Introduce
For every skater from beginner to professional, skateboard tape is an extremely important accessory. Because when you skate on a board, you must provide the necessary friction to create traction and stable standing.
There are many different types of adhesive tapes on the market today. Each brand produces products with unique features. So it’s hard for you to find the product that works best for you and your skateboard.
In the article, we will point out the advantages and disadvantages of the top 9 best grip tapes in 2023.
Let’s explore together!
What Is Skateboard Tape?
Whether you are new to skateboarding or are already a professional athlete, gluing tape to your skateboard is always a very important step.
The tape provides a certain amount of friction to keep your feet on the board. In particular, it supports you to show off your techniques in the perfect way.
Types Of Adhesive Tapes On The Market
Since skateboarding became popular, grip tape was born to provide roughness or traction when standing on the board. Most of them are made of a material that has one side rough and the other very sticky.
Currently, all kinds of are made from Silicon-carbide. This material has similar characteristics to sandpaper. The only difference is the degree of roughness.
But not all they are right for your skateboard. There are 3 popular types on the market today.
Non-abrasive Tape
It is a relatively new type of Grip Tape on the market. But very quickly, it made a splash in the skateboarding community. Because this type of it is not like standard type, it will not harm your shoes at all.
The standard type has a rough texture, and the weariless colorless type is made of the same material used on the surfaces of ping-pong paddles. So when skateboarding, the contact surface is rubber to rubber. So they won’t harm or wear out your shoes.
Besides, the material of the non-abrasive type has very good molecular adhesion. It is even better than silicone-carbide and aluminum oxide. So this material not only protects your shoes but also saves you more money.
Specialized tape
It is a type of tape produced by skateboard manufacturing companies. And it’s specific to certain skateboards.
In particular, this type has a very high level of roughness. Although high roughness also increases durability, it is easy to damage your shoes.
Standard type
They are used by many skaters. With standard type, you have more roughness options. But you need to be aware that even though the roughness gives you more traction when skateboarding, it will damage your shoes. So it’s best to choose a type with a roughness that suits your needs.
Some Essential Features Of Good Skateboard Tape
Today, it has many innovations to meet the needs of athletes.
In general, the types of adhesive tapes on the market are not the same. But in general, we can draw some essential features of the best type as follows:
Anti-bubble feature
In fact, when gluing tape on the skateboard, air bubbles appear easily. These bubbles still more or less affect your skateboarding performance.
But most importantly, it detracts from the aesthetics of the skateboard. Surely you don’t want it to happen, do you?
To solve this problem, brands have integrated tiny holes in the tape. They have a venting effect, effectively avoiding the appearance of air bubbles.
Waterproof, tear-resistant
These two features build its strength. You won’t want it to be used for a short time and then tear, right?
Moreover, waterproof is a very necessary feature. Because there is no guarantee that you will always skate in dry conditions, so waterproofing will protect them and the adhesive layer. This helps it not to peel or slide off the board easily.
In-depth Reviews On Top 9 Best Grip Tapes
1. Grizzly Blank Skateboard Griptape
|
Product specification
|
They are a name at the top of our picklist. Grizzly launched in the market around 2001 – 2002 and quickly made breakthroughs in the skateboard accessories market. Every skater in the world knows Grizzly – a brand of super sticky skateboard tape.
That’s right, and Grizzly has super glue that sticks firmly to your skateboard. Grizzly is a famous brand, so its bubble situation is also thoroughly resolved. Such good adhesion comes with the durability of they.
Indeed you will be surprised with the tear resistance of the product. With effective tear-resistance and super glue, Grizzly ensures your safety. Perhaps thanks to the investment and care for this feature, Grizzly has become our top choice.
Besides, Grizzly also scores points thanks to its sleek black design and extremely eye-catching Grizzly logo. This symbol is perfectly positioned, and it serves as a marker to help you easily identify the nose and tail of the skateboard. Thus you can perform the tricks easily.
