…hello; I have a question about US blanks; I want opinions from guys using this foam on daily basis regarding WEIGHT (up to 7 6 or so) in comparison with the Arctic. Im a user of Surfblanks, but sometimes I shape Arctics; however, never shaped an US. Arctics are TOO heavy; possible due it have pigment?..kind of an spin off of Surfblanks USA but the chemistry looks very different than the Surfblanks that I use…
So I m running out of my stock; I normally import the foam so I buy a container and starting to like the custom possibilities that US blanks have, but I do not want heavy foam.
When I say heavy foam, I say that in all the densities Arctic is way heavier than the Surfblanks that I use.
if you’ve been using teccel (surfblanks brazil) you wont like the u.s.blanks…i dont know how fernando color codes the densities that he sends anywhere other than the u.s., but there is nothing in the u.s.blanks formulas comparable to the orange and purple densiites of teccel…they are lighter, more dent resistant and suck up less resin.
i use both and have for the last 6 or 7 years…the u.s. blanks variety of plugs and available rockers are great, but teccel is a good foam formula.
…the density comparison is useless due to is not related to the other companies; Arctic and all the other companies have these charts…but only work if you know the foam.
Arctic introduced an Orange earlier this year. Foam doesn’t get much lighter or whiter. But US is great foam as well. A couple of shapers in Santa Cruz told me recently that they are using Millenium and are happy with their blanks. It’s all good. with Clark gone the options are finally there. Quality and consistency. If you are doing a container and are Southern Hemi: I would do as Jim says and consider Teccel. You might save on freight. A container out of OZ is a possibility as well. Midget’s Surfblanks or Bennet.
…rep here did not tell me anything about that Orange density; they ll receive new foam so I ll ask again (In that shipment I ordered a few custom longboards blanks to check them out)
As I said in the first comment, I m a user of Surfblanks, so Im aware of the Surfblanks densities and chemistry; at least from Aussie land and Brazil (plus Brazil factory has a lighter density: Premium/Purple that s not in Australia); but seems that Surblanks Mexico/USA does not have the same formula (if that formula is similar to the ones used by Arctic…)
Bennet/Dion foam is an old formula and low quality foam.
When the Clark thing happened here, the first foam I saw in quantity was Safari from S.A. Some modified Bennet formula. It was total garbage. Poor quality, and shrunk. MDI based I beleive.
Dion Foam, and a few other Aussie foams.
Then Bennet Aus. showed up. Better quality but when they set up shop in Mexico quality went downhill.
Loved the Rhyno Foam from Germany but not cost effective.
Blair/Millenium shapes nice.
Surfblanks Mexico, KingMack, and then Arctic Foam which seems to be the best Mexican foam.
US Blanks seems the closest to the original Clark Foam. That makes sense because Kim the owner worked for Clark as the chemist. Along with most of the Clark emplyees.
Surfblanks America is no more. The only thing the same about Arctic and Surfblanks are the owners. They moved on to a Bary Bennet formula created specifically for Arctic.
…still I have not bought the bulk of new foam due to I m waiting for some overseas pricing. I have foam for this month orders and for the next month possibly.
Those longboard blanks are, like mentioned before, Arctic; to test them in large (I only used it for mid sizes) format and see that if they are good receiving custom orders…
Also, they are too soft and not so light (Yellow)
The rep here told me that he received a few Orange ones; may be I buy one to test it but not sure.
The first Orange ones we got from Arctic were SUPER soft… The next ones were much better. We’ve trashed more USB than any other blank in the past year, by far. I will say… they, USB, do great stringerwork.
Aqua - ty for the info! I am only buying a blank here and not selling a whole lot of boards. But if the Orange is too soft I don’t want it. As for the yellow arctic it is also too soft, but once glassed is ok? I’ll take another zippi fish blank if they have any? I’ll take what I can get. Hoping to find something similar to a old Clark green blank-that density was nice. If anyone knows of a blank that’s similar i am interested!
I wanna try us blanks! Clark foam was the best in my ltd exp. I still got one blank in storage super blue! Hope n us blanks has what I’m dreaming about…dat green blank for da surfboard shapin!
I use the us red and it shapes fairly close to clark (clark was still better imo). Rhyno shapes best of all, but I’m not even sure where to get it anymore. I remember in the immediate post-clark days trying to get anything was difficult and now you’ve got so many choices.
…Aquaglassing, just see man. Marketing is everything…
In my opinion, Aussies (Surfblanks and Burford) had and have the best chemistry and Clark foam and now US have the complete catalogue and stringer selection and customizing that the other do not have.
-Rhyno is somewhat shutdown; in the past was Bennet foam (Brazil) and even more in the past was part of Clark foam…yes Clark foam Brazil; like now US regarding Clark s.
They had problem with business and the Aussie deals and started to buy the chemical from Germany.
The moulds and blanks so the catalogue is/was the same that the previous Bennet (not to be confused with the old bennet/dion formula that they offered too with other name; that by the way in Argentine and Aussie land still sells this crappy Dion foam)
Very good moulds but only 1 density, then 2 densities; heavy stringers. Very good blanks somewhat heavy for the HPSB. Were owners of the 75% of the Brazil market now an almost defunct brand.
