to turn on a dime (easy fun slalom). So naturally, I had to pick it.

When I actually got to ride it, my suspicions were confirmed. It was easy to ride but ofcourse, one or two little things that weren’t obvious affected the overall ride.

For more info on the best cruisers on the market, check out this article here.

The Drop Cat is quite small …

At 33inches, this is one of the smaller drop-through cruisers around and I really liked this. I’ve always felt like most drop-through cruisers are too big (most are about 36inches in length). This makes them feel a bit slow turning and sluggish, and makes them feel unwieldy when carrying them around – I’ve bumped many a people in a supermarket aisle trying to handle a big board. 

I’ve also always felt like I have to have my feet too far apart to handle those bigger boards (I’m only 5ft10, so taller riders may disagree with this).

Because it is so small and is also a drop-through, you sort of get both the benefits of riding a drop-through and the benefits of a smaller compact board. As a result, the Landyachtz Drop Cat is easy to carry around, lightweight and has a nimble feel when turning – it’s very reactive to your input and.I love this!

However, with this small size comes a rather small standing platform. You only have about 20inches of actually board to stand on as the wheel cutouts to avoid wheelbite are quite big. 

This small standing platform isn’t going to work for everyone – especially those with wider stances. I think tall riders will be affected the most.

The standing platform isn’t too big

The standing platform of this board is only about 20inches long, 9inches wide at the front and 8inches at the back. It tapers to the smaller 8inch width from the front to the back.

It’s about the same as riding most compact cruisers – but you have a wider, more comfortable standing platform. So if you’re used to small cruisers, you’ll be able to transition to this one with no issue. 

Basically, if you can comfortably stand over the mounting points of a small cruiser with a wheelbase between 14-17inches, this board will likely be ok for you.

And whilst it is wide and kinda comfortable, I couldn’t help but sometimes feel that I didn’t have enough room length wise. I think it’s because I unconciously prefer to have my feet over the mounting options that I felt this way. Other than that, I’m quite happy with the overall size of the board.

The Landyachtz Drop Cat has flex

The board has a considerable amount of flex and will flex under your weight. This lowers your to the ground and makes pushing and footbraking abit easier. Paired with the considerable amount of rocker, you actually ride super close to the ground.

The flex also just adds a bit of bounce and “juice” to the overall ride. It makes it a bit more fun as you can bounce in and out of the turns – just watch out you don’t accidentaly force the wheels to break traction as you do. It’s quite easy to do this if you’re over enthusiastic.

Finally, the flex acts as a shock absorber and it helps harsh out the feedback you get from riding over rougher surfaces.

This complete is really turny!

As I mentioned earlier, I usually dislike how to drop throughs turn. They aren’t very nimble, feel sluggish and they take forever to turn. Fortunately, the Drop Cat has a much better feel when turning.

Because of it’s compact size, it has a smaller wheelbase. This allows it to have a smaller turning circle and a sharper turn. It also has a considerable amount of rocker which carries on throughout the board. This rocker wedges the front trucks by about 5-7* and wedges the back trucks by about 3-5*. 

This rocker brings the overall truck angles to about 57 and 53 degrees. Naturally, a higher angle truck turns a lot more and this adds to the nimble feel.

Though it is nimble and it does turn a lot, with the stock bushing setup the board didn’t give me a particularly nice feel when turning. 

It had a tightrope sort of balancing point and it would turn too suddenly for my liking … I talk more about this in the “what I didn’t like about the Drop Cat section below. Messing with the bushings did solve this, and some riders might actually not find issue with it at all.

How does the turning feel?

When it comes to turning, the board doesn’t turn much, then it turns a lot/suddenly, and then it quickly taps out of that turn. You don’t really dig into the turn as you would with a top-mount board, the turn sort of taps out, and you can lean and fall off the board if you keep adding more pressure/leaning expecting the board to lean and turn even more. 

You kinda have to hold the angle and just hold on as the board turns. It’s like a dead end of the lean and you just hold it there.

