Comet Cruiser Review – best cruiser ever made

The Comet Cruiser is the best longboard cruiser I have ever skated. I do not make that statement lightly. And my opinion is not isolated, most people who’ve skated it think it’s the best too. But how have Comet made this possible? What have they done that no other company has been able to? Check it out below to find out more about this masterpiece.

Specifications

Deck

• Length: 33inches
• Width: 7.875inches 
• Wheelbase: 20.25inches
• Construction:  Vertically laminated Basswood + 3 Sapele Mahogany stringer, pressed between two triaxial fiberglass sheets
• Flex: Yup, quite a bit
• Concave features: Mellow convex, rocker
• Shape: Single kick top mount
• Kick: Plastic skid plate

Trucks

• Brand: Paris trucks
• Truck width: 108mm
• Wedging: Front truck +7º, Rear truck -7º. 

Bushings & washers

• Front truck 
  • Bushings: 83a Venom SHR bushings 
  • Washers: Cupped washer RS, no washer BS
• Rear truck:
  • Bushings: 88a Venom SHR bushings
  • Washers: Cupped washer RS, no washer BS

Other 

• Wheels: 69mm Powell Snakes
• Bearings: Zealous steel
• Griptape: Jessup
• Risers: 7* Soft Khiro wedges
• Price: $235 ($223 with “downhill254” discount code)

Summary

The Comet cruiser is the best cruiser I have ever skated. It’s not the best at one specific thing if that’s what you’re thinking, but it does many things well enough that it can give niche-focused boards a run for their money (in the right hands of course).

One title I can wholeheartedly place on it, is it being the funnest board to ride out there. This board is pure fun and unbelievably playful. Every time I step onboard and take it out it is a good time. I find myself reaching more for this board than the others in my quiver time and again.

And the thing about this board is it rides, turns, scrubs out, and just feels the way you think a skateboard/cruiser board should. It feels instinctive … It’s hard for me to describe it any other way.

If I had to pick something negative, I’d say it is how long it takes to get into your hands from purchase. Like the Orbiter, this is only available for pre-order, and thanks to COVID and the small two-man team over at Comet, it takes a while for you to get this board. Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY.

Now it’s not to say this board is perfect or the best at everything – I’d pick a lower board with bigger wheels if I had to skate a considerable distance seriously, or a stiffer board with stiffer trucks if I wanted to do slides on a big hill seriously. But if I’m going nowhere in a hurry, and want to mess around on the way, the Comet Cruiser is perfect. Guaranteed to put a smile on my face every time I step onboard.

If you know me, you know I don’t hype up products or say things I don’t believe to be true. So when I’m here telling you the Comet cruiser is amazing. Best believe I mean that.

Finally, lemme add that the Cruiser has the comfort of a large board, but all the portability and maneuverability of a mini cruiser. If you’re looking for something that falls between those two categories, the Comet Cruiser is your jam baby.

Comet Cruiser Review

It feels best when it is moving

The Comet cruiser feels awkward when standing still. It feels tippy and like it would offer no stability – very different from how it actually rides.

You can’t fully judge a skateboard by its specifications alone or even how it feels when standing still. You need to actually ride it to get a proper feel for it.

It is quite stable

The cruiser is surprisingly stable. I’ve taken it to speeds of 25mph and it did not wobble or twitch on me. Which is odd given how quickly it turns. 

It wants to go in a straight line and will only deviate from that course if you give it an input.

This stability can be attributed to the dewedging of the back truck – dewedging makes the back truck turn less which makes the overall ride more stable. 

Dewedging lowers the angle of the truck, make it lean more and turn less. Doing this to the back truck only makes the board work like a car (with the turning coming from the front truck only). This gives you great stability without affecting the overall turn too much.

It turns on a dime

The Comet cruiser turns quickly. It is super easy to slalom between objects on this board. It feels like there is nowhere it can go – of course you are limited to how much grip your wheels have, which isn’t much, but they won’t scrub unless you turn veeery deeply, very suddenly.

But yeah, the Cruiser turns a lot and turns deeply. It can take very tight turns and it feels as though there is nowhere it can go and no line it can take. You think it, and it’s able to go there.  In this sense, it’s very intuitive and instinctual. 

And when you do exceed the limits of grip with how deep you turn, the wheels scrub out smoothly

It turns sooo deeply

The cruiser also turns quite deeply. Thanks to the risers, you have a lot of clearance and this allows you to get the truck to articulate as much as you want it to. You can get it to fully lean.

