For years, Powell Peralta has been known for making high quality skateboard products in the USA based out of Santa Barbara, California. That’s an important detail because their American-made manufacturing practices have been such a primary part of their brand’s story.
I’ve been a fan of Powell for the last few years. However, I’ve only ever skated their Powell Flight Decks which are solely made in the USA. I never actually tried one of their more affordable traditional maple skateboard decks, so I wanted to try one and see if it felt as good as their Flight decks. However, when it arrived, I was really surprised to find a “Made In China” sticker stuck to the side of it.
This review is for learning if the more affordable maple Powell decks are still worth it if you’re used to the Powell Flight decks or the more expensive Powell’s Made-in-the-USA deck quality. We’re trying to figure out if the quality still holds up for the Powell decks that are made in China.
Pros of the Powell Peralta Maple Deck
The Price
You can find these decks for around $49 new at Tactics and most skate shops.
Pro Tip: If you’re patient, you can sometimes get them for half price if Powell prints a blemished, or less than perfect, version. Mine had its graphic printed upside down, so I got it for $29. Here’s the info for how to find the cheaper blemished ones.
Their Mild Concave / Shape
Powell Peralta’s shapes feel great under my feet. It’s a mild concave with a noticeably flatter and wide nose and tail. They’re outstanding to tailslide with, and that’s the main highlight for me.
Lightweight
These decks feel noticeably lightweight. It’s not as light as the thinner Powell Flight decks but lighter than most other 7-ply maple skateboard decks.
Cons of the Powell Peralta Maple Deck
Not All Are Made in the USA Anymore
Powell has long been known to use a US-based factory in Santa Barbara, CA. I was surprised to see I have a deck made in China that wasn’t under the sub-sister Mini Logo branding. This was a Powell deck made in the SkateOne China factory.
It’s important to note that some Powell maple decks are still made in the USA, but some are not. Here is how to tell which ones are still made in the USA.
The Deck Chips Easily
While the deck itself is durable and feels good, it chips fairly easily. The second time I skated it, a chunk of my nose splintered off. Then, towards the end of the board’s life, I dented the entire side of the deck when trying to heelflip into a ledge with coping on it. I didn’t get high enough to get on the cub and landed primo right on the edge. That left this mark.
Review Rating of the Powell Maple Deck
| Considerations | Rating Out 5 | Score Out of 100 | Weight (Importance to Score) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pop | 4.25 | 85 | 15 |
| Grind/Slide Performance | 4.25 | 85 | 10 |
| Weight | 4.00 | 80 | 10 |
| Quality of Matrials | 3.75 | 75 | 10 |
| Value for Money | 4.25 | 85 | 15 |
| Durability | 3.75 | 75 | 10 |
| Concave | 4.25 | 85 | 5 |
| Responsiveness/Flick | 4.75 | 95 | 10 |
| Feel While Skating | 5.00 | 100 | 15 |
| Total Weighted Score | 4.2875 | 85.75 |
Our Rating: 
85.75 out of a possible 100 or 4.28 out of a possible 5 review score for the Powell’s “Made in China” Maple Skate Decks.
Powell-Peralta skate decks earned a 4.28 rating for their pop, value for money, and overall feel. This deck is perfect for anyone who likes to ledge skate or hit the skatepark. If you’re looking for a deck that won’t break the bank but offers the same quality as most others at a lower price, go with a Powell maple deck.
Overall, this board was solid, and I’ve already purchased another one so I can spend more time on it.
Size I Skated
I skated the Powell Peralta Ripper skate deck in size 242. This is an 8″ wide deck by 31.45″ long, with a 14″ wheelbase.
Image Gallery from the Review
When Did Powell Begin Making Boards In China?
The exact date is unknown. However, Powell-branded skate decks began arriving with a made-in-China sticker around them around 2017.
Are All of Powell’s Skate Decks Made in China?
No. Powell-Peralta still has a factory in the USA, where they make all of their Powell Flight skate decks and many of their Pro Series-shaped skate decks.
However, to keep their costs affordable for skaters, Powell now also uses their Mini-Logo, Powell’s sister brand known for less expensive skate gear, factory in China to make some of their maple skateboard decks.
Which Powell Peralta Decks are Made In China?
All Powell Peralta maple popsicle decks and any Powell deck priced under $55 are made in China. This applies to both Powell Peralta and Mini-Logo branded skate decks.
Powell is very transparent about disclosing where each board is made, too. If you look in the deck’s description it should tell you. Like this example in the picture above.
As a general rule of thumb, if a Powell deck costs less than $55, it was likely manufactured in Powell’s Chinese factory while still adhering to Powell’s high-quality standards and design practices.
At the time of writing, the Made in China Powell maple decks are priced at $49.95, while the Made in USA Powell maple decks’ prices start at $58.95. So, if the manufacturing location is a deal-breaker for you, you can spend $9 more to get the Made in USA quality deck.
Are the China Powell Decks Still Good Quality? Does the Quality Still Hold Up to the Powell Brand?
Yes, very much so. I didn’t notice any sort of defect or lesser quality with the Powell maple deck I skated for this review. All Powell decks, regardless of their manufacturing location, are held to a rigorous quality control standard.
Powell decks from China have the same specs, quality, and overall feel as the USA-made Powell decks. Their main difference is simply that they cost less.
Now, it’s worth noting that many of the Powell decks produced in the USA today are Powell’s Flight decks, and those feel a little different than a traditional maple skateboard deck due to their carbon fiberglass layers, which make them incredibly durable.