The board sits super low to the ground

The drop-through nature of the board, the considerable amount of rocker and the flex allows this board to sit super low to the ground. This does a few things.

It’s super easy to push and footbrake

The first thing the low height does is make the Drop Cat really easy to push and footbrake on. 

When skating longer distances and skating uphill even, I could feel myself getting less fatigued as I didn’t have to reach as far to get my foot down to push. I wasn’t bouncing up and down as much to get to teh ground and I was able to conserve a lot of energy.

Footbraking was also a lot easier. I gave the board to a friend who was struggling with footbraking and they were able to do it quite easily on this. They struggled a lot on a top mount as it was higher off the ground but came close to doing it quite well with the Drop Cat.

I found the board to be quite comfortable

When it comes to concave, the board has minimal features and the concave is rather mellow. It does have wheelflare sort of things and kinda rises up where the cut outs are. This might be uncomfortable if you have really big feet, but should be ok for most.

The main place that felt kinda of uncomfortable was the rear of the board. If I put my feet directly across the wheel flare sort of things it wouldn’t feel very nice. 

The only issue I see is the standing platform feeling a bit too small for bigger riders.

The construction is solid

Despite being really flexy, these boards can carry riders up to 250lbs in weight. The construction is solid and I haven’t had an issue with any cracks or anything forming. I only weigh 150lbs, but I make sure to abuse my boards, taking them over all sorts of environments. 

No issue so far construction wise with the Drop Cat.

Is it good for learning to slide?

It’s not a good board for downhill skating. It has flex and a lot of wedging which increases the angles of your trucks considerably, this can make it unstable at faster speeds.

However, because it is so low to the ground and it is a drop-through, it will be a good board for learning to slide. Drop-throughs and boards that sit close to the ground break traction super easy and this is no different.

I gave it to a buddy of mine who was still learning to slide and he had a blast. It broke traction easily for him and he was sliding within minutes of riding it.

It’s not a bad board for doing downhill stuff with under 25mph.

However, because the standing platform is quite small, it’s best for riders with a narrower stance. You might suffer if you like a wider stance for sliding.

The components are quite good

Apart from being a great board all-around the Drop Cat comes with excellent components too. It is paired with Bear trucks and Hawgs wheels – all baby companies of Landyachtz.

I was really impressed with the Plow kings

The Plow Kings surprised me! I didn’t think these wheels would be this good. Looking at the product pictures, I took them at face value and discounted them as regular, kinda wack longboard wheels. But they blew me away when I actually tried them 

These roll fast and pick up acceleration quickly. They rolled over most things and absorbed a ton of road vibration. They didn’t have an amazing amount of traction or grip, but were good enough for a cruiser wheel. But I should not understate that they roll really fast and accelerate quite quickly. They’re not a race winning wheel, but they really excel in that 15-30mph range.

They were also quite easy to slide despite having such a wide shape … though I reckon it’s mostly because they were attatched to the Drop Cat that they have been easy to slide, so take that with a grain of salt.

The Bear Spaceball bearings are decent

When I skated them the first few times a lot of lube leaked out of them and on to the shields. This is largely normal though. The lube leaking out was the excess lubricant in the bearing and this happens to most bearings as they break in.

Bearings with thicker lubricants (eg. Lithium Grease) don’t have this happen to them though …

You will have to wipe the wheel down to get it clean once the lube stops coming out.

Otherwise the bearings are still wroking quite well. I’ve skated them over dust, mud, puddles etc. and they’re still going strong. No issues so far.

The Bear Gen 6 trucks are high-quality

The Gen 6 trucks are the update Bear cast trucks. A lot of people didin’t like the 5th gen bear trucks and after trying them myself I can see why. The Gen 6 are considerably better though.

These have a very flowy turn, and feel quite leany and carvy. The turn is usually quite predicatable and smooth. 

What I didn’t like about the Landyachtz Drop Cat

It had a tight-rope feel when skating.

