The Loaded Poke reminds me of a mix between the Fattail and Coyote.
It’s a compact freestyle cruiser that’s a blast to ride.
In this article, I’ll cover the specs, pros/cons, and my experience riding it.
Is it right for you? Let’s find out.
Disclaimer
We did receive this board for free but only under the conditions that we could share our honest thoughts. Just a reminder, we have a transparency page that outlines all the boards we’ve reviewed and if we got them for free or bought them out of pocket.
If you’d rather watch a video instead, check ours out below.
Loaded Poke Setups
The first thing I wanna cover is the setups.
You can either get the Carving & Slashing or the Surf Simulation.
The main differences between the setups are the trucks and wheels.
The Carving & Slashing comes with…
- Paris 150mm 50° trucks
- Orangatang 70mm 83a Stimulus
The Surf Simulation comes with…
- Carver CX trucks with Orangatang Nipple (soft/medium) bushings
- Orangatang 70mm 80a 4President
Parts Breakdown
In my opinion, I’d classify this deck as a carving and freestyle board. How I’m going to be using it is as a carving heavy setup that can handle speed a little better.
It’s 34 inches long (86.36cm), just over 9 inches wide (23.1775cm) and the inner hole wheelbase is 20.75” (53cm)
If you’re familiar with Loaded’s lineup, I’d describe this board as a crossbreed of the Fattail and Coyote.
And if you’re not familiar with the lineup, essentially it’s a compact freestyle cruiser board.
It has a directional shape. The nose is lowkey and the kickatil is definitely more pronounced. Which is why I compared it to the Coyote – a very similar kicktail shape.
Throughout the main section, it has some concave. I wouldn’t really describe it as aggressive like the Omakase. It has wheel wheels to prevent wheelbite, but they’re subtle and pretty hard to notice.
The vertically laminated bamboo core offers some flex but not that much.
It has pretty aggressive grip tape, often what you’ll find on freestyle boards.
Bottom Line if you don’t want something as freestyle oriented as the Fattail, Tan Tien or Icarus. Essentially just a freestyle cruiser, it could be a solid choice for ya.
Trucks
Now as I mentioned, there are two options when it comes to the trucks for the Poke.
Either the Paris 150mm 50 degrees or the Carver CX.
Personally, I love the CX trucks way more than the Paris 150s. But that’s because I like to do deeper carves than what the Paris 150s offer.
If you’re someone who favors speed and slides over deeper carving, then the Paris 150s will probably be the better option.
Common sense, nothing super complex about it.
I wouldn’t get too caught up in deciding between the two, because you can do slides on with the CX if you really want and you can carve pretty hard with the Paris 150s.
Wheels
Again, depending on the setup you choose, you either get the Orangatang 70mm 83a Stimulus or the 70mm 80a 4Presidents.
As far as the urethane formula goes, I think we all know that Orangatang’s happy thane formula is quality.
What I did wanna note is that the 80a 4Presidents felt slower compared to the 83a Stimulus. Which makes sense right, they’re softer, so they’re gonna roll a little slower but grip harder because of the sharp lips.
Overall, both have their pros & cons for different riding styles.
Bearings
And then we got the Jehu V2 bearings that have built-in spacers. Everyone has their preferences when it comes to bearings. You might not like double-capped or built-in spacers.
Personally, I think they’re solid and have never run into any issues with them. I like the idea of changing wheels and not having to keep track of the spacers.
Comparison to others
So if you’re deciding between the Poke, Coyote or Omakase, what are the differences. And I chose those two boards to do a comparison because that was the most requested.
For easy reference, I’ll put the length, width, and wheelbase for all three.
Poke: L 34” x W 9.1” x WB 20.75”
Coyote: L 30.75” x W 8.375” x WB 17.5”
Omakase: L 33.5” x W 10” x WB 20.75-22”
Poke vs Coyote
Like I briefly mentioned in the beginning, the Poke draws some inspiration from the Coyote, which is why I think a lot of people can get confused.
I don’t wanna overcomplicate this, so I would just say that the Poke would make sense for long distances and higher speeds because it’s longer and wider.
The Poke has some flex to it since it has a bamboo core and the Coyote doesn’t have flex since it’s 7 ply maple, similar to a traditional skateboard. The Coyote’s easier to pop.
Poke vs Omakase
If neither of those deck shapes makes sense for you, then the Omakase might.
Personally, I’m more comfortable with the Omakase for higher speeds because, one, it has more aggressive concave and two, it’s wider.
Not to mention the Omakase has no flex to it and the Poke does.
So if you’re a bigger person, then I’d probably go for the Omakase. It also has two wheelbase options, whereas the Poke only has one, so that could also be a deciding factor.
Pros & Cons
As far as the pros & cons go for the Poke, the…
Aesthetic & Quality
I don’t think that’s a surprise to anyone since it’s coming from Loaded. Personally, I love the tuna graphic on the bottom.
Portability
If you want something that still can handle higher speeds, but is still compact enough, I’d say that’s a pro. Could be a con, just depends on what you’re looking for.
CX Riding Fakie
And the other thing you’ll probably want to know is if you’ve never ridden the Carver CX trucks before, riding fakie on them compared to Paris RKPs are more challenging. It’s not impossible, but because the front truck is surfskate focused, it’s joltier fakie, if that makes any sense.
If you do a lot of shuvits, then the Paris 150s will prob be the better choice.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this will probably replace my Tan Tien because it fits my riding style better. In the last few years, my riding style has shifted from higher speed freestyle sliding, into a chiller deep carving style.
So keep an eye out for the Tan Tien review because I’ll probably end up giving it away.
Hope this Loaded Poke review helped you get a clearer picture of what it’s all about.
