Over the past few days i've aquired a ton of new stuff, while on tour I ordered a bunch of stuff and also got shipped a huge promo package from Oliver at BRR so coming home from tour was like Christmas day. I now have 4 complete pretty amazing setups that all have a different feel, its truly fascinating the difference in equipment and even the difference from deck to deck even when made essentially out of the same mold. Anyhow out of all this new kit I recieved three different sets of bearing wheels: Winkler BRR edition, Oak Yellow RV's and the Substance BRR THCa's. I noticed a great difference in the wheels so I figured I'd give a little write up to maybe help out people who have the funds to get a new set of bearing wheels but are unsure which ones to spend their hard earned cash on so here it goes.

Winklers: These are the first wheels I ever tried out, they were on my original Yellowood (R.I.P) that I lost on tour and I thought they were great. Smooth riding with a decent amount of grip and a slim profile. I set these up with BRR trucks on a Berlinwood Rasta graphic deck. They are honestly not my favorite out of the 3 but thats just my personal opinion. I think for the rider who just needs an all around good wheel the Wink's are great its a really nice combination of grip and Speed

Oaks: Holy S*** I now know the exactly what their mucho feeling slogan is all about. These wheels are incredible and feel like nothing else i've ever ridden before, a perfect amount of grip, I can't wait to try these out on some concrete or blacktop as i'm sure they will be amazing. One other thing I like in particular is their size, these wheels (at least to my eyes) appear larger than all the other brands and just have a much more durable look and feel than the Winklers or the Substance's. I suppose the feel of these may not be for everyone they certainly seem slower than the other wheels but I prefer that for landing tricks. There is certainly something special in Oak's secret urethane blend, they definetly seem the most like real skateboard wheels if that makes any sense. Everyone should try these!!!

Substance THCa's: These are the fastest wheels i've ever tried out, I set them up on a burled walnut flatface g12 with matching green BRR trucks. if your a fast shredder than these are definetly the wheels for you unbelievably smooth and fast ride. As i'm not yet that amazing of a fingershredder i'm having trouble landing tricks on these as the board will often times slide out from under me and shoot halfway across the room, be that as it may this setup has proven to be my favorite so far, the combination of a very very stiff board with these turbo charged wheels is super fun to ride. from a strictly aesthetic standpoint these are definetly the coolest looking in translucent green.

I hope this is mildly helpful please keep in mind that i'm very new at all of this and is just one man's opinion.

This made me want Oak's even that much more. Good explanations

The Oaks are really great man even just opening them and feeling them, they are like no other wheels i've ever tried or seen.

sick review man

Nice reviews I want oaks and substances so this helped me out

I liked this mini comparison/review.

I'll add my thoughts on these brands...

Winklers: Quite an ordinary wheel but the thing that really stands out with these is the amount of delicious screeching sounds you get from doing certain tricks.

Oaks: I've tried the V2s and RVs and although it has a nice feel, I really don't like the shape as these wheels leave the truck axles exposed and it's just horrible if you purposely or accidentally do primos. That's why I prefer Close Up wheels as they have a normal shape and don't leave axles exposed.

Substance: Pretty high quality but expensive wheels. They're really smooth but I think the main thing Substance have over other wheels are their transparant wheels and their green THC/Jades as they look really amazing aesthetically. They also have black/white wheels to cover standard expectations.

With fingerboard wheels, I've realised that I only really enjoy the wheels that truly have something special about them. Oak & Close Up have realism and grip, Winklers have screeching sounds, Substance have transparency and No Comply are just smooth but also probably the best value wheels, especially if you live in the US. I have some Flatface G6Ds and G7.1As but they aren't really special but I guess Flatface do offer colours that no one else offers to match with decks and stuff.

Labrador_FB wrote:

Nice reviews I want oaks and substances so this helped me out

Cool man i'm glad they are definetly night and day so choose wisely. Haha.

nice reveiws knuckles and xi

i thought my oaks were not that good
i really want some substance wheels though

Great reviews lads, very informative