Wrist guards are extremely important pieces of safety equipment for electric skateboarders. Because these boards can travel upwards of 25 mph (and, some premium and DIY boards can go 30+ mph), it’s important you use some form of protection for your hands to stay safe if you fall at high speeds.
I’ve personally fallen many times, and expect to fall more. In fact, I’ve ended up in the ER because of a bad fall and needed some serious bandages on my torso, yet my hands and wrist were perfectly fine because I had wrist guards on.
What are wrist guards?
Wrist Guards are pieces of safety equipment you wear on your hands, sometimes like open finger gloves. They usually have a piece of curved plastic at the base of your palm that is designed to take the force of an impact when you fall and extend your wrist to stop yourself from hitting the ground.
The plastic bit is a little bit like the EPS foam in a certified CPSC bike or skate helmet— it sacrifices itself by breaking and taking the actual impact force.
There’s a couple different types and styles of wrist guards: traditional guards with plastic and impact resistant gloves.
187 Killer Wrist Guards
I personally use the 187 Killer Pads Wrist Guards. These are inexpensive traditional skate wrist guards– starting at about $20– that I can vouch for the safety of. I’ve actually taken multiple falls, some at full Boosted Board v2 Dual+ speeds, and the plastic guard hasn’t cracked yet. Like with CPSC certified bike or skate helmets, these should generally be replaced after a big fall because they are designed to break after an impact, but I’ve continued to use mine because the plastic is just scratched up and the integrity of it hasn’t been compromised.
However, these are relatively bulky so many people don’t like using them with electric skateboards because they make it slightly harder to hold the remote. The plastic bit in the base of the palm can definitely get in the way of holding the remote sometimes, but I prefer using these for their increased safety over an electric skateboard-specific glove.
Flatland 3D E-Skate Glove
To solve the problem of bulky plastic pieces in wrist guards, Flatland 3D came up with the E-Skate glove, starting at about $55. This is a durable and flexible glove that is designed so that you can easily hold your electric skateboard remote while still being protected.
These gloves are manufactured by Knox, a company that creates safety gear for motorcycles. They partnered with Flatland 3D to create the E-Skate glove and used their experience with motorcycle protective gear to create a glove that is both flexible and safe.
Regardless whether you use a glove-style wrist guard or a more traditional pair, it’s extremely important to use some form of protection for your hands. Electric skateboards are inherently dangerous, and you want to ensure you protect your wrists from impact and sliding along asphalt at high rates of speed.
And remember, you should also always wear a helmet to protect against head impacts!