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Skate Product Reviews By Adam Dorobiala adam@slugmag.com Saturday Skateboards McRight Art Series Bear deck (8.0), Misc. apparel www.saturdayskateboards.com Lesser known to the m<strong>as</strong>ses, Saturday Skateboards is a small town board company b<strong>as</strong>ed out of Charlotte, NC, but their product is anything but small town. The deck they sent is probably one of the better non-shop decks I have skated in a long time. The wood is super stiff, not to mention the perfect shape with the right amount of concave, it almost skates for you. It even became a little warped through shipping, but still maintained its pop. The graphics on this particular deck are from a limited art series run by artist Bill McRight, and since they clear-coat their decks instead of fully painting them, expect the board to slip and slide while the graphic stays relatively intact. Not only does Saturday make boards but they also have a wonderful selection of colorful shirts and hats to boot. I am pretty sure the only shop in Utah that carries their gear is Union, but don’t be surprised if you start seeing Saturday gear throughout the valley soon. Go to their website to look at all the cool stuff and purch<strong>as</strong>e is mandatory for anyone seeking a company that really is <strong>as</strong> good <strong>as</strong> the products look. Grind King Trucks Artist Series “Deli- Look Out” and “Dobson- Redhead” trucks www.grindking.com Everybody sees art on decks and it’s high time that trucks start to get the same special treatment. Grind King h<strong>as</strong> hooked up with a bunch of emerging artists to help design their new “Artist Series” trucks, and let me tell you that they are pretty sweet. At first I thought that because of the art wrap the trucks wouldn’t grind <strong>as</strong> well, but I w<strong>as</strong> wrong. These babies grind like the wind and look sharp too. Unfortunately the only problem is the fact that the art is bound to get marred <strong>as</strong> you skate them, ruining any chance of saving the design after a few months of skating. Although I enjoy the designs a lot, the fact that you Photo: Adam Dorobiala Photo: Chris Swainston need a special tool for the king-pin, becomes a h<strong>as</strong>sle in the long run, because most kids don’t have ready access to an allen wrench. The “Artist Series” should be out this fall, so if you are interested in purch<strong>as</strong>ing some go to any local shop and they are bound to have them, but be quick because these trucks are limited edition. Altamont Apparel Jimi Hendrix Lady Of The Night Tee and Hoody www.altamontapparel.com When I met Jimi Hendrix almost two years ago in Pittsburgh, he said nothing about his plans to get his artwork printed with a skateboard company. The lucky guys over at Altamont were able to get a hold of some never before seen (by the public), never before used drawings by the one and only “Voodoo Child” and every article of clothing in the series is quite amazing. If you’re looking for some new threads and comfortable ones at that, then you just found your stop because these shirts and hoodies feel like they are made out of Egyptian silk or something. Although the clothes are really comfortable, I noticed that the shirts have more tags on them than any other company, (when one could e<strong>as</strong>ily suffice) and since some of them are embroidered on they can get a little bothersome from time to time. This limited edition series h<strong>as</strong> been out for a while now and if you haven’t already gotten a piece from the collection, chances are you might have to live with the fact that you missed out on a once in a century event. VOX Shoes Brighton Series Mayday www.voxfootwear.com My very first impression of these shoes w<strong>as</strong> that the sole looked entirely too thick to have any kind of control over the board, but man, w<strong>as</strong> I wrong. Never judge a shoe by its sole, <strong>as</strong> someone might have once said. The Mayday continued to impress me for the fact that I put them on straight out of the box, laced them up and went skating and there w<strong>as</strong> no awkward new shoe feeling. Expect a lot of foot protection too by the fancy “IRS” protection located in the heel. The shoes are super sleek looking, with black leather and a plaid printed cloth where the leather stops, almost enough to make your grandparents a little jealous. The Brighton Series is available on most of their other models of shoes and they have a style for every t<strong>as</strong>te. Look for them in shops soon. Otherwise, just go online and see everything VOX h<strong>as</strong> to offer to the general public. (19) <strong>SLUG</strong>