Arbor Pin Carver Longboard Review

The Arbor Pin is a pure sidewalk surfer. Its tapered shape, shallow concave with no tail kick, and the placement of the extra wide trucks in the very extreme nose of the board all set the Arbor Pin apart from other longboards as a true carver. Add to that the style of the rich Koa wood finish and the liquid blue wheels and you have a longboard you can fall in love with.

Real carving was somewhat new to me when I met the Arbor Pin. I thought I had carved, I thought I knew what it meant to dig deep cuts and feel the pavement roll beneath you. I hadn't. I'm sure there are other boards out there that give the same feeling, but I haven't met them yet.

The Arbor Pin longboard is well built. First, the deck is thick, hard and stiff - made from 7 plys of Rock Hard Maple. Added to the top is a layer of Koa wood from the main island of Hawaii. The rich, multi colored wood the Hawaiians traditionally used to make their surfboards. Arbor has a long tradition of their own that involved incorporating Koa wood into their snowboards, and they have now brought this style to the longboarding market. The Arbor Pin is coated with clear re-grip, so you get to enjoy this wood while you ride.

Next, add a set of super wide Randal 180 trucks and 70 mm Krypto Hawaii wheels. The trucks are reverse pivoting, so wheelbite is nearly impossible. These wheels are clear deep blue, with dark swirls and eddies within them. Everything about this board says surfing.

The Arbor Pin rides like the perfect carver. I'm not a master of the art, but I enjoyed it a great deal. The stiffness of the board was something to get used to, but I have no complaints. It's a lot of board at first - true beginners might want to try out the Arbor Fish, the Pin's little sister. Otherwise, I highly recommend the Arbor Pin.