Grizzly itself isn’t too fussy, and it’s not too rough. If you compare it with other brands of skateboard tape, you will find that Grizzly is not as harsh as Mob but not as smooth as Jessup. Thanks to that, the Grizzly type provides stable traction without much damage to your shoes.
Type measures 33 inches long and 9 inches wide. This size fits a lot of skateboards. However, if your skateboard is larger, you can find other tapes, or you can cut and customize them from Grizzly type.
2. Mob Skateboard Grip Tape
|
Product specification
|
If you want to use your skateboard to learn as well as perform some professional skills like ollies, kickflips, and bamboo flips, then they are not to be missed.
They are the best type on the market today. It helps skaters perform difficult swings because they have classic roughness.
Mob has a very rough surface, so it can help you skate comfortably without fear of slipping off the board.
However, it comes with a bad effect on your shoes. When using them for your skateboard, you must determine that the shoes wear out very quickly.
Because of this feature, you will have to sacrifice your shoes. But you can also make sure the skates have a good sole and quality to resist wear and tear.
Although it will also be subject to abrasion from the tape, it can still be maintained for quite a long time.
It is made from high-quality durable paper. So you can rest assured because it will not be easily torn suddenly when skateboarding.
Besides, they have hundreds of thousands of small holes that prevent air from being trapped inside. Thanks to these numerous small holes, you can install easily without the appearance of air bubbles, ensuring better aesthetics.
It can be seen that although it is very rough, so it is easy to damage your shoes, it has amazing durability. The product is tear-resistant, super-waterproof for a great skateboarding experience.
Moreover, Mob also offers a lot of color and style options for you. So you’ll find your style in Mob brand skateboard tape.
Overall, they are the perfect product for those looking for something to deliver high skateboarding performance. But with it comes your shoes that are easily destroyed. So please consider when deciding to buy.
3. Jessup Skateboard Griptape
|
Product specification
|
They are not as rough as Mob, nor super sticky like Grizzly, but it is still one of our 3 best grip tapes.
Although it’s not the most eye-catching type, Jessup is the best product for your skates. Many skaters, from amateur to professional, appreciate the softness of it.
Because the surface is not too rough, Jessup is not used much to perform difficult techniques when skateboarding. However, with such roughness, they meet the needs of normal skateboarding and do not harm your shoes.
Jessup type is made of silicon carbide material. This material has the advantage of not peeling off easily like other abrasives.
However, it is worth mentioning that silicon carbide does not last as long as other brand tape materials. It will disappear after a short time of use.
Besides, Jessup provides a stable platform to help you control it easily. With the super-durable clamping formula, you can optionally stick them in difficult places.
Moreover, Jessup is also very easy to apply, so it doesn’t take you too long to stick it on your skateboard. Because the inherent nature of Jessup is thin, it is much lighter than Mob, so when assembling the skateboard, you can easily poke through the screw.
Jessup is one of the brands that offer the most choices for users. You can find them in a variety of sizes and colors at Jessup. This makes it suitable for most skateboards, from cruisers to longboards.
However, some skaters don’t like Jessup because Jessup provides insufficient roughness for them to have a professional and enjoyable skateboarding experience. So they never spend money to buy Jessup skate tape again for events and competitions.
But overall, if you are just a casual skateboarder and want to skate for school or a walk, Jessup is a perfect choice. It will protect your shoes well.
4. Black Widow 9″ x 33″ Griptape
|
Product specification
|
Black Widow is the most customizable and innovative skateboard tape. We say so because of its variety of styles and colors.
We’re sure you’ll be amazed that Black Widow comes in a full range of colors from blue, red, purple yellow to popular patterns like plaid and camouflage. It is thanks to the variety in this model that you can easily find the right tape model.
Although not as popular as the previous two types of tape, Jessup, and Mob, we firmly believe that Black Widow is a great choice.