No wheelbite 

Despite how much your truck can lean, you don’t get any wheelbite. The height of the Khiro wedges and the CNC’d wheel wells ensure that it isn’t possible. 

I didn’t think this would affect me much, but it is oddly comforting. Being able to turn deeply as I want with full confidence of no bite is … liberating.

Carve to slow down?

Finally, because you can turn so deeply, “carving hard to slow down” is a viable strategy on the Cruiser. You can make the trucks turn so much that they cause the wheels to start scrubbing (kinda like start sliding a bit) that you naturally begin to shed off speed.

I’ve used this strategy, carving hard side-to-side on some big hills to make it down safely. Of course, if you try to do the same, make sure there aren’t any cars and that you can actually footbrake if things start to get too fast/out of control.

It turns smoothly and controllably

I never once felt as though the trucks turned too quickly, too suddenly, or dived beyond how far I wanted them to articulate. I always felt in control and felt as though the trucks did exactly as I wanted them to.

And despite using super high-rebound bushings, I haven’t felt as though the trucks fight me/rebound throughout the lean. They always lean in a smooth, controlled way, until they tap out of bushing to lean through.

The trucks do feel like they want to turn quickly though, and you have to be a smidge on point to control them.

Confidence inspiring turning

A key point of the cruiser is the dewedge at the back and the wedge at the front (paired with the different duro bushings). What this results in is a very planted back end when you are turning at a moderate speed. This inspires a lot of confidence. The back end doesn’t want to twitch, doesn’t suddenly wobble and you feel quite in control when you skate this board.

It’s hard to put into words, but you can skate at a moderate speed (10-15mph), weave in and out of objects, and feel quite solid throughout all of that. With other boards, the back end sometimes suddenly slides out from under you if you’re too aggressive, or it suddenly twitches if you try turning at faster speeds.

So yeah, confidence inspiring turning. I’ve seen a lot of people who’ve had trouble with other boards, take to this one and ride pretty confidently.

The Comet Cruiser rides quite low

Thanks to the rocker and considerable amount of flex, this board rides quite low. This does two things.

The first is that it makes pushing and foot braking quite easy on this deck. Despite being a top mount it doesn’t ride too high.

The second is that it adds to stability. Because you sit lower, you have a lower center of gravity which reduces your input to the trucks, giving you more stability. Finally, sitting lower than where your trucks are mounted reduces your input to them. Meaning, not every small movement you make is reflected by the trucks.

It surprisingly lightweight

As a complete, the Cruiser is surprisingly lightweight. This translates to it being easy to push (specifically, easier to accelerate and get it to pick up speed), easy to carry around, and (in theory) easier to ollie. It feels lighter than my considerably smaller Landyachtz Dinghy.

This lightweightness can be attributed to the use of vertically laminated plys instead of horizontally laminated plys. Less material = less weight.

This lightweightness was most apparent to me when I was pushing it – it was easier to get it up to speed, and when I had to carry it around – didn’t tire my arm out much if at all.

Handles rough surfaces surprisingly well

The Comet feels delightful over all sorts of terrain. It absorbs a ton of road vibration and smoothens out the ride considerably. This adds to the comfort of the ride and your feet aren’t abused by vibrations on every little road imperfection you roll over. 

I’m seriously surprised by this. I didn’t think it would feather out as much vibration as it does. This board is seriously comfortable and this adds a lot to how enjoyable the overall ride is.

I think the vibration absorption can be attributed to the soft risers, the flex in the deck, and the soft 75a Powell Snakes.

The Snakes slide like a dream

The Powell-Peralta Snakes are the best slide wheel in the game. They have a smooth kick out, a controllable slide, and are super durable. And when they slide, they produce a satisfying hissing sound. I pray you get to hear that sound for yourself.

The Cruiser slides well

Thanks to the Powell snakes, the cruiser does slide well and it is easy to make it schlub and scrub if you turn deeply enough at a reasonable speed (a very fun thing to do btw).

But it is difficult to hold out considerable slides on it.

Tips to slide the Cruiser

You need to load up the board and then kick it out into the slide. And to stay on top of the board and locked in, you need to put considerable pressure on your toes if you’re doing toesides, and heels if you’re doing heel sides. This is key if you’re really trying to hold out the slides too. You need to dig in and push into the board. This will keep you on it.

This setup feels more “push into it to slide”, than “set up carving to the limit” and kicking the board out.