When leaning, the board would turn very suddenly and quickly and would react to my inputs quite drastically and then would suddenly stop turning as much. This gave the board an overall tight-rope feel like I was balancing on a point and it would turn very quickly/suddenly if leaned either left or right.

Honestly, this feel isn’t too bad and some people might like it, but I didn’t find it to be very comfortable and it made the board a bit awkward to skate. It was also not very confidence-inspiring at higher speeds (20-25mph) –  you want a board with a smooth, forgiving turn for going fast.

How did I fix this?

A quick fix to this tight-rope feel would be removing the cupped washer on the bottom of the boardside bushing. This will give the board an overall better feel as the bushings won’t be constricted as much and will allow the trucks to flow better. But for the best feel, you should pick up some aftermarket bushings according to your weight.

 What after market bushings am I using?

I eventually switched over to soft hardcore bushings which gave me the feedback and the smoother lean that I was looking for. I am currently riding the 85a (white) bushings in the front truck and the 87a (green) bushings in the back truck. The board still turns just as much, but the turning isn’t as sudden and it leans in a smoother controllable way. 

These bushings also give me feedback (a tiny bit of bounce) when I’m engaging the truck rather than just mushing over and allowing the truck to flop left or right. This gives me a lot of confidence, both at low speeds and slightly higher speeds as well.

I think higher rebound bushings (like Powell Hardcore bushings, and Venom SHRs) give a better feel in them. I tried some Venom HPF and they felt waay too mushy for my liking. Higher rebound bushings gave me a better feel.

The graphic got dirty quite easily

I got the version of the Drop cat with the white graphic. Being in Kenya, where there is dust, mud and all sorts of things, the board nturally got a bit dirty. Also, grease stains stuck on it and stuck out a bit.

I cleaned it for the review and they more or less came off. Some stubborn stains stayed but it was more or less like new. But if if how the graphic looks is important to you, get the darker versions where the stains won’t show up.

Is the price fair?

Depending on where you pick it up, this board will cost you bout $200. It is a bit on the expensive side, but you are paying a premium for high-quality products with great components.

If you like what I’ve said in the review, you will absolutely love this board and it will be worth it for you.

No kicktail – not the best for all sorts of terrain

Not having a kicktail hasn’t really affected me so far. I’m quite used to navigating urban roads on boards that don’t have tail (most of the DH boards I have don’t have one), so this was quite easy to adjust to. 

However, I can see the lack of a kicktail being an issue for people who have to use one to go up curbs and the like.

Things to watch out for!

It’s easy to kick the wheels.

Because its so short and sort of narrow size, you can sometimes kick the wheels on this board when you’re pushing. This only happened to me the first few times skating the board, or when skating it after a long-period of not skating it. I would quickly adjust and it would’t be an issue any more.

Just something to keep in mind.

Be careful riding over puddles

The cut-outs let water and mud  through. You’ll get sprayed if you roll over any of these.

Unless you have wheel shields to protect against the water spray, this board is best for riding in the dry.

Don’t use trucks under 160mm in width

You’ll get wheelbite quite easily with trucks that are a shorter width than this. And with this board, you’re going to want to avoid wheelbite as much as possible. It is often quite sudden and you’ll find yourself flying forward.

Who is this board right for?

• Looking for a relatively compact cruiser that will be easy to skate around with? This is the one for you.
• Still want a compact board but want something better suited for longer distances? This is a good choice.
• Looking to buy a board for a kid? This one is a good choice. The smaller size and standing platform accomodates a shorter stance. They’ll have better control and a better riding experience with this board.
• Looking for a great beginner board? This is a great choice.

Who shouldn’t buy this board?

• If the board doesn’t fit your budget, it isn’t a good choice for you.
• If you have a very wide stance, this board might be too small for you. You should consider the Drop Cat 38.
• If you want kicktails, this isn’t a good choice.

Where to buy the Drop Cat cruiser?

Buy the Drop Cat here at the Landyachtz website. Use the code – “ AroniSkate&Explore15 ” for 5% off.