The Black Widow itself has a surface made of 80 grit silicon carbide. It can be said that silicon carbide is one of the best materials in the industry. It is used to create serious traction and friction, so it is very suitable for skateboarding soles.
In terms of specifications, the Black Widow measures 9 x 33 inches – a most common size that fits many types of skateboards.
Although it’s not the right choice for longboards, it’s enough to cover a regular skateboard. If you still want to use Black Widow, you can cut and customize it to fit your skateboard.
Black Widow’s adhesive is an industrial-grade adhesive. So it has very strong adhesion, and you can go anywhere without worrying about them slipping off the skateboard. And yet, this tape can maintain its sharpness for a long time.
And right from the start, Black Widow’s design is also weatherproof, including waterproofing, preventing peeling caused by moisture and water.
In addition, Black Widow also provides effective anti-slip protection. Thanks to that, you can skateboard in different harsh environmental conditions.
And like Jessup, Black Widow is the right product for those who want to use their skateboard for casual commuting or travel.
Moreover, they can keep you stable and balanced at turns so you are not restricted but can skate at high speed.
5. Shake Junt Spray Grip Tape
|
Product specification
|
As one of the industry’s big three brands, Shake Junt has been around since the mid-2000s specializing in the production of various skateboarding accessories. With more than 20 years of operation, the brand has built a strong position in the volatile market.
They are rougher than Grizzly but not as sharp as Mob. Basically, it is still rough enough to provide an enjoyable skateboarding experience for players. Of course, it is not by chance that they have become famous and widely used.
The roughness of this type is just enough for beginners who want to learn skateboarding tricks and skills. That’s right, and you can easily do pretty good flips thanks to them.
And when put on the comparison table, we can see the design of they similar to the Grizzly we mentioned above.
Shake Junt makes it easy to distinguish the head and tail of the skateboard. This means that you can find the exact footing position appropriately and quickly.
However, a minus point in this type of tape is that it cannot last long. After a period of use, you will notice a noticeable reduction in roughness.
At the same time, the cutting edges are prone to cracking and not intact. While it won’t affect performance much, it will detract from the aesthetics of your skateboard.
Also, Shake Junt is easy to get dirty. And if you use plain water to wipe it, the designs will fade. So to maintain them, you should find some specialized cleaning water.
6. Black Diamond Sheet Tape
|
Product specification
|
They are a very generous-sized skateboard tape up to 10×48 inches. With this size, they fit all types of skateboards, from penny boards to longboards.
You will be amazed at Black Diamond’s incredible customization capabilities. Tapes come in a wide range of colors from green, gray, teal, yellow, black, and blue monochrome designs to colorful prints and images like camo.
Not stopping there, Black Diamond Grip Tape also offers options to glow at night. It can be said that this is a new design and very rare for any type of tape.
With a variety of colors, you can buy a lot and then cut it up and customize it to your liking to create your style. In particular, college operations are also very easy.
Besides, Black Diamond uses industrial-standard silicon carbide coolers, so you can rest assured to use the product for a long time.
With all these advantages, it is enough for people to skateboard to be satisfied. But not only at the quality of the tape, but Black Diamond Grip Tape is also surprisingly cheap. That’s why they have become one of the most popular skateboard tapes in the world.
7. Zuext Skateboard Grip Tape
|
Product specification
|
If you are a skateboarder, it is impossible not to know Zuext, which is one of the leading tape companies in the skateboard accessories market in the world.
The design of this leading company’s tape is quite traditional, and it is hand-rolled to prevent wrinkles and is individually packaged.
A guest has received a professional tape award because their product is not only perfect for skateboards but can also be used on scooters or bicycles.
If you are looking for an effective waterproof skateboard tape, then Zuext is the right choice.
Moreover, Zuext is a practical solution for those who want to improve their skateboarding skills. They are using a high-quality adhesive to ensure that they do not come off when exposed to water.
In addition, this manufacturer is constantly improving to help users not experience bubbles during the gluing process with hundreds of tiny holes to allow air escape.
