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One of the most famous longboard brands on the market, Sector 9 ranks among the top choices for beginners looking for longboards today. With such a large selection, though, it can be hard to determine what the best Sector 9 longboards are for you and your needs.
I’ll introduce you to all of the Sector 9 offerings and explain more about them below, but first, take a look at my favorite longboards from Sector 9. If you want to know why I choose these boards specifically, read on.
Best Sector 9 Longboards: Top Picks
| Product | Series | Our Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Sector 9 Fractal Complete | Sidewinder Series | (9.6 / 10) | Check Price Now! |
Sector 9 Drop-Thru Bamboo Lookout II | Bamboo Series | (9.2 / 10) | Check Price Now! |
Sector 9 Faultline Complete | Platinum Series | (9.8 / 10) | Check Price Now! |
| Sector 9 Rocker Complete Skateboard | Downhill Division | (9 / 10) | Check Price Now! |
Sector 9 creates longboards designed for every riders needs whether it be downhill, cruising, carving, or freeride. To help riders find different boards, typically Sector 9 will make boards as part of a series.
Helpful Tip: Look at the name of the series that each longboard is under to get an idea of what you can do with the board.
There are 12 different series consisting of sidewinder, surfwinder, cruiser, signature, bamboo, classix, fundamentals, artist, platinum, downhill division, glow series, bird rock series. And while some of the names make sense, some do not (how do longboards relate to birds? Or rock?).
Narrowing the Search: Choosing a Sector 9 Series
For the purposes of this article, I’m going to stick with the series that are most helpful for beginners to intermediate riders: the sidewinder, the bamboo, downhill division, and the platinum series.
Sidewinder Series
The Sidewinder Series of Sector 9 longboards consists of the high-quality carving and cruising hybrids that Sector 9 manufactures. The headliner of this series is the Sector 9 Fractal which has the best cruising and carving components that Sector 9 offers for cheap.
The Sector 9 Sidewinder Series is for riders looking for the best Sector 9 cruising longboard or one that’s an excellent cruiser and carving longboard. All of these boards are designed for speeds under 20-25 mph which makes them perfect for riders new to longboarding
Most of the boards in this series are made out of 8 ply maple which gives them a stiff deck. In addition, the trucks are mounted slightly lower than other Sector 9 longboards which allow these boards to turn easier and quicker.
Bamboo Series
From short decks to long ones and from top mounted to drop through trucks, the Bamboo Series offers the greatest variety of different boards among any series Sector 9 offers. As might be guessed from the name, the Bamboo series consists of longboards with decks made out of bamboo
The main advantage to decks made out of bamboo is the incredible flex of the board. Bamboo allows a longboard deck to flex underneath the rider’s weight and during hard carves while keeping the longboard strong as a whole.
I love bamboo decks simply because the flex makes a longboard feel very responsive to my every move. As I turn, I can feel the deck leaning underneath me and I can bounce up and down on it as I go straight.
For purely cruising boards, I will always go for a bamboo deck over a maple one. One of my favorite longboards from this series is the Sector 9 Lookout. Its combination of deck length + bamboo + wheel wells allows you to perform excellent carving for the price.
Platinum Series
The Platinum Series is Sector 9’s top of the line longboards exclusively aimed at downhill and free ride riders. These boards are the best Sector 9 longboards that Sector 9 has ever made and they stand as the flagship to the brand.
This series is made up of drop through and top mount boards. The top mount boards, as well as the longer drop through boards, are designed for racing while the shorter drop through longboards can also be excellent free riding boards.
As some of the best Sector 9 longboards, these longboards from this series tend to be more expensive but if you are looking for quality boards this is it. My favorite board from this series is the Sector 9 Fault line for its stability at high speeds.
Downhill Division
As you might think from the name, the Downhill Division Series consists of the best Sector 9 longboards aimed at downhill riders. For Sector 9, that title doesn’t include just the deck of the longboard.