You can buy the Drop Cat 33 here at the Stokedride shop.

You can also pick up the Drop Cat 38 here at Stokedride shop too.

What do you think, is the Landyatchz Drop Cat right for you?

If you’ve liked what you’ve read I highly recommend you pick up the Drop Cat. You will absolutely love it. If you’re still hesitant, I recommend looking at my best cruiser boards list for more options and info on other boards.

Big thanks to my  patrons  Jed, SuperbadJuju, Mowgii, Bryan, Andrew, Jan, Jay, Owen, Samil, Daniel, Alex, and Kasajja for the support. Your continued support of me allows me to keep making things like this. Cheers!

Have any Question or Comment?

4 comments on “ landyachtz drop cat review ”.

Philip Krayna

Hi- thanks for a great and thorough review. I am buying the 38” model— what specific bushings would you put on to improve ride? I couldn’t tell from your review and photos which brand and durometer you recommend.

I am currently riding the 85a (white) bushings in the front truck and the 87a (green) bushings in the back truck. I weight 150lbs/about 70kg. It should work good for you if you’re about the same weight

Looking into getting some Venom SHR standard bushings. Do you know if I have to get separate washers? Sorry, new to this whole thing but really need to make adjustments to improve maneuverability as I am a pretty light rider.

Depends on where you buy them from. If you get them from muirskate you can get them with washers.

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Landyachtz Drop Cat 38

The Landyachyz Drop Cat 38 is an excellent drop-through longboard for learning to freeride. It’s like a drop deck although not in a conventional way (strong rocker).

At 38.6″ by 9.9″, it’s long and wide enough for comfort and secure feel, yet short enough for easy pushing into slides and going switch as the symmetrical shape lets you ride both ways.

See Ridingboards’s full review

• Description
• Additional information

The Drop Cat is designed for maximum stability at speed with a long stable 29.3″ wheelbase and a strong truck-to-truck rocker making the board super low riding.

The Drop Cat gives you the best of both worlds for freeriding: a low-riding board stable at speed, but one that lets you break into slides with ease while giving you that secure feel and control you need as a beginner. Perfect for taller riders or those looking for a more stable ride.

This board has a strong and durable maple construction and a futuristic rocker profile. It comes with Bear Grizzly trucks and large grippy 72mm Hawgs wheels.

Related products

Loaded Cantellated Tesseract 36

At 36″ x 9.5″, the Cantellated Tesseract is the mid-sized version for super fast downhill rides. The Cantellated has a single kicktail. The Cantellated is mainly designed for high speed, but the wide kick, shorter length, and lower weight still allow for some serious ollies and technical manuals and a lot of flip tricks.

See Ridingboards’ complete review

Loaded Mata Hari 44.5

The Mata Hari is Loaded’s new freestyle-oriented dancing longboard. It’s a more compact and lightweight board compared to Loaded’s all-time dancing king, the Bhangra.

Compared to classic dancer boards, the Mata Hari is a lot easier for freestyle tricks like kick flicks or no-comply 360 flips, thanks to its narrower and shorter shape, lighter weight, and steeper kicks.

Loaded Icarus 38.4

The Icarus is a high-quality drop-through longboard with solid flex, designed primarily for commuting and carving yet versatile enough to let you do some sliding, freestyle, and even some dancing.

The Icarus is a great carving and pumping machine.  It carves hard for its length and allows you to really dig into turns, almost making the back wheels slide a bit as you carve. The natural spring returns tons of energy from your pumps and turns, providing great momentum.

See Ridingboard’s complete review

Loaded Tarab 47

The Loaded Tarab is one of the best dancer boards out there, a high-performance board specifically designed for dancing. It’s also a great longboard for distance commuting.

The Tarab II with its roomy platform, rockered shape with subtle concave, reinforced kicks, and highly durable composite construction, is probably the most sophisticated dancing longboards on the market .

