LandyachtzSwitchblade Chief Night Complete Longboard 2020

The LandYachtz Switchblade Chief Night 40" Complete is my second longboard purchased from LandYachtz through Amazon.com, and my first purchase from Amazon Marketplace seller Nord Boards. The LY brand is amazing, from everything I've read, seen and experienced.The longboard was boxed well and arrived soon after placing the order, although there could have been a bit more protective padding in the box. My Switchblade is everything it was promised to be: Strong, agile, responsive and solid. The longboard itself is a fully assembled, complete package, shipped with a 10 inch wide, seven-ply maple wood drop-through, drop deck, Bear Grizzly 180mm trucks, white Mini Zombie Hawgs 70mm wheels and black grip tape. The bottom of the board is painted with a blue and black mountain landscape which is lovely but a bit unremarkable. Fortunately, the Switchblade ships with several distinctive skateboard stickers that can be applied to the board's bottom to liven up the dull mural.I've been skateboarding or longboarding for 10 years now, so there is a very specific setup I require from my boards. I need HUGE wheels with a bit of shock absorbency and a good reputation, as well as bearings that will withstand the bumps of boardwalk and sidewalk cracks. In my experience, the orange Orangutang Kegel 80mm wheel, coupled with Zealous skateboard bearings get the job done nicely. Even though I purchased a complete board setup, I always change out the wheels and bearings to suit my individual needs - feel free to do the same.During the wheel and bearing changeout, I noticed a funny thing: Nord Boards - the LandYachtz skateboard marketplace seller - didn't really torque down the wheels on my Switchblade longboard. That's okay - perhaps the rotation of each wheel will increase with less friction at the axle, hence a looser lock-nut twist. No worries. Next, I noticed that Nord Boards put washers in different places - sometimes two washers behind the wheel, sometimes sandwiching the wheel with washers, and sometimes two washers in front of the wheel. Interesting. Then, after giving the Switchblade a test run after installing the larger wheels, I heard a rattling, vibrating noise. I assumed it was caused by a defective Zealous bearing. Further inspection revealed that Nord Boards did not tighten the drop-through trucks on my board - approximately half of the lock nuts were finger-tight, which is to say they were very, very loose. Once I tightened the trucks, the rattling noise went away, and the Switchblade was rock-solid.I've been on two separate boardwalk runs with my new Switchblade, and it's an excellent skateboard / longboard. I love my Switchblade. I tightened my trucks a full-turn so that the ride is more stable as I push the board. The maple construction of the board is heavy-duty and pops loudly over cracks in the pavement, but the durability factor is second-to-none. I must admit that I do miss the steep pockets created by the drop deck LandYachtz Switch that I purchased 8 years ago - foot placement is a no-brainer on my older board. The Switchblade forces you to be a bit more careful with your foot placement since the drops in the deck are not as severe - and sometimes it's hard to know where your toes are - but it's something you'll grow accustomed to.Shame on you, Nord Boards. Whomever you employed to assemble my LandYachtz Switchblade did not have their mind on the task at hand. An assembled, complete longboard should not arrive with loose nuts under any circumstances: It's not a skateboard kit, but a complete and assembled board. Don't you employ a person to quality-control each shipment before it goes out? Please - pull your head out of your arse.LandYachtz Switchblade: 5 / 5 Stars.Marketplace Seller: 3 / 5 Stars.- Chipper F. Xavier, Esq.