Krooked Bigger Eyes 7.5 Complete Skateboard Review

Krooked Skateboards has been one of skateboarding’s most beloved brands since Mark Gonzales founded it in 2002, and the Bigger Eyes graphic series is exactly the kind of weird, expressive art that the brand built its reputation on. The 7.5 inch width complete is where this particular setup gets interesting — a narrower board that targets smaller riders, kids stepping up to a real skate setup, and anyone with smaller feet who finds wider boards awkward to flip.

We looked closely at the build, the complete component spec, and who this board actually serves best. As always, confirm current specs and pricing with your retailer before purchasing, as complete setups are sometimes revised between production runs.

Overview

The Krooked Bigger Eyes 7.5 complete is a fully assembled skateboard — deck, trucks, wheels, bearings, hardware, and grip all included. Krooked sits under the NHS family (same parent company as Santa Cruz and Independent Trucks), which means solid supply chain backing and distribution. The Bigger Eyes graphic is one of Gonzales’s recurring motif characters: a wide-eyed, slightly unsettling figure that is unmistakably Krooked.

The 7.5 width is narrower than the mainstream adult sizes (8.0 to 8.5) and is well-suited to younger riders, smaller adults, and anyone who prioritizes flip trick consistency over platform stability. If you’re shopping for a child or a young teen just starting out, also check our kids’ skateboards section for a full range of age-appropriate setups.

Deck and Build

Krooked decks are pressed from 7-ply North American maple — the same standard used by the top street and park brands. The complete version pairs the deck with components that are functional for real skating without padding the price with premium upgrades a beginner won’t notice yet. Here’s the breakdown:

• Deck construction: 7-ply North American maple, pressed to Krooked’s standard street profile
• Width: 7.5 inches — ideal for riders roughly under 5’2″ or those with shoe sizes up to around US men’s 7
• Concave: Moderate concave — enough to feel responsive without overwhelming a newer rider
• Trucks: Complete includes standard 5.0-inch aluminum trucks suited to the 7.5 deck width
• Wheels: Typically 52mm or 53mm urethane wheels at a hardness around 99a — good for smooth skatepark surfaces and low-friction street skating
• Bearings: Standard ABEC-5 or equivalent — serviceable for getting started; upgrading bearings later is easy and inexpensive
• Griptape: Pre-applied black grip — functional coverage, nothing fancy

The Bigger Eyes graphic runs full-color on the underside of the deck. Krooked’s graphic consistency is strong — the character illustration looks sharp in person and holds up to the usual underside wear from tricks and curb contact over time.

Ride and Pop

A 7.5 deck rides noticeably different from the 8.0 and above setups that dominate adult skate shops. The narrower platform makes flip tricks more accessible because there is less board to rotate. For smaller riders this is a genuine mechanical advantage:

• Pop: Responsive and lively — narrower boards often feel poppier because there’s less width to press through, and Krooked’s maple quality supports that
• Flip tricks: Kickflips and heelflips come more naturally on a 7.5 for riders with smaller feet — less board to clear, faster rotation
• Stability: Adequate for skatepark skating, flat ground tricks, and low-speed street skating; larger riders or those who skate bigger obstacles may find the narrower width less stable
• Complete component feel: The included trucks and wheels are solid for a starter complete — not pro-grade, but not flimsy toy-level either
• Upgrade path: Easy to swap in better bearings and wheels later as the rider progresses without replacing the whole setup

For a broad understanding of how skateboard components work together, the Wikipedia article on skateboards is a straightforward reference on construction and history.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• 7.5 width is genuinely the right size for smaller riders and kids — not a compromise, an advantage
• Krooked deck quality is backed by NHS manufacturing standards
• Complete setup removes the guesswork of matching deck, trucks, and wheels for new buyers
• Mark Gonzales’s art direction gives the board authentic skate culture credibility
• Competitive price point for a branded complete from a reputable company

Cons

• Complete components (bearings especially) are serviceable but not premium — expect to upgrade as skills improve
• 7.5 will feel small quickly for riders who grow fast or progress to bigger obstacles
• The Bigger Eyes graphic is distinctive — not every kid or parent will love the slightly surreal Gonzales art style
• Limited trick versatility at higher skill levels where a wider platform helps with control

Who It’s For

The Krooked Bigger Eyes 7.5 complete is an excellent choice for kids roughly ages 7 to 12, smaller teenagers with shoe sizes under US men’s 7, and any adult rider who knows they prefer the narrower 7.5 width for technical flip trick skating. It delivers real skate brand quality at a complete price point that makes sense for a first proper setup — and the Gonzales art direction means you’re buying into genuine skate culture, not a toy department knockoff.

Parents shopping for a first board for a child will find this a much safer bet than the generic completes sold at big-box stores. Riders who already know they’re serious about skating can browse our full skateboard shop to compare this setup against other premium and budget completes before deciding. The Krooked Bigger Eyes 7.5 earns its place as one of the more thoughtfully spec’d entry-level completes in the market.