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Landyachtz Drop Cat 33 Iluminación Review

There it was, on the screen. The Drop Cat 33 . Is it a double drop? No, but it’s so low to the ground. Look at how it just kind of cradles the rider with that rocker! I… I must have it.

So I did. I figured out how I wanted my setup, and marched my butt down to my local skate shop. They didn’t have the Drop Cat deck, but I grabbed some other parts for my setup. Paris V3 Trucks, new Bones Reds bearings, and some mounting hardware. Then I went online.

Out of stock everywhere! I couldn’t get my hands on a Drop Cat! Was it nothing but a myth? A prototype design Landyachtz made to tease us? They had seemed popular on Reddit, but I couldn’t find a lengthy review! But I knew, I just knew, I had to have one. So I ordered direct from Landyachtz, and I waited. For nearly two weeks, I waited.

When I finally got it, I had it assembled that night, ready to go in the morning. Did it live up to the hype? Does that crazy rocker actually make for a good riding experience? What about riding what are essentially 57º trucks? Would it be too twitchy and unmanageable? Well, yeah, kind of!

I actually was disappointed the first time I took it out. But a few minutes in, I discovered what this longboard really was. And now? I love it. So let’s break it down, figure out why I love this board so much, despite that lackluster first impression, and then wrap this review up. To the Drop Cat 33!

Table of Contents

A Stock Landyachtz Drop Cat 33 setup:

• Drop Cat 33 Deck
• Bear 852 Trucks (52º baseplate, 182mm width) trucks
• Plow King Wheels (78A durometer, 72mm diameter, square lip, 65mm contact patch)
• Well, yeah, the Drop Cat 33 deck
• Paris V3 Trucks (50º baseplate, 180mm width)
• Orangatang Moronga Wheels (86A durometer, 72.5mm diameter, round lip, 35mm contact patch)

Hey, that’s pretty different, right? After riding this for a while, I see the wisdom in Landyachtz’s setup, but still think I made the right choice. Let’s get into why.

Rockin’ Rocker: The Drop Cat 33 Deck

There’s a lot to talk about. This is the 33″ version of a deck that also comes in 38″. It has an insane amount of rocker that goes from end to end. It’s actually a silly, absurd board, and the first time I rode it, I considered it a “beta-release-like” board, in that it seemed like a crazy experiment that escaped the skateboard factory. Surely this was an Area 51 board! But I stuck with it, skating it consistently for a few weeks. Now it’s one of my favorite skateboards. So let’s talk about how this board is weirder than it seems, and why that—mysteriously—works.

Length Options

I have stood on a 38″ model. It’s a really good size. Sure, it wouldn’t have been perfect for what I wanted out of it, but I think a lot of people, especially those who prefer a larger wheelbase, will like it. Personally, I’m glad I went with the smaller, more nimble, and lighter version, but someone favoring stability and a larger standing platform would definitely be happy with the 38. I think I would have been very happy with it as well.

Shorty’s Got Slides

I like risks, but calculated risks only.

It’s short, and I often let my back foot go too far back. This is actually why I was disappointed at first. It’s a smaller platform than I was expecting. However, once I got comfortable with my foot positions, I found they don’t want to move much. You sort of find a pocket where the rocker and concave shape come together to hold your foot in place. Then the real fun begins. You can dig in and force that back end out, leaning your weight off the board but digging in, pushing that rear foot forward and into the ground.

I took it down a particularly steep hill where the end goes into a busy road. I slid hard, doing a standup slide where I wasn’t sure if I was falling or stopping. I still shouldn’t put much weight on my only recently healed wrist, so I don’t have my sliding gloves on and I can’t put my hand down. The only assurance I had was the fact that my feet were still stuck on that board. If I was falling, I was going to land in the right place.

