First of all, if you're buying a board for a beginner or a kid and want them to enjoy skateboarding, choose something else. I'll start with the hardware itself. The bearings are by far the most frustrating piece of gear I've ever had the misfortune to use, they slow down after the full five feet of thrust. There's nothing special (or good) about trucks. The hubs are rock solid even after extended use which means the turn radius of this board is so unacceptable that a longboard has better turn radius than this pathetic excuse for a cruiser. The shape of the deck combined with the poor quality of the wheels made my feet ache after just a few minutes. I should mention that I have big feet so this might not be an issue for everyone but my point is made. As a comparison I used a 10 year old warped longboard that was missing wheel ammo, with bearings that probably haven't been oiled or cleaned since they were at the factory that were literally found in a junkyard. and it was a much better experience than this piece of junk. However, if you don't want your kid to love skateboarding, this is the perfect item. It also looks good, but it won't affect my rating.