Besides, this type of tape is very easy to cut and paste. So you can easily manipulate and ensure the aesthetics of the skateboard.
8. BooTaa Skateboard Grip Tape
|
Product specification
|
They are high-quality sliding tape. Although not too durable and not too tough, it is very suitable for long-distance trips and cruises.
Although it belongs to the middle price segment, the tape is effectively waterproof. This feature is rare in an affordable brand, especially with a strong adhesive layer.
The tape can stick firmly to the skateboard no matter how inclement the weather is. Even in stormy conditions, you won’t slip off the board.
In addition, on the surface, there are many small holes to let the air out. So when manipulating the tape on the skateboard, you almost do not experience the appearance of air bubbles.
However, a minus point of they is that it does not have the same color as the picture. So if you accept slightly different color shades, then they are a great choice.
Otherwise, you should go directly to the skateboard accessories store to decide what to buy.
9. Vicious Griptape Coarse Grit
|
Product specification
|
Skateboarders know the Vicious Griptape Coarse Grit is a tape for downhill running purposes.
They provide the perfect roughness to keep you steady on the board with a rough grain surface. And above all, this type is very suitable for use on long skateboards.
Vicious Griptape Coarse Grit is made of polyester, with perforated lines all over the tape. These holes are responsible for allowing air to escape when the tape is applied to the skateboard. FROM that, there are no air bubbles that detract from the aesthetics of the board.
Besides, the super-thick layer of glue helps the tape stick to your board. That way, you can comfortably slide without fear of the tape peeling off.
With the combination of these two characteristics, both high toughness and super life, Vicious Griptape Coarse Grit will help you have great moments of skateboarding on the slopes at high speed.
Users also appreciate this type of tape very much because it is easy to create concave lines or contours for skateboards.
Vicious Griptape Coarse Grit has a square shape so that you can stick it on a convenient large skateboard. In addition, the manufacturer also sells 4 pieces of 10” x 11” tape and additional stickers.
Buying Guide
Before deciding to buy skateboard tape, you need to consider many factors. Because the tape directly impacts your skateboard use, some tapes help you perform skills better, while others allow you to move faster. So you need to consider the following criteria to choose the best skateboard tape for you.
Uses
Before deciding to buy anything, you need to consider what you need from it and what you will do with it. Do you want to perform difficult skills or just want to skate normally?
So each person choosing to buy tape will depend on the needs of users.
If you want to skate and throw the ball at the same time, select a tape that not only provides the necessary adhesion but is also easy to remove. Those who just want to slide normally should choose less rough tape to protect their shoes.
Dimensions and Customization
After determining the intended use, you need to consider the product’s sizing parameters and customizability.
The tape needs to accommodate the skateboard dimensions fully. Mathematically, buying tape that doesn’t fit won’t work. So this is one of the best ways for you to splurge.
Typically, duct tape is about 33 inches long and 9 inches wide. It is a standard size because such tape can fit most types of skateboards. But what if 33 x 9 tape doesn’t work for you? You will now have two options.
Or you choose a larger type of duct tape. Or if the size of the skateboard and the tape is only slightly different, you can cut and glue the tape yourself to fill in the gap.
Roughness
As mentioned above, the roughness of the tape depends on the intended use of each person’s skateboard.
With strong roughness, the tape will give you better fixation and make your shoes tear much faster. On the other hand, the average skater will choose a tape that is easier to handle and smooth.
As a general rule, the tape should be rough enough to stick to the shoe without damaging the sole. However, some good brands of skateboard tape tend to be abrasive to the soles of the shoes.
So you have to take into account the frequent purchase of new shoes. Or you can also look for shoes with solely good quality and high abrasion resistance. Or else you can consider cheap skateboard tape.
But the problem here is that they can’t be used for a long time despite having a little adverse effect on your shoes. Besides, is the tape sticky enough to perform many techniques?
In general, you still have to choose the right type of tape-based on your needs and purposes.