Sure enough, when I got my full weight back on it, I pulled the slide back in and, as it turns out, I really was in control the whole time. It was the first time I really felt like I nailed a slide. Not just good, not just cutting speed, or sliding around a turn, but really nailing a stand up slide. Right on the edge of a standup slide and needing to put a hand down or do a Coleman. It’s a tough feeling to describe. Do you know when you discover something like a puzzle piece that slides into place perfectly? A good tactile mechanical keyboard or just an unintentionally perfect fit of other objects? It felt like that. Just satisfyingly perfect. I giggled like a fool and joined the bike traffic on the road, happy that I chose longboarding over a boring means of transportation like biking.

Not That Kind of Foot-Braking!

On more than on occasion, I put my back foot a little too far back and put it on the wheel. This would either pinch and stop my board instantly, or just slow and swing it to the right. I actually picked up a Riptide foot stop to help me get used to the correct foot placement. Without it, I’d have to learn where to keep my feet the hard way. That would mean occasional abrupt stops. I never got hurt, but it’s always scary when your board just stops. That foot stop is wonderful. Even though I don’t really need it anymore, I like having it there. It looks good, helps me be sure of my footing, and I can use it to dig in even more during a slide by pressing my foot out against it for a good, locked in feeling.

Wider Than Expected

It does make holding the board or walking with it a little more cumbersome, but it’s not too bad. The board isn’t that heavy. It’s a small adjustment, but you’ll be happy to have that increased width while skating.

Rocker And Baseplate Angles

Okay, okay, it also comes down to the baseplate angle. Paris offers both a 43º and 50º baseplate for the V3 platform, and the height doesn’t change between the two. That gives me options. The rocker of the Drop Cat goes through to the mounting for the trucks as well. That increases the baseplate angle by about 7º. A 52º truck, like those from Landyachtz, becomes a 59º truck on these. I went with the Paris trucks to save myself 2º of baseplate, while also giving me the option to grab 43º baseplates for the hangars, which would mean a far more standard 50º truck angle.

However, I do now have some of those 5th generation Bear Grizzly trucks I could swap out and test this on. I may post an update on this board later if I find they make a significant difference. Why do I have Bear Grizzly’s? Another board I got came with them. Can you guess what review is next?

You Okay? You Look a Little Twitchy

AKA: twitchy.

But on the weekend, when the hills are packed with cyclists, forcing me to pick up too much speed, I found that this definitely gets twitchy. I found it was less stable than my TKP setup on my Pantheon Ember! My friend did too! Usually I speed down the hills, having more experience on a longboard than she has, but she was actually ahead of me on most hills.

Countering the Twitch

I still wouldn’t bomb a hill without throwing on a 43º baseplate though. Still, I think with a reduced angle baseplate and a foot stop, this would actually be a decent little downhill board, as long as you’re okay with the small platform.

Keeping it Low: Can it Overthrow the Commuting King, the Pantheon Ember?

Really, the Drop Cat is low, but most of the standing platform sits higher than the Pantheon Ember’s. I’d say that the Pantheon Ember is still the king of city commuters, the Drop Cat is a great board for commuting, but better specialized for freeriding fun. Zany freeriding fun, something the Ember just isn’t as well suited for.

Which should you buy? It depends. If it’s just for commuting? The Ember. Is it also for freeriding, or perhaps primarily for freeriding? Then the Drop Cat. But either board is excellent, and I’m super happy to have both of them in my quiver. I love all of my wooden children equally.

“Low Effort Nimble”

The Rest of the Setup

Wheels – Orangatang Morongas

I might go with a softer durometer in the future. The fact is, I have to push more when I have these on, because they don’t handle uneven surfaces as well. I’ve also had them ice out on me on slightly uneven surfaces. No injuries, nothing was sudden enough for that, although that hardness may have hurt me with a rock. I did get an injury I later learned is called a “hip pointer” due to hitting a wedge shaped rock. Would a softer wheel have gone over it? Maybe, but not likely. The universe just had it in for my hip (it was the second hip injury I got in a week).

Don’t worry, I’m almost all better now. Injuries and skateboarding go together like peanut butter and jelly. Coincidentally, that’s also my favorite sandwich.