How Do The Powell Flight Decks Compare to the Powell Maple Decks?
They both share the same shapes and level of concave, but they feel a little different under your feet.
- The Flight Is Stiffer & More Durable – The Powell Flight deck feels noticeably stiffer due to its fiberglass and carbon layers. With those sandwiched together as the top layers, it has a stiffer feel to it. That stiff feel translates to the board having a noticeably stronger pop.
- The Flight Deck is Lighter – The Flight deck is also lighter due to it being thinner. While Powell’s maple decks are made with seven plies of maple, the Flight deck consists of 5 maple plies with thin layers of fiberglass and carbon fiber fabric on the top and bottom.
- Consistent Pop & Feel – With the carbon layers reinforcing the board, the Flight deck never loses its level of pop. From the first time you stand on it to the last, the pop is there.
On the other hand, the maple Powell deck is a traditional skateboard and will have that snappy maple pop you’re already used to. However, the maple will break down over time, and your deck will start to lose its level of pop (all traditional maple skateboards do).
With that said, the maple deck’s pop is above average, its weight feels incredibly light, and the deck feels durable. It’s just a high-quality, traditional 7-ply maple skateboard deck, so it will not last as long as the Flight deck which is still on the top of our strongest skate decks list.
It’s got a great level of pop thanks to Powell’s AirLam production methods, but it’s not as stiff, durable, or light as a Flight deck.
Powell Decks vs. Mini Logo Decks
Mini Logo is Powell’s sister brand. It is known for making cheaper decks at a lower price point out of the Powell / Skate One China Factory.
I really enjoyed my Powell deck that was made in the same factory in China, so I was curious to try a Mini Logo deck with the same dimensions to see if it was the same quality, just with a different graphic.
Ultimately, I liked the Powell deck more. (A whole lot more.)
While my Powell and Mini Logo decks were made in the same factory in China using the same press and engineering practices, they don’t feel the same under my feet.
The Powell deck just feels like it is higher-end deck.
The Powell deck’s concave is even/consistent, the deck is ever so slightly lighter, the wood feels better, the angles of the nose and tail feel more pronounced, and the overall quality just feels better for skating.
I wound up buying three Mini Logos in the same shape, and even comparing them against each other, I can tell the same level of quality control that went into the Powell decks just isn’t there when it is compared to Mini Logo. The Powell deck has a noticeably pronounced medium concave. The Mini Logo concave and dimensions just look slightly off with each one and noticeably off when I compare them to my Powell deck.
So Should I Buy a Mini Logo or Powell Deck?
While the Mini Logo decks are still decent quality for their price, the Powell decks are higher-end and feel that way. I’d recommend going with Powell over Mini Logo when you can.
If you’re on a very tight budget and need a Mini Logo deck, it’ll work. I’d even go so far as to say it’ll work better than many of the unknown blank decks you can find cheaply online. However, if it’s between Powell and Mini Logo, I’d bet you’ll prefer the Powell version of that same shape if you can spend the $10-$20 more for it.
Are Powell-Peralta’s Maple Decks Any Good?
Yes, the Powell maple decks are high-quality decks that are lightweight, snappy, and have a mild to medium level of concave. They have a lower cost compared to many other brands while still creating decks that will last you.
Are the maple decks as strong as Powell’s Flight decks? No, not at all. However, that is the point. If you spend twice as much and get a Flight deck, you’ll be getting a deck that will last you twice as long.
Where Can You Buy Powell Decks?
You can buy Powell decks from either Tactics or Amazon.
I have no affiliation with Powell Peralta. I’m just a fan of their skate decks. If you’d like to support the reviews I write, please consider purchasing your Powell deck through either of these two links, as both Tactics and Amazon offer me a referral commission from your purchase. Both links point to the current lowest-priced offer that I could find and won’t cost you anything additional.
Now, in full transparency, if you search the word “Blem” on Powell’s SkateOne website, you can sometimes find their decks for half price. The only quirk is that the graphic will have a blemish or it will be printed upside down. I won’t receive a commission from your purchase, but I know you’ll be stoked to find a crazy good deal.
Are There Powell Fans Out There?
Leave a comment below, share your Powell stories, or just show me pics of your gear.
Steve Weber is the passionate snowboarder, skateboarder, and author behind Board of the World. He understands that most gear reviews focus on having the perfect snow conditions, but his testing methodology is different. Living in Pennsylvania, Steve describes exactly how a board performs when the conditions aren’t perfect. His reviews cover performance on ice, hardpack, and flat-out brick conditions. In other words, he reviews boards for the conditions that East Coast riders actually face.
Bringing 27 years of East Coast snowboarding and 21 years of skateboarding experience, Steve is a 42-year-old intermediate park rider. His recommendations are informed by decades of battling icy conditions, ensuring every review accounts for the board’s performance on the roughest of terrain.
For the last five years, Steve has poured his passion into writing in-depth, unbiased reviews that help riders make informed decisions about the gear they’ll use. He also works part-time at a snowboard shop in Northeastern Pennsylvania, which gives him a direct line to learning about the new gear tech months in advance. When he’s not writing reviews, Steve is often found riding at Montage Mountain and testing out new boards.
Steve’s goal with Board of the World is simple: to help every reader find the right gear so they can have fun outside from the first time they use it.
I have no issue with them being made in China, but they need to stop putting the manufactured in California sticker on the shrink wrap.
Yeah, it is a bit confusing.