What Is a Pop Slick Deck? Slick Bottoms, Explained
A pop slick deck is a skateboard deck with a thin slick polymer layer fused onto the bottom ply. The slick layer changes three things: boardslides and lipslides run noticeably faster, the graphic survives rails and ledges instead of shredding on day one, and chipping and razor tail slow down.
How it is made
Opera presses Pop Slick decks exactly like the standard EX7 7-ply maple line, then fuses the slick layer to the bottom in the press - it is part of the deck, not a sticker. Pop, concave and weight stay essentially the same; the bottom just becomes a slide surface.
Who should ride one
- Ledge and rail skaters - the obvious case: everything slides further with less wax
- Rough-ground street skaters - the bottom takes abuse that would destroy bare veneer
- Anyone tired of re-waxing every spot
Trade-off? Almost none in practice. Some skaters notice the sound is different on slides. That is about it.
See it skated
Watch Josh Douglas sliding on Opera Pop Slick decks and Jedd McKenzie's Opera Pop Slick clip on Opera's YouTube channel.
Shop it
Every current slick-bottom deck is in the Pop Slick collection - including symmetrical twins that combine slick bottoms with an identical nose and tail. Pick a width with the size guide.
Quick answers
Do slick decks lose pop? Opera Pop Slick decks use the same EX7 7-ply maple core as the standard line, so pop and flex stay the same.
Do you still need wax with a slick deck? Far less. Most surfaces slide without it.