The kicktail is useable, but …

The kicktail is useable. You can use it to get down off curbs with ease and to deweight the board to go over road imperfections – like a big crack.

You can also use it to ollie. However, ollieing this board has never felt comfortable or natural. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never been able to get it off the ground the way I would a normal popsicle board. I do get good airtime and the pop feels alright … I do think the board is just a bit too long for ollies to feel 100% normal. It was just difficult to get that Ollie sweet spot.

After a few weeks I did find that ollie sweet spot and I can ollie consistently (with decent air time as well). But yeah, doesn’t pop the same as a normal popsicle board.

High-quality components

Like the Orbiter, the Comet Cruiser comes with high-quality components. There is no part of this deck that is low-quality. It is the best of the best.

Great trucks – Paris trucks

Paris TKP (traditional kingpin) trucks are high-quality. They’re made well and will be durable. They are turnier than most TKP trucks and are an excellent choice for a cruiser.

Great aftermarket bushings – Venom SHRs

Venom is one of the go-to brands if you want to upgrade your bushings. They’re high-quality, improve the performance, and make the ride feel better. They are way better than the stock bushing you find in trucks – in comparison, they’re smoother and allow for more control.

Great wheels – Powell Snakes

Powell Snakes are some of the best sliding wheels out there. They roll pretty quickly and slide smoothly.  

The wheels are also centerset. If you’re wondering about why the graphic is on the inside of the wheel, it’s just because Comet likes it that way. You can have them either facing inside or outside. There wouldn’t be a difference in performance or ride.

Great accessories 

Between the Khiro risers, bolts, skid plate, Zealous bearings, and griptape you have some of the best products in the industry.  

Works great out the box

Put together, this just means the Comet Cruiser is going to work perfectly out the box. You aren’t going to need to adjust or change anything – you might want to tighten the trucks (I found no need to do so), but yeah. The Cruiser works perfectly out the box.

And as someone who likes to tinker and improve their board, I have felt no reason or desire to add, change, or take away anything from the Cruiser. It works great for me just the way it is. And when I did tinker … I was unsatisfied. The ” balance” of how everything worked with each other would be ruined.

Price breakdown

I don’t think it is necessary with this complete, but here is how much you’d pay if you got everything individually. 

• Trucks – Paris 108mm TKPs  – $34.95
• Wheels – Powell-Peralta Snakes – $45.95
• Bearings – Zealous steel – $13.95
• Bushings – Venom SuperCarve – $8*2 = $16
• Griptape –  Jessup – $4.50
• Risers – Khiro risers – $4
• Skid plate – Powell-Peralta Tailbone – $9
• Bolts – $4
• Deck (estimate) – Composite, vert lam deck, exotic woods, hand made in USA, low-volume. For reference, look at the Loaded Poke deck – $180

Total cost – $312

What also hasn’t been accounted for is shipping from these different locations, taxes etc.

It’s good at X but not the best …

This section highlights things the Comet Cruiser does well/ok, but isn’t the best at. Why this section is here, is so you don’t buy the Cruiser EXCLUSIVELY, for these reasons. There are sharper tools for the individual niches of skating mapped out below.

Pushing long distances

I feel like I could push the Comet Cruiser forever, and there are days I have skated it over 20km/12miles comfortably. That said, it isn’t the best option solely for pushing long distances.

A board that is lower to the ground and has bigger wheels works a lot better. My Drop Cat 33 for example, with a drop-through, rocker, flex, and bigger 72mm, is easier to push and coasts for longer. Something like the Pantheon Ember or Quest would work better for distances too.

That said, the Comet Cruiser is good enough for pushing far. But there are sharper tools for the job.

Sliding

The Cruiser is a fun board for sliding. If you’re a beginner I do think you could learn to slide on this board. However, it is an issue to hold out slides for very long. Also, the lack of coarse griptape on this board sometimes makes it hard for you to stay on during the slides. I have fallen off once or twice.

If you seriously want to learn slides and progress your sliding skills, get a proper board built for it. Whether that is a tech slide or downhill skateboard, that is another story.

But yeah, the Cruiser is fun to slide, and I do think someone can semi-comfortably learn to slide on it. Stand-up slides too.

Ollieing/tricks

You can ollie the Cruiser, and maybe do some more tricks if you’re skilled. I don’t think it’s a good platform for learning tricks though. You’d rather a proper popsicle deck – like the Comet Shred, or something with two kicktails and less convex.

