Tech Deck High Tech Clips - Foundation - Who Says Hollowed Out Skulls Aren’t Cool?
Written: Aug 01 '03 (Updated Aug 23 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Etched design, exceptional clip, durable and pretty freakin’ cool.
Cons: Hard to find, some sets no longer produced, jump rings aren’t very strong.
The Bottom Line: Make this the "foundation" of your Tech Deck High Tech collection.
|
|
|
| Freak369's Full Review: Tech Deck 'Foundation' Metal High Tech Clip |
No, I’m not a skater chick but I must confess my love for the Tech Deck line of accessories. At this years ComiCon I was lucky enough to get the entire first generation of tech clips – something that I say with extreme pride since this part of the series is no longer being produced. Just like the Beanie Baby craze, these are becoming highly collectible and for good reason; they are well made, have a variety of designs and companies to choose from and have a ton of different uses. Ever since I broke open the first pack, I knew that this series contained quality pieces that would hold up to a lot of use. My boys weren’t all that interested in them at first but when they saw some of the designs they changed their mind.
For those of you who aren’t aware of what the Tech Deck line is, here’s the skinny. You know those small fingerboards, decks and accessories that are over priced but extremely popular? That’s Tech Deck, they took some of the major names and companies in the skating world and created fully functional and customizable decks from them. Of course that’s just he tip of the iceberg, there’s a complete line of school supplies, clothing, wakeboards, skating videos and about a thousand other items. Luckily my brood never really had an interest in them so when they expressed an interest in the tech clips I was more than a little surprised.
Tech Deck Foundation Skull
Without a doubt one of my favorite from the series! The metallic skull looks great with the big black recessed eyes and small nose but it’s the overall shape and style that really sucked me in. The widest part of it is about two inches but it is a little longer than the other in the first generation series. This was one of the first clips that I attacked when I received the first series at the ComiCon and it was all because of skull. The down side to this is that is can be a little dangerous, mainly because of the teeth at the bottom – they aren’t particularly sharp but they do have jagged edges that could inflict some serious pain if you bumped into it the wrong way. Since I’ve had this one on my backpack I’ve gotten a lot of compliments about it and more than a few stares. Someone even asked me if it was Misfit logo.
Tech Deck Foundation Logo
Almost two inches around and a solid mix of black and silver, the Foundation logo wraps around the tech clip with a huge fat [or is that phat] "F" in the middle. This is one of several logos that the company has and is pretty basic. I guess this design was picked to offset the companion skull pattern in this set. Yes, it’s basic and a bit boring but it fetched a number of compliments when my son was at the mall and he even had a few people ask him if he wanted to sell it or trade it for another clip. He wasn’t all that fond of it until people started asking him about it, now it’s one of his favorites. If you like this style / design there are several Foundation boards and accessories with this logo – the perfect way to build your own stash of gear.
Things To Know
These might be a little hard to find in retail stores these days. There were first released in 1999 and have since been discontinued. I got the complete set at the ComiCon, a great place to pick up the stranger things in life. The online site has several of the sets on clearance for $1.99 but once they are gone, they are gone for good. These make great gifts for anyone into skateboarding or if they collect any of the lines from Tech Deck but from what I’ve seen, it’s the teen-agers that really love these. You might balk at the suggested retail price of $4.99 but they are, for the most part, well-crafted pieces with a lot of detail and solid metal. As I mentioned in the first review, the weakest point of all the tech clips is the jump ring that binds the chain to the clip and design. I tested these out with a firm tug and it took a bit of force to have the rings start to open up but under normal use, these should hold up just fine. If they do start to come apart, a pair of needle nose pliers should do the trick to get it closed again.
The clips are pretty strong and require a little bit of force to press them open. Since they only one way, buy pushing the clip inward, there’s no chance of it coming open or things falling off of it. Of course, the clip is only as good as the rest of the material used to make the clip – and as I mentioned, the jump rings aren’t nearly as strong as they should be. One good hard pull and you’ll end up with a detached piece and the possibility of losing a part of the tech clip.
Generation 1 Tech Deck Series
Included in the first series of Tech Clips are the following sets:
World Industries [3961], Blind [3962], Toy Machine [3963], Foundation [3964], Alien Workshop [3966], Santa Cruz [3967], Dregs [3968] and New Deal [3969]. These were all two clip sets that were first released in 1999 then again in 2000 as companion products to the Tech Deck line of finger boards, stickers and accessories.
The Bottom Line
While some sets are cooler than others, I am really fond of the skull pattern in this set. The basic Foundation logo is nice, but it lacks a little bit of pizzazz when compared to the skull. If you want to check out all the different styles from Foundation, check out their site at www.foskco.com. You’ll have to poke around to get to the sake gear, but its there. If you come across any of these sets at retail stores and find them for a decent price, don’t hesitate to pick them up – even if you aren’t into the scene.
For more information or to see other officially licensed products, visit the Tech Deck site at www.techdeck.com.
As always, thanks for the read!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): ===free===
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.