Surfboard and fin reviews from boards I have actually ridden
Updated 2026-09-20
Every review on this site starts the same way: I ride a board or a fin, film it, and write down what actually happened. Nothing here is sponsored, nobody pays for a mention, and there are no affiliate links. The site earns from advertising only, which means a review has no reason to tell you a board is worth buying if it was not.
What you will find here
These pages cover twin fins, quads, thrusters, longboards, softboards and the fins that go in all of them, along with the odd piece of gear like wetsuits and surf hats. Every fact, every dimension and every price traces back to the video for that page: what is shown and said on camera about that specific board. Where a video does not give an exact number, the page says so rather than guessing.
How to use these reviews
If you already know roughly what you are looking for, a fin type or a board shape, start with the piece that matches it directly. If you are still deciding what to buy at all, the choose section works through the bigger decisions, like whether you need a twin, a quad or a thruster, or how much volume actually suits your weight and ability. If you are trying to work out what a board is actually worth, either to buy or to sell, sell works through what each video actually says about cost and resale. And if you want the story of how the rack itself has changed, quiver covers that.
A note on how these are written
Every review page is written to stand on its own, so you do not need to watch the video to get every fact, dimension or verdict. The embedded video is there if you want to see the board in the water, but nothing in the text depends on it. Prices are dated to when the video was filmed and marked as at that month, since surfboard and fin prices move over time.
Questions people ask
Are any of these reviews paid for or sponsored?
No. The site earns from advertising only. No brand pays for a mention or a review, and there are no affiliate links anywhere on the site.
Where do the facts in each review come from?
Each review is built from its own video: what is shown and said on camera about that specific board. If a number is not on camera, it does not go on the page.
Do I need to watch the video to understand a review?
No. Every review is written to include every fact and verdict in the text itself. The video is there to show the board in the water, not to carry information the article leaves out.
How current are the prices in these reviews?
Prices are stated as at the month the video was filmed, since surfboard and fin pricing changes over time. Look for the "as at" date in each review.
How do I know which review matches my board or fin type?
Browse the list below by title, or start from choose if you are still deciding what type of board or fin you need before narrowing down to a specific review.
Pages in this section
- 8 hybrid twin fins tested, with the board each one suits
- Are cheap surfboards a waste of money? What a budget board taught me
- Can a thruster or quad surf like a twin fin? I measured 9 boards
- Do surfboard channels actually work? What they change and cost
- How to choose fins for your twin fin surfboard, by tail width
- I sold 25 surfboards in a year. These four were the hardest
- Two 6'1 fish boards, wildly different rides: what actually matters
- Which longboard is best? Four types compared from my own rack
- Which softboard should you buy? Four compared, fins to feel
- Which type of twin fin is best for you? Eight styles explained
- Are the new Rob Machado Seaside fins worth it? Tested on my board
- Best surfboard for bigger guys in small waves? One I did not expect
- I bought 6 wetsuits: here is how I rate them, brand by brand
- Kai Lenny vs John John Florence quad fins: which suits your board
- New Machado Too Fish keels: do they really work in any twin?
- Surf hats compared: floating brims, canvas, caps and helmets
- Which quad surfboard suits you? Seven shapes from groveler to gun
- Which single fin is right for you? Seven boards from my own rack
- Which twin pin is best? Seven rounded pins compared
- Will Kai Lenny's quad fins change your surfing? I tested a set
- 3 Steps to Set Up a New Surfboard Before Your First Surf
- 8 Boards from One Shaper, Now Down to the 3 I Kept
- A 7'2 Twin Fin Travel Board, Tested from Small to Overhead
- A 7'4 Twin Fin Mid Built More Like a Shortboard
- A Custom Twin Pin That Paddles Better Than It Should
- A Custom Twin Pin's First Ride: Less Volume Than It Looks
- A Rare Single Fin Built for Bigger Waves, Tested
- A Stock 7'6 Quad Fish Step-Up, Measured and Surfed
- Album Surf Sunstone with Soar Monad keels: is it worth it?
- An ultra-modern EPS twin fin, measured against what I ordered
- Back on a Thruster After 5 Years: How the Exo-Flex Feels
- C-Drive vs S-Wings: which twin fin actually works best?
- FCS2 twin keels in a DHD Sweet Spot 2: do they work?
- Fiji twinny in the Maldives
- I Rode a Wooden Twinzer with Asymmetrical Fins
- I've ordered over 50 custom surfboards. Here's when it's worth it
- NVS Ono keel vs Jim Banks Hooker vs JBK 2.1: fin test
- The Twin Fin Mid I Kept Longer Than Any Other, Then Finally Sold
- This performance fish is not for beginners. Here's why
- Two New Twin Fins, and the One I Actually Keep Riding
- When to Sell a Surfboard, and How to Get a Fair Price