What I didn’t like about the Cruiser

How long it took to get it

It took me about a month to get my cruiser. Worth the wait though.

The graphic on the Snakes comes off

If you touch the graphic on the Snakes with your hands, it sticks to them. This is easily done when you grab the trucks by the hanger. I had the graphic sticking to my hand a lot.

This doesn’t affect performance, but your wheels won’t have graphics after a while. This mainly affects the front ones though – or whichever truck you grab when carrying the board.

My Snakes chunked ….

Honestly, not surprising, but still disappointing. A long the way of using my cruiser, one of the wheels on my board chunked. Powell Snakes are notorious for chunking, especially if you use them for purposes that are not sliding, or rolling on smoothing ground. Mine chunked because I egged my friend to bomb this rough dirt patch and uhh yeah.

In terms of performance, it has not been affected. It’s just ugly to look at. But yeah, it is something that can happen to your set of Snakes. And if it does happen, just don’t think about it … It sucks that this happens to these wheels, but the trade-off of a great slide, decent roll speed, and a comfortable ride are worth it for me.

Instagram questions

Questions asked by you guys through my Insta stories

Is it comfortable for long distances?

If you’re skating sub 10km, the cruiser will get the job done decently.

Can you learn tricks on the Cruiser?

You can learn to ollie and maybe do some stuff like pop-shuv its, boneless, but it isn’t the board to go for if you want to learn proper tricks.

Is it the ultimate quiver killer?

Yes and no. It does a lot of things well, but I’d pick up a more focused board to get the job done (at a specific type of riding) more effectively. The only thing it suffers at is tricks, I’d say it’s good enough for the other things. It can ollie well enough and do one or two fancy tricks tho.

Is the Comet cruiser good for city cruising/urban environments?

Yup. The Cruiser can tackle the urban environment with ease. It’s smooth over most terrain and can handle calbro roads, slightly rougher pavement, and cracks with ease. Most pebbles do not present an issue for this board. It is seriously comfortable.

The kicktail is clutch. It will prove itself useful when you need to deweight to go over a crack, maybe ollie to get up (or down) a curb, or kick the board up to quickly avoid something you can’t skate over. A kicktail is useful in dealing with the unpredictability and randomness of the urban environment.

Finally, the turning ability of this cruiser is the cherry on top of the cake. You will be able to quickly dive in between people, in between obstacles, in between cars (think traffic), change direction at the absolute last minute, and keep riding uninterrupted. Which if you ever skated in a city, you know can be fairly difficult to do. I think this is one of the more important features for a board to have.

You can also ride one-footed on this board and change direction slightly! Clutch for making adjustments as you push.

Would I change/improve anything about the Cruiser

The only thing I’d change is maybe getting more pop from the tail or do something that makes it feel better to ollie. Otherwise, I am fairly happy/satisfied with how it is.

Is the Comet cruiser good for beginners?

Yes, it is. However, beginners may feel intimidated by how the cruiser feels standing still – it feels very floppy as though it has no center point. This isn’t reflective of how it rides.

This board feels best when it is moving. When you ride it, you will find that it is very stable and easy to ride. It turns intuitively – turning when you want it to.

Is the Comet cruiser good for learning slides?

Yes and no. It slides very easily and in a controlled way. But it has a small, narrow platform that may not be the best for sliding beginners to use. It also doesn’t have coarse griptape so your feet might slip off. But it is a good board for sliding. I wouldn’t buy it specifically for learning to slide, but if you wanted to it can get the job done. You might have a bit of difficulty, but with some adjustment, I think most riders can manage.

Does the Comet cruiser make a good gift?

Yes, this is one of the best gifts you can get a skater or a longboarder. This cruiser is unlike anything else on the market.

Can you pump the Cruiser?

Yes. You can get it moving from a very slow speed and pump it up to a respectable speed, and maintaining that speed isn’t too difficult either.

Where to buy the Comet Cruiser?

Here at the Comet website. Use code “downhill254” for 5% off at the checkout.

What do you think? Is the Comet Cruiser right for you?

The Comet cruiser is a great board. I think everyone should get to experience it at least once, and whether that is purchasing it or borrowing it from a friend – it doesn’t matter. As long as you get to ride this board.
Big thanks to all my patrons for the support – Jed, Mowgii, Jan, Jay, Bryan, Owen, Samil, Daniel, Alex, Kasajja, Leah, Helge, DeLacoste, and Justin. I couldn’t write articles like this without you guys’ support