These boards are outfitted with high quality parts designed just to excel at high speeds. For wheels, all Sector 9 longboards in this series come with Offset Race Formula wheels which feature an offset core and a square lip for added traction.
To keep your wheels rolling for longer, these boards also come with Sector 9 Black Ball Ceramic Bearings, which are manufactured to Race Grade tolerances. As these bearings normally aren’t cheap, getting them inside of a complete board is a great deal.
Why did I pick these?
I always like to provide a description and reason why I chose each board as my favorite from all of the different longboards that Sector 9 offers. Below I go into detail about each board and what distinguishes it from the rest.
Sector 9 Fractal
I believe that the Sector 9 Fractal is one of the best Sector 9 longboards that the brand has ever produced. The main advantage this longboard has over similar boards is its versatility.Featuring a 36” inch long deck with wheel cutouts, this longboard is primarily designed as a carving longboard. For carving power at this price point, the Sector 9 Fractal remains the champion.
As compared to other carving boards, the wheel cutouts on this longboard are big enough to make sure you never experience wheel bite right out of the box. And you don’t have to worry about stability due to the drop through mounting of the trucks.
The Sector 9 Fractal offers you a great riding experience for the price of a cheap longboard. And that is why it makes this list.
Sector 9 Lookout
Among the Bamboo Series which contains some of the other best cruisers that Sector 9 has to offer, comes the Sector 9 Lookout. To distinguish itself takes a lot but this longboard quickly stands out among a crowded competition.
Measuring 41.125” from end to end, the Sector 9 Lookout is longer than traditional cruising and carving boards. In most carving boards, the deck length is kept short so that the longboard can carve faster and better.
With the Sector 9 Lookout, you don’t have to make that compromise between length and carving. For a board this long, the Sector 9 Lookout carves like a pintail with the stability of a drop through longboard.
To aid in this task, the Lookout comes with 10” Gullwing Charger trucks which keep the deck low off of the ground for stability but still manage to produce excellent carves and pivot turns. It’s capability to carve and function as a commuter board with a long deck length is why I chose it as one of my top picks for the best sector 9 longboards.
Sector 9 FaultLine
Coming out of Sector I’s Platinum Series, the Sector 9 Fault Line features a mild concave and flared edges to lock you in as you speed down hills. The deck is 39.5” long and is made out of maple ensuring that the longboard constantly remains solid underneath your feet.
In terms of components, the Sector 9 Fault Line is set up as highly capable downhill and freeride board. For trucks, this board features the Gullwing Charger II’s in a top mount configuration giving a mixture of stability and carving ability.
For wheels, the Sector 9 Faultline comes with centerset Sector 9 Race Formula wheels which are designed to provide maximum traction for the board.
I like the Sector 9 Fault Line because I think it combines the best elements of carving and downhill into a single package. The deck provides secure footholds for when you are bombing hills and need to remain stable to avoid speed wobbles and yet when cruising around, the Gullwing Chargers are top mounted allowing you to carve easily from side to side.
Typically, carving and downhill are thought to be opposites but the Sector 9 Fault Line proves this isn’t the case. And that’s why it belongs on the list of best sector 9 longboards.
Sector 9 Rocker
Coming on the list as my personal pick from the Downhill Division Series, the Sector 9 Rocker always impresses with its high quality construction at such a price.
The deck is made out of a combination of 3 ply maple and 4 ply tri-axial fiberglass resulting in one of the stiffest and toughest decks you’ll encounter at this price. The deck features a concave that keeps your weight centered over the deck which is perfect for when you want to drop into a speed tuck and try to race the car next to you.
To keep this board low to the ground while still allowing it to carve freely, Sector 9 actually carved out the truck mounts creating a recessed mounting position for the trucks. This allows the board the freedom to carve while keeping the center of gravity low.
Keeping with the theme of nimble yet stable, the full size of this longboard measures only 35.5” inches meaning this board is small enough to carry around with you. With other trucks, this length would result in speed wobbles quickly but on this board it simply works.
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