Reliability
To evaluate the lateral strength of skateboard tape, you need to consider 3 main factors: is the tape resistant to inclement weather? How resistant are they to tearing? And does the tape have good adhesion?
In terms of resistance to weather conditions, how will the tape cope with temperature and humidity? Usually, the best ices survive in hot or cold climates. And above all, if they are waterproof, that’s even better.
Tearproof is just the physical strength listed on the product specification. If your tape is torn, it will be very easy to cause an accident while skateboarding and endanger your life. At these times, you need to replace the tape with a new one to ensure the safety of yourself and those around you.
However, if the tape is too tear-resistant, you will have some problems. For example, you will have difficulty collating to customize the tape to fit the skateboard.
Besides, stickiness is a very important factor that determines the quality and durability of the tape. It is the adhesive used to attach the tape to your skateboard, and this stickiness affects the product’s overall durability.
Think about it, what if the tape was very weather-resistant and tear-resistant but easily peeled off the skateboard? So the above two possibilities are still useless.
Professional athletes share that, to evaluate the stickiness of the tape, you should test its toughness.
Easy to use
In terms of ease of use, you need to take precautions against peeling, mainly in the form of holes in the skateboard. These holes allow air to pass through, limiting air bubbles when applying the tape.
There is also a certainty that you should look for easy-to-use tapes that are easy to cut but still have enough tear resistance. Because the tape is too strong, it will be difficult to cut and customize the tape in small empty spots on the skateboard.
Design
Certainly, for any skater, the aesthetic factor cannot be ignored. This is why skateboard tape designs are popular in all audiences and regions.
Black tape is the most popular and commonly used color type. However, many brands of tape offer other colors or have additional stickers and images to add personality to the skater.
Alternatively, if you can’t find the tape to your liking, you can even design your skateboard deck. By using a variety of types of different brands. Then cut and stitch together. Or you can also spray paint to have a good color and texture.
Aside from the aesthetics, the hilt designs are perfect for beginners. This grip acts as a marker to help you determine exactly where to kick and place your feet. This will make it easier for you to practice and practice some skills.
Price
Different types will have different prices. But in general, the price range of skateboard tape is between $4 and $20, depending on various factors. Those factors include the brand name, different technology, and maybe even durability.
Trademark
Many people believe that the brand does not affect the quality of skateboard tape. But no, the brand comes with the design and durability that are important for skaters. Because most famous brands go up thanks to the quality of their products.
As you know, good quality can satisfy consumers, but the choice of tape brand also depends on the user’s personal preferences.
FAQs
When do you need to change the tape?
You need to replace the tape when it starts to peel. This sign indicates that it can at any time fall off the skateboard.
If it falls out while you skateboard, it is extremely dangerous. So you should regularly check the skateboard to know the condition of the tape.
Or the surface of the tape starts to wear down. At this time, the tape has gradually lost its ability to create traction and friction. So, it is no longer effective.
Can I customize the logo on the adhesive tape?
No, you cannot customize the designer’s logo on the tape because copyright law prohibits changing or customizing the brand’s logo.
What are the trusted brands of tape?
The skateboard tape brands we mentioned above are all very reliable.
What kind of tape do professional skaters use? Jessup, Mob, Grizzly, and Black Diamond are all brands of choice for many skaters. Those who regularly participate in professional races and events tend to like Grizzly Griptape the most.
What kind of tape do skaters use?
Professional skaters often use standard tape. And most of the tapes are manufactured by the famous brands we just mentioned.
Conclusion
Buying the best skateboard tape is a big deal for any skater. Whether you’re a beginner just starting to learn skills or just use your skateboard to get around. So to ensure your trip is both effective and safe, you need to choose the right type for your needs and your skateboard.
Hopefully, this article can help you have more options. If you have any questions regarding skateboarding accessories, leave a comment below the article. We will help you with the most detailed answer.
Thank you for reading!
Related posts:
