There are two completely different skateboard products bearing Tony Hawk’s name. Most people buying one have no idea the other exists. That’s why this question is so tricky to answer, and why most of the advice out there is either too vague or flat-out wrong.
So let’s sort it out properly.
The Two “Tony Hawk” Skateboards You Need to Know About
Most people asking this question have seen the Tony Hawk Signature Series at Walmart, Target, or Amazon. Brightly coloured, around $30 to $60, sold in plastic packaging. That’s one product.
Then there’s Birdhouse Skateboards, the company Tony Hawk co-founded in 1992 with Per Welinder after leaving Powell Peralta. Birdhouse is a real skate company, sold in skate shops, priced from roughly $80 for a complete up to $60 or more for just the deck. That’s a completely different product.
Same name. Completely different experience. And understanding the gap between them is the only way to answer whether a Tony Hawk skateboard is actually worth buying.
Are Tony Hawk Signature Series Skateboards Good?
Short answer: They’re decent for absolute beginners and kids taking their first steps on a board. They’re not built for learning tricks seriously, and they won’t last long once a skater starts to progress.
The Signature Series comes in three tiers: the 180, the 360, and the 540. The number roughly tells you how much board you’re getting for your money.
Signature Series 180 is the most budget-friendly option. Seven-ply maple deck, metal trucks, ABEC-3 bearings, and soft 95A wheels. That spec sheet sounds acceptable on paper. The reality is that the maple used here is cheaper than the hard rock maple you’d find in a proper skate shop deck, and it shows in how the board feels underfoot. It’s not going to explode on the first session, but it also won’t have any real pop for ollies, and it’ll feel sluggish to anyone who’s ever ridden something better.
Signature Series 360 steps up to ABEC-5 bearings, harder bushings, and better wheel durometer (99A on the cast PU wheels). This one genuinely rolls better. A kid or first-time adult skater picking this up will have a usable board that’ll see them through the early months of learning to push, turn, and pick up basic balance.
Signature Series 540 is the top of the consumer line. Improved components across the board, slightly larger wheels, and a deck that feels more solid. It’s the best of the three by a clear margin. Still not a shop deck, but for someone who wants a recognizable name and a functional board without going full skate shop, it’s the one to choose.
The honest limitation across all three is that the decks are mass-produced, wrapped in plastic packaging, and built to a retail price point. They’re not assembled with the care that goes into a board from a dedicated skate brand. The trucks tend to be stiff and slow to respond. The bearings are fine until you skate them hard, and then they rust or seize faster than Bones Reds would.
None of this makes them dangerous or unrideable. It just means they’re beginner boards with a shelf life. A kid who falls in love with skating will outgrow one of these in three to six months of regular sessions.
Are Birdhouse Skateboards Good?
Yes. Birdhouse is a proper skate company that produces real skate decks. These aren’t mass-market boards. They’re made for people who actually want to skate.
Birdhouse decks are pressed from seven-ply North American hard rock maple, the same material used by established brands like Girl, Baker, and Santa Cruz. The wood selection and pressing process matter more than most beginners realize. A quality pressed deck has consistent concave, genuine pop, and holds up to repeated impact without waterlogging or delaminating quickly.
Birdhouse complete skateboards come in Beginner and Premium grades. The Beginner completes run around $80 to $100 and is a genuinely solid choice for someone starting who wants a board that’ll grow with them a bit. The Premium completes push higher in price but come with harder wheels and faster bearings, the kind of setup an intermediate skater wouldn’t be embarrassed to have.
This is also where Tony Hawk’s actual input carries real weight. He co-owns and rides for Birdhouse. The skateboard he used to land his final 900, now in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, was a Birdhouse deck with Independent trucks and Bones wheels. That’s the setup he trusts when it actually matters.
The team Birdhouse runs includes skaters like Aaron “Jaws” Homoki (known for some of the most committed big drops in skateboarding) and Tom Schaar, who received his first Birdhouse pro model just before the 2024 Paris Olympics. These aren’t celebrity photo ops. Birdhouse is a functioning skate company with actual street credibility.
What Tony Hawk Actually Rides
Tony Hawk’s personal setup is a Birdhouse deck at 8.5 inches wide, built from seven-ply hard rock maple with Independent Stage 11 trucks and Bones wheels. He’s been on Independents and Bones since his early professional career, two of the most consistently respected component brands in skateboarding.
He is not riding anything from the Signature Series sold at Walmart. That’s a licensed consumer product. His actual skating setup is a proper pro-level build, the same as you’d build if you walked into any quality skate shop and said “Give me something serious.”
That doesn’t mean the Signature Series is a scam. It just means the name represents two different things depending on where you’re shopping.
Who Should Buy a Tony Hawk Signature Series Board?
The Signature Series makes sense in specific situations.
A young child between 5 and 8 years old who wants to try skating and might lose interest. At $30 to $45, the 180 or 360 is a low-risk way to see if they stick with it before investing in something better. If they love it after a month, upgrade to a Birdhouse or a custom shop build. If the board collects dust, you haven’t lost much.
A parent buying a gift for a child who has no idea what they’re doing. If the alternative is a random no-name board from a toy store or a plastic cruiser that’s completely wrong for a kid who wants to do tricks, a Tony Hawk Signature Series 360 or 540 is a better choice. It’s real maple, it has a proper popsicle shape, and it won’t humiliate the kid at the skatepark.
Someone who skated casually 15 years ago and wants to mess around in the driveway for fun. Cruising, carving, the odd kick turn. Nothing serious. The Signature Series handles that fine.
What it’s not good for: anyone who wants to learn tricks properly, skate at a park regularly, or progress beyond the absolute beginner level within a few months. The board’s components will become a ceiling, not a foundation.
Who Should Buy a Birdhouse Complete Instead?
Anyone who is genuinely committed to skating should start here. A Birdhouse Beginner complete at around $80 to $100 is meaningfully better in every category that matters for learning: pop, response, durability, and wheel quality. The price difference over the Signature Series 540 is real but not enormous, and the gap in skating experience is significant.
If budget is tight, a better use of money is buying a Birdhouse Beginner complete once rather than a Signature Series board that you’ll want to replace in three months. This is the mistake most beginner buyers make: spending $40 on something inadequate and then spending $100 anyway six months later. Spend the $100 upfront if you can.
Should You Upgrade the Components on a Tony Hawk Signature Board?
This is a real question, and the answer is: maybe, but only if the board is otherwise in good shape.
If someone already has a Signature Series 360 or 540 and wants to make it skate better without buying a whole new board, two upgrades make the biggest difference.
Bearings: Swap the stock ABEC-3 bearings for Bones Reds. They cost around $15 to $20 and are the single biggest performance upgrade you can make to any complete skateboard. The difference in roll speed and smoothness is immediate.
Wheels: If the stock wheels are soft (95A) and you want to skate a smooth skatepark surface, upgrading to 52mm 99A or 100A wheels (Spitfire Formula Fours or Ricta Clouds, depending on your terrain) will make flip tricks and general skating feel much more responsive.
The trucks on a Signature Series board are harder to justify upgrading. Decent trucks like Thunder or Venture often cost as much as a Birdhouse Beginner complete on their own. At that point, you’re spending more money restoring a mediocre deck than you’d spend just buying something better. The deck itself is the hardest component to replace, and on a Signature Series board, it’s the weakest link.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Tony Hawk skateboards good for beginners?
The Signature Series 360 and 540 are acceptable for true beginners, especially kids trying skateboarding for the first time. They’re real maple boards with functional components that will get you rolling and teach you the basics. They’re not ideal for anyone who plans to learn tricks seriously, but they’re a clear step above toy-store boards.
Are Tony Hawk skateboards good for tricks?
The Signature Series boards have limited pop and soft trucks, which makes them frustrating for learning tricks like ollies, kickflips, and heelflips. You’ll feel the ceiling quickly. Birdhouse completes are a much better choice for anyone who wants to skate beyond cruising.
What is the difference between Tony Hawk Signature Series and Birdhouse?
The Signature Series is a licensed consumer product sold at mass-market retailers like Walmart and Target. Birdhouse is Tony Hawk’s actual skateboard company, co-founded in 1992, producing professional-grade decks sold in skate shops. Birdhouse uses higher-quality maple, better components, and is built for actual skating performance. The price difference reflects a real quality gap.
What skateboard does Tony Hawk actually ride?
Tony Hawk rides a Birdhouse deck at 8.5 inches wide with Independent trucks, Bones wheels, and Bones Swiss bearings. He does not skate the Signature Series sold at retail.
Is a Tony Hawk skateboard worth it?
For a child or first-time skater, the Signature Series 360 or 540 offers decent value for the price. For anyone serious about skating, the money is better spent on a Birdhouse complete or a custom build from a skate shop using established components like Independent trucks and Spitfire or Bones wheels.
Are cheap Tony Hawk skateboards from Walmart any good?
The lowest-tier options at $15 to $20 are really only appropriate for very young children who aren’t doing anything beyond rolling around. They have slow ABEC-3 bearings, very soft wheels, and limited deck quality. The 360 Series at a higher price point is a noticeably better board.
The Bottom Line
Tony Hawk’s name on a board doesn’t mean one thing. It means two different things depending on where you’re shopping.
The Signature Series sold at big-box retailers is a mass-market beginner product. Fine for kids, fine for casual riders, not enough board for anyone who wants to actually learn to skate with any seriousness.
Birdhouse is the real deal. A proper company, quality decks, and boards that Tony Hawk himself cares about and rides. If your budget allows it, this is where to spend your money.
And if you’re buying for a kid who might fall in love with it? Don’t undersell the board. A skater who gets a board that actually feels good underfoot is far more likely to stick with it than one who’s fighting against deadened wheels and trucks that won’t loosen up properly. A Birdhouse Beginner complete is one of the better starter investments in skateboarding you can make.