Penny Board Versus Nickel Board

A common question that we often see is how a penny board compares to a nickel board. In this article, we will explain the difference between the two types of skateboards and what each one is best used for.

What is a penny board skateboard?

A penny board skateboard refers to a type of skateboard that is generally smaller than a regular skateboard, and typically made of a colorful plastic material. The name Penny Skateboards has been trademarked by an Australian company (Penny Australia), but the style of the penny skateboard has been around since the 70’s.

What size is a penny board?

A penny board’s size is one of the reasons for it’s popularity. A regular skateboard will sometimes measure out to a length of up to 33 inches, while a penny board will always measure out to be 22 inches long.

What is a nickel board skateboard?

A nickel board is a style of penny board that came after the popularity of the penny board. Because of the short length of a penny board, not many riders were able to ride comfortably. This had to do with a handful of factors, whether the rider wasn’t skilled enough, or their size wasn’t compatible with the smaller counterpart. So what could be done? Enter the nickel board. The same style and shape of a penny board…but longer!

The nickel board gained the same popularity of the penny board, and in the same regard, will always measure out to be 27 inches long, a mere five inches longer than the penny board. Hence the name, nickel board.

What is a penny board good for?

When a skateboard comes in a smaller size, a handful of tricks will come to you more naturally. Not only does the size of the board lend a hand, but the weight as well. Since most skateboarding tricks involve lifting off the ground, a lighter board will make the entire process that much easier.

If you are the kind of person to use a skateboard as your main mode of transportation, then a penny board may be right for you. Due to it’s size and weight, it quickly becomes clear that you can take a penny board almost anywhere.

The penny board has a community with a focus on customization. It isn’t unheard of for penny board owners to switch out the wheels, trucks, or deck on any given day. This keeps the feeling of a fresh style throughout the lifetime of the board. Not to mention, this brings the side effect of exercising proper board maintenance. For more information about keeping your board maintained, try our guide for how to use a skate multi tool for board maintenance.

If that doesn’t have you convinced yet, then how about the fact that penny boards have a reputation for being indestructible. People have been pushing the limits of the penny board and posting their results to all forms of social media. To show you a quick glimpse of what we’re talking about, we included a quick video from somebody who performed their own penny board flex test. A display of the impossible strength of being able to be run over by a truck, and still keep it’s original shape.

What are the best penny board color combinations?

Here is one question for which we couldn’t give you a direct answer. As with all choices in life, the color that you choose for your skateboard is ultimately up to you and your preference. The reason this even comes up, is that the penny board has earned a reputation for having some outlandish color schemes and patterns. Most penny boards tend to have color combinations that highly contrast each other.

If its fairly common for the deck to be made out of a bold, but soft color. The wheels take the role of having colors that are made to stand out. Since penny boards can look toy-ish in nature, it also quite common to have multiple sets of parts to change out the style that you want to rock that day.

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