Neil Blender's Polarizer Skateboard - My honest thoughts | The Heated Wheel

[@PauloBerni699]

Carver just came out with their Surf Rider, in the spirit of these retro boards, except its 29''x 7.5' x 15.25 WB and the trucks are cut down versions of their Carver C-5 trucks (very surfy & pump-able), These retro-boards look quite fun.

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

That sounds like an awesome setup, for sure! 🙌🤩

[@drewwright6977]

Thanks for posting this honest and informative review. At 49yo I have been exploring low impact ways to carry on skating and Polarizers are definitely intriguing. However I think what I've got set up at the moment splits the difference between a regular board and a Polarizer. Its a mini cruiser 28 x 7.5 with a short nose, long wheelbase. Square kicktail so you can still ollie. Paris 108 trucks which are nice and high so you can put big wheels in with no wheelbite. It enables me to enjoy the same surf cruiser style that you deploy on the Polarizer but I can also ollie and do sweepers and beanplants and such like. Thanks for curing my GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)!

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Nice! Glad you found your perfect setup 🙌 Thanks for sharing 👍

[@bricemenaugh4828]

Man I use a 1977 Alva reissue board with softer wheels. It's hard to ever go back to my popsicle decks.

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Awesome! I love it 🙌❤️

[@versnellingspookie]

you could also try Bones Rough Riders, they're 85A, and might just be what you need in order to keep your speed! They're nice wheels, i own a pair. Big ups 4 the lovely review!

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Thanks for the tips and feedback. I might have to try those. 👍

[@Blackberries.86]

Yeah buddy 👍🏻🍻🇬🇧

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Awesome!! 🤜🏻 🤛🏻

[@johnfleming249]

I've got g&s surfskate. It's ridiculously fun. I love the 80a Powell wheels that came with. Haven't taken it to the park. I use it as a sidewalk surfer

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

That’s awesome!!! I like the feeling of carving the banks at the park, but I like using it as a sidewalk surfer too.

[@Old-Fat-BMX]

Always impressed with your skills! You make it look easy.

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Thanks so much for watching and leaving the kind words! 🙏

[@Imrahil]

Dude, great video! Gonna grab one for myself. Have a great Holiday weekend, brotha!

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Awesome! Hope you have a blast riding it, and a great holding weekend too 👍

[@EdW-bj5gj]

I’ve got a 1960s board.And an old skate that I cut in half with roller derby wheels. I made this 10 years ago,so yes I am polarized.

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

That’s so cool!!!! 🙌

[@brucetheukuleleteacher9008]

You can build speed on flat by pumping in a slalom motion so that should help you maintain your speed with those soft wheels.

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

That’s a really good tip!!! That’s not something I do on my regular board so it didn’t even cross my mind to try, but in hindsight, it makes a ton of sense. Thanks! 🙏

[@brucetheukuleleteacher9008]

@@TheNostalgicNeighborhood also the loose trucks and soft gripy wheels will help you do that 👍

[@jasonfrank5333]

this is the correct advice. lol. the new fibreflex they put out for neil blender is extra crazy on this. i can get cookin' just slalom pumping. highly recommended.

[@TuesdaysTurn]

I was waiting for you to hit your kicker ramp the whole video! You better shout out your filmer :P

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Haha! Need more practice on that little board before I hit the kicker so I don’t roll an ankle 🤣 Good point, shout out to my wife for going up to the park and filming with me. Unfortunately, she has no interest in joining me on camera or even doing anything with social media herself. But I’m sure she can totally relate to skate_wives over on Instagram 🤪

[@TuesdaysTurn]

@@TheNostalgicNeighborhood I could see her shadow, that's why I mentioned it haha. Keep her happy!!

[@ChipSuey207]

damn that's a clean grip job.

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Thanks so much! I really took my time tracing the shape with tracing paper and then transferring that to the back of the grip tape and the cutting out with a razor blade 🤓

[@ConnerWaylandBmxAndSkating]

Great review

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Right on. Thanks so much for watching and commenting 🙏

[@Unoriginal3]

Wicked

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Right on! Thanks 🙏

[@johnmauer6079]

I’m up for it

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Cool!!! It’s definitely a little bit of a journey and a fun change of pace. 👊

[@itmightgetdark]

Great video. If you have children, did any of them skate growing up? I have a young niece who has been watching skateboarding with me since she was an infant, and she absolutely loves it! I'm hoping she grows up wanting to skate.

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Thanks!!! My two older kids, both in their 20’s now used to skate with me. My daughter was more into it than my son, but she hasn’t skated in many years. My son is in college and still rides his on campus from time to time, but not seriously. But I have such great memories riding with them when they were younger. ❤️ Keep encouraging your niece to skate, such a fun family activity!!!

[@hvgkb]

Awesome video.

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Thanks so much for watching and commenting 🙏

[@Zephyrian1st]

I am 100% getting a Polarizer, and i am also 100% getting a block head, boardwalk, and yea... more styles the better ngl

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Right on!!! Hope you have a blast on them! 🙌

[@Zephyrian1st]

@@TheNostalgicNeighborhood Ill me documenting my X sports journey moving forward since i just turned 30 :)

[@RaulMeatFactory1975]

Good review of an interesting little board which in fairness you make look easy to skate. That H-St T-Mag in the back ground is really distracting 🧐

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Nice! Thanks so much for watching and commenting 🙏 Haha about the T-Mag, that was my 3rd skateboard back in the day. It’s in very rough condition, but I still love having it around ❤️

[@jfernow3187]

Anything new with the hollywood. Almost got mine together just gotta put a crank in. And bought a hutch z 29 lol. Hope all is well man

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

I haven’t changed anything on my Hollywood just yet. But I’m still super happy with it as-is. And wow, you got a Z 29” too?!??! 🙌 So rad!!!

[@DonkeyWalloper]

Great review. I opted for the Bank Mauler. Super fun. Back to the beginning all over again at 52! What park is that you're at?

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Right on!!! Those Bank Maulers look fun too!!! Enjoy 👊Most of the video was at the Kinetic Park in the western suburbs of St. Louis.

[@jimmyhuang8730]

What's the wheel base on that board? 14"?

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Great question, I should have included that. It’s relatively long at 16.25”.

[@dneck]

do these come drilled now? mine I have not set up yet has no holes drilled. I need to drill my own

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Yes, the Heated Wheel started selling their own line of trucks about a year ago, and I think that's when they started selling the decks pre-drilled.

[@dannydenan5248]

How did you put the mounting holes in the trucks? My polarizer came with no truck mounting holes

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Mine came with the holes pre-drilled. What I would have done is marked a line down the center of the board, picked my wheel base (distance between trucks), centered the trucks over the line, and then used wood screws to mount the trucks (or alternatively used the baseplates as templates/stencil and drew the holes with a pen/pencil into the deck, and then drill holes for traditional mounting hardware)

[@dannydenan5248]

@@TheNostalgicNeighborhood do some come without holes? Or was this possibly a mistake?

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

@@dannydenan5248 They used to come without holes until maybe a year or so ago before they started making their own trucks.

[@A24sucks]

I just got back into skating (well surf-skating) less than two months ago and I’ve been looking at these for a while now. I love those old sidewalk surfer type boards. I just recently pulled the trigger on a series 15 lance mountain deck so I should probably hold of for a while 😅 Appreciate you being informative as there’s not a lot of KZbin videos for these boards yet. Keep shredding man 🤙

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Thanks for watching and commenting. I haven’t tried a surf skate yet, but they look fun! Ooh series 15 Lance Mountain, nice score!! 🤩 Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated 👊

[@bricemenaugh4828]

Check out Alva's boards as well...

[@GreybeardSkates]

Braile just dropped a video on one of these. It made me sad for the future of humanity and I had nowhere else to share my burden, so here I am. 🤣🤣Subbed as well.

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Thanks for the heads up on that video. I think we can share that burden together. They totally missed the point on Polarizers. It’s like they didn’t even try to understand 🤣 Thanks for the sub and welcome to the neighborhood 👊

[@TheAtoll]

I'm not trying to be a wise guy here, but are you sure you didn't set up that board upside down?

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Great question, I tried to get ahead of that question in the video, but I guess I failed 😬 But, yeah… 110% certain it’s not upside down. Neil Blender designed them to be convex for cruising comfort, without a kick tail. For example, I included a slow motion shot of him riding with Peter Hewitt and Lefty, where you can clearly see them with the convex shapes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoLZcouqbdCBm7csi=2ZdYcI4cNeucRUTy&t=156

[@crackin2000]

It does look fun but after switching to a surf skate everything else feels like a brick.

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

I can imagine. I haven’t tried a surf skate yet, but they look fun. That’s next on my list.

[@arthurhatten]

Homie, wax your wheel wells. No problemo anymore

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

That’s a great idea!!! I’ve definitely had a bit of wheel bite. Thanks 🙏

[@chrhadden]

try using some 56mm dragons

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

That’s a great idea. I have some 93a dragons on my regular board and I love them, I just wondered if 56mm dragons would be too narrow on this one, but probably worth a try 👍

[@MrPsiman]

they aren't really meant for skateparks

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

maybe not, but if you’ve seen the Heated Wheel’s When the Grunion Run video, Neil and his crew ride them a lot in skateparks and it’s super fun to watch 🙌

[@gregorystiller975]

When you ride up the bank, the nose says…hey wheels, too much weight….wheels are like..ok, let’s buckle! Disclaimer: that is in no way a joke about your weight, I support every one who lives their dreams and follow their heart ♥️🏄🏻🥇

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

I think you’re right. Yeah, the more I ride it, when doing turns tighter turns I’m learning to lean a bit more opposite of the wall and put a bit more weight on the rear, sort of in a progressive diagonal leaning motion.

[@gregorystiller975]

Nice job regardless, it looks like a new challenge, thanks for sharing

[@fuckmyego]

Thanks, I hate it. Great review though! I enjoyed watching you skate it, but you made me realize I would hate to skate it myself. That being said... it might be a good way to practice not relying on your tail too much when carving.

[@TheNostalgicNeighborhood]

Thanks so much for watching and chiming in. Definitely a good way to practice carving and angles of attack… since you can’t easily kick turn out when the carve isn’t gonna work out. But yeah, it’s not for everyone. And even for me, it took a couple hours before I started enjoying it.