Atom Longboards sprung out of MBS, initially a mountain boarding company, and has enjoyed great success since their conception. The majority of Atom Longboards are below $100 and are aimed at making longboarding easier for beginners which is why they are featured on our best longboards for beginners list.

Now way back, the Atom Drop Through was my first longboard so I will always remember it fondly. That being said, I wanted to put it through the tests as a Review Longboards staff member now to see how much of my memory was simply sentimental or deserved.

The Board

The deck of this longboard is fully constructed out of a maple laminate. This means it flexes about an inch or so when somebody stands on it but overall is relatively stiff.

As the name implies, the Atom Drop through has drop through trucks. Illustrated in more detail in our comprehensive guide to longboard trucks, this simply means that the trucks are attached to the top of the longboard deck and then drop through to provide an axle for the wheels.

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A drop through truck design gives the board more stability as it does not allow the trucks to move as much. At the same time, this configuration does not allow for very rapid turning.

Wide lipped 70mm diameter and 51 mm wide wheels made out of urethane are used to finish out this longboards major components. These wheels will dampen some vibration, not as much as some Orangatang Kegels, but enough to smoothen out your ride.

Riding the Atom Drop Through

The very first sentence of the description for this longboard says that this board is perfect for downhill riding. So we tested it out.

The first thing I notice on top of the board was how incredibly stable the Atom Drop through was. Going down hill after hill and feeling myself pick up speed I never once worried that I was going to lose control of the board. Instead, the entire system felt very stable with only minor vibrations from the road coming through to my feet.

One of the disadvantages of this high stability though was how slow the board was at turning. Atom Longboards mentions that they have a “no wheel bite guarantee” and it’s true! I did not experience any wheel bite. But I did have to wait for 30 seconds to feel this board go around a turn.

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Contrary to other boards such as the Loaded Vanguard which respond instantly to every shift in your weight, the stability of the Atom drop through leads it to perform almost sluggishly before and during turns.

However, to any potential buyers, don’t strike off this board yet! As with any longboard, there is a tradeoff between stability and turning capability, i.e. the more stable a board is, the longer it will take to turn.

Who should buy the Atom Drop Through Longboard

First off, this longboard is marketed as a downhill longboard and at that, it simply excels! This board remains stable at high speeds and especially for beginners; stability is definitely the most important aspect to look for in a longboard. I would highly recommend this to beginners looking for a stable board to ease into longboarding.

That being said, the carving on the Atom Drop Through is not as good as it could be. For beginners in longboarding looking to make sharp turns, and carve down hills, I would actually recommend a cheaper longboard also aimed at beginners, the Quest Super Cruiser. This longboard, which we reviewed here, has some of the best carving at a low price that I have ever seen.

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