Skateboarding on a Dime

So your kid just informed you that he wants a “Penny skateboard” as a holiday gift. The first thing you’ll need to do is put aside your initial queasiness about your child riding a skateboard and the emergency room bills that may result.

Now, they don’t cost a mere “penny,” of course. But Penny skateboards from Australia (OK, the company is there, but the products are made in China) are pretty affordable on a modern, frugal budget. They start at 60 bucks for the beginner model, and top out at around $120.

But are they safe, you ask? (Here comes the queasiness again…)

First, let’s look at the specs. Penny boards are manufactured with “a secret plastic formula.”

The Penny Nickel 27” is the top model, and it features matched Custom 4” Penny trucks; smooth 59mm 78A Penny wheels; and Penny Abec 7 bearings.

Penny skateboards are throwbacks to the banana-style plastic skateboards that were popular back in the 1970s, but updated with modern-day upgrades in plastics, alloys, and composites.

The non-slip waffle top is there to provides perfect flex , and the specially formulated plastic is advertised to be extremely durable. The braided hanger trucks are custom-made by Penny.

On the practical side, Penny boards are extremely portable. A Penny board can fit in just about any locker or backpack.

And on the coolness side, Penny boards come in bright green, light blue, orange, black, purple, red, pink and yellow.

Reviews for the Penny boards are uniformly ecstatic. Satisfied customers like that the wheels give plenty of leeway for turns and carving.

The top-of-the line Nickel 27’ board provides as fast and smooth a ride as anybody could want.

Riders can do all the flips, kick flips, ollies, and other tricks they please, and with complete confidence. The cheaper models are made with the same quality plastic and hardware as the more expensive ones. Penny doesn’t skimp!

So there’s one thing, at least, that parents can feel good about in this scenario. Buy a Penny skateboard for your kid, and you are purchasing a quality product.