It’s a fast, fun, surprisingly durable formula, which hasn’t worn down too rapidly. Maybe they lack rolling speed, but I’ve found they’re a really fun freewheel. I’d likely buy them again. I iced out while carving with them once, but I blame that more on the durometer and road surface than the shape or formula of the wheel. Really, I’ve had a blast on them, and will gleefully ride them to the core.

Vs The Landyachtz Plow Kings

So, I haven’t used the Plow Kings yet. They’re wider, offset, and have a square lip. That means they’ll grip the road like crazy, but that wide platform can be good for slides as well. Most people think of a narrow platform for slides, but I’ve found a wide contact patch can also spread out your weight, giving you a lot of control once you start sliding, as long as you’re prepared for them gripping back up quickly. Landyachtz’s Fatty Hawgs really surprised me on the Dinghy Platform, they’re actually not bad for slides.

I think I would have preferred the Landyachtz Zombie Hawgs over the Plow Kings, though I haven’t tried them either. They’re a freeride wheel with rounded sides, a stoneground surface, and a big 75mm diameter with speedy cores. Should be a fast freeride wheel. Perhaps that’s why Landyachtz went with the Plow Kings, they’re more controlled. Perhaps the Zombie Hawgs are just too fast and have too small of a contact patch? I can’t say. But choose your wheels carefully, knowing that your trucks will likely be a bit twitchy on this. After riding for a while, the Plow Kings, or a wheel like them, might actually be better than a traditional freeride wheel. You may need to experiment yourself! I know I plan to.

Trucks – Paris V3s

Really, I love these trucks, but I’ve got limited experience on them. Unlike the Morongas, which I’ve had on three different setups now, it’s harder to specify what was the strange deck angle and what was the V3’s. Still, I can say with certainty that the smoothness, responsiveness, rebound, and reliability or predictability of these trucks would carry over to any setup. Really just a fantastic, all-around performer that I think you’d really love on anything.

vs Bear Grizzly 852s

I haven’t ridden this truck on the Drop Cat yet, so I don’t have a direct comparison. But in this case, I’m certain I made the right choice*. The 852’s have a large baseplate angle, and would have been far more twitchy. They also are 2mm wider, on a deck where I already have hit my foot on a wheel while pushing. Now, hangar geometry can change a lot, but I just can’t get away from the idea that the stock trucks would be at a 59º angle and substantially wider, especially with the Plow Kings!

Would the stock setup be bad? No, I don’t think so. I trust Landyachtz at this point, their setups, while not always perfect, are pretty solid. I think the stock setup likely is a ton of fun. But for a bit more stability, you’ll likely want the Paris V3s in either a 43º or 50º baseplate.

I’ve gotten myself a set of Bear 852 trucks. They’re currently on another board I’m testing for a future review, but I do plan to revisit this board with the standard trucks at a later date.

These trucks may actually be better than I realized for this deck. While they’re 52º in the stock configuration, and 59º with that rocker, they have a feature that many trucks today lack: you can flip the hangar. This allows you to reduce the rake without changing the actual baseplate angle, but makes the truck feel more like a 40-somethingº truck. This makes the platform taller, but supposedly far more stable, so I’ll have to try it out.

Other Fun Setups

I also looked at using smaller wheels with it. While I wouldn’t favor these, and didn’t ride mine like this, you could put 63mm wheels on it. You’d lose a lot of shock absorption and top speed, but you’d have a fast accelerating, even lower deck for pushing. It could make your Drop Cat perfect for commuting!

Or perhaps you want to really lean into the freeride aspect of it? Get some Sector 9 Butter Balls, or Powell Peralta Snakes. Go with some slightly more grippy Orangatangs, like the Stimulus? There are multiple possibilities here, but I think you’ll find you’ll want to use this setup more for freeriding than anything else. I think that’s the best purpose for this deck.

My New Favorite Longboard?

Although, I will admit, the Dinghy is a clear winner among mini cruisers. With the Drop Cat, the reasoning is less clear. It’s not super good at any one thing, really.

About the author

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