Initially, I was pretty skeptical about the silicon bead grip tape replacement, but I\'ve been pleasantly surprised. It works great! I\'ve found it to be actually stickier than regular grip tape, and definitely cooler looking. I\'ve never been much of one for barefoot skating, but this board seems to be perfect for it. It\'s very comfortable and soft with bare feet, and you still get a good amount of grip without ripping up your feet.

The silicon tends to get dirty pretty quick, but a couple quick wipes with a washcloth and it\'s as good as new. Right now it feels like it\'s pretty good and stuck on, but I\'m wondering if it might peel off after a year or so of riding it; no signs of that yet, so I\'ll hope for the best. Another thing is that when it\'s wet, it tends to get slippery--which for the most part shouldn\'t be a problem since usually skating in the rain isn\'t all that great, and this just doesn\'t seem like a board you want to take out in the rain, it\'s more like a work of art.

If you\'re not into the hand-crafted look, this board is probably not for you. It\'s clear that a lot of time was put into the board, but it\'s also clear it wasn\'t made by a machine. The wood is cut smooth and very even, the holes are drilled perfectly etc., the place it\'s most obviously hand-crafted is the graphics and the silicon which, while very smooth and nicely applied, isn\'t perfect all the way around the edges (it\'s close though). I think most people will find that part of the appeal of the board, it really does look like a work of art, and very unique--this board is not a Sector 9.

The model I\'ve been riding was similar to the Butterfinger Prototype pictured on mellowmotion.com. the only difference I can see is that on mine, slit down the middle is rectangular rather than with curves. It has a medium amount of flex, but with the slit, when you carve, most of your weight is on one half of the board so the flex increases. You can also feel the board kind of twist under you at the peak of a carve and spring back coming out of the carve. It\'s a nice change if you\'re used to a stiffer board.

First I set it up with the trucks mounted normally--on the bottom of the board with risers. Then I dropped the trucks (Indy 215\'s--Randal 180\'s will also fit on the newer, production models of this board) through the board (like the board is made to be ridden) which significantly lowered the entire board, and made it feel even more stable carving. Aside from more stability, the lowness of the board gives it a really smooth, soulful feel. It makes you feel like walking the board. The pavement feels so close that you almost forget there\'s a board under you at all. It\'s nice.

I weight about 170 lbs (77 kg), and bouncing on it, I could bottom it out. It hasn\'t been a problem while carving, but you wouldn\'t want to try bouncing on the road--it would be a shame to mess up the fabric bottom.

The board is very light, and with the slit as a handle, it\'s easy to carry (and easy to lock up if someone wanted to leave it on the beach while surfing). It\'s also a head turner, people (even non-skaters) always have questions about the advantage of having a slit in the board. It\'s a fun board. I highly recommend it for someone who wants a unique, smooth carving very low, stable board. Visit their website at www.mellowmotion.com.

UPDATE:

This is the kind of thing that you don\'t like to hear--especially about such a great company and friendly guy.

\"our shop has burned
our supplies, plans, templates, and tools are all gone
we no longer have a means of production
no one knows what is going to happen around here
it is going to take some time to figure it all out
it may be a mortal wound to a young fledgling business
ill keep you posted
if you have an order that was in the works or want more info write me back and ill do my best to get back to you asap
brad wilson with mellow motion\"