Full Moon Wheels Review: What to Know Before You Buy

You saw a set of Full Moon Wheels glowing somewhere, landed on the website, and now you're wondering the obvious:

Do these things actually skate well, or is the glow just a gimmick?

Fair question.

A skateboard wheel can look incredible sitting on a deck and still feel terrible once you hit rough asphalt. Wheels that don't hold speed make every push feel like work. Hard urethane can turn a crusty parking lot into a vibration test. Bad rebound makes a setup feel dead. Inconsistent wheels can make powerslides unpredictable. None of that suddenly becomes acceptable because the wheel glows.

So let's get something out of the way immediately: this Full Moon Wheels review is written by Full Moon.

We're obviously not pretending to be an independent reviewer of our own skateboard wheels. Instead, this is the straightforward guide we'd want someone to read before spending money with us.

We'll explain what our wheels are designed to do, how our different durometers and sizes change the ride, where glow urethane fits into the equation, who we'd recommend them to, and who should probably buy something else.

Because Full Moon wasn't built around the idea that glowing skateboard wheels should merely look cool.

The entire point was to make wheels we'd actually want underneath a skateboard.

And depending on how and where you skate, that distinction matters a lot.

Quick Answer: Are Full Moon Wheels Good?

Full Moon Vacationer 95A glow skateboard wheels charged and glowing after dark.

Full Moon Wheels are performance-focused glow skateboard wheels designed for real skate sessions, not just appearance. Different models cover 95A, 97A, and 99A riding preferences, giving skaters options for rough streets, mixed terrain, slides, and harder setups. They're best for skaters who want distinctive glow urethane without treating performance as an afterthought.

What Actually Makes a Skateboard Wheel Good?

Forget Full Moon for a minute.

Before reviewing any skateboard wheel, you need to know what you're judging.

The number printed on the side matters, but durometer alone doesn't tell you whether a wheel will feel good.

Two wheels with similar hardness ratings can feel noticeably different underneath you because urethane quality, rebound, shape, contact patch, diameter, and terrain all affect the ride.

A good wheel should feel alive.

Push hard and it should carry speed instead of immediately bleeding momentum. Hit slightly rough ground and the wheel should absorb enough chatter for you to stay comfortable without becoming vague. Set up for a powerslide and you want the release to feel predictable rather than wondering what the wheel is going to do halfway through it.

That's where the difference becomes obvious during actual skate sessions.

Smooth concrete can make almost anything feel decent.

Crusty sidewalks are less forgiving.

So are old parking lots with cracks running through them, rough asphalt between spots, parking blocks, ledges surrounded by terrible pavement, and those long pushes where your wheels slowly convince you that walking would've been easier.

Have you ever stepped onto someone else's board and immediately noticed that it seems to carry speed with less effort than yours?

Your bearings might not be the entire explanation.

The wheels have a lot to say about setup feel too.

Durometer: 95A vs. 97A vs. 99A

Full Moon currently sits across a useful range of skateboard wheel hardnesses because we don't think every skater needs the same thing.

95A: Smoother Street Performance

Our Vacationer 95A sits on the softer side of traditional street skating.

That's intentional.

95A makes sense when your normal skate environment includes imperfect pavement. You still want a skateboard wheel rather than a big cruiser wheel, but you're tired of every crack and rough patch rattling through your setup.

The softer feel helps on rough ground and can make long pushes more enjoyable.

That doesn't mean 95A is automatically better.

If your entire session happens on polished concrete and you want the hardest, most immediate slide possible, you're probably looking in another direction.

But if you've been riding very hard wheels on rough streets simply because you thought that's what street skateboarders were supposed to ride, ask yourself something:

Do you actually like how your setup feels?

If the answer is no, the pavement might be telling you more than skate tradition is.

👉 Shop Full Moon Vacationer 95A Glow Skateboard Wheels

97A: The Middle Ground

97A is where things get interesting for skaters who don't want to go quite as soft.

You retain more of that firmer street-wheel response while gaining some forgiveness compared with harder setups.

Our Dual Wield 97A models fit skaters who bounce between different terrain and want a wheel that feels responsive without making every rough section of asphalt the worst part of the session.

Full Moon Dual Wield 97A skateboard wheels featuring two glow colors in one wheel for a distinctive look after dark.

This is the range we'd look at if you want more feedback from the pavement than a 95A wheel provides but still skate enough imperfect ground to question whether you really need to go harder.

If you're stuck between those first two options, our guide to 95A vs. 97A skateboard wheels goes deeper into the differences in ride feel, terrain, and skating style.

99A: Firmer and More Traditional

Then there's 99A.

This is the choice for skaters who prefer a firmer, more traditional street-wheel feel.

The pavement comes through more clearly. Slides feel different. Smooth surfaces become more important. If you're skating good concrete, parks, ledges, or spots where you value that harder response, 99A makes sense.

What we don't believe is that everybody needs 99A simply because they street skate.

Your terrain should get a vote.

Wheel Size Changes More Than Appearance

Durometer gets most of the attention, but diameter changes the personality of a setup too.

Smaller wheels generally accelerate quickly, keep your board lower, and make sense for technical skating.

Larger wheels can carry momentum more easily and roll over rough sections with less drama, but they also increase the possibility of wheel bite depending on your trucks, deck, bushings, and how loose you ride.

That's why you can't isolate wheel choice from the rest of the skateboard.

If you're moving into a larger diameter and riding loose trucks, check your clearance. Riser pads can make sense on certain setups. Your axle nuts should be properly adjusted so the wheels spin freely without unnecessary side-to-side play.

None of those details are exciting.

They matter once you're actually skating.

Rebound Is the Part You Feel but Rarely Talk About

Rebound is one of those skateboard-wheel characteristics that's difficult to appreciate from a product listing.

Then you ride.

Higher-quality urethane should recover efficiently after being compressed against the ground. That's part of what creates that lively rolling sensation rather than the dead, sluggish feeling some wheels develop.

You notice it most when you're covering distance.

Push.

Roll.

Push again.

One setup keeps moving.

Another seems to ask for another push almost immediately.

On rough asphalt, the difference can become even more noticeable because the wheel is constantly deforming around tiny imperfections in the ground.

If your current wheels technically spin fine but your board still feels strangely slow, don't automatically blame your bearings.

The urethane may be part of what you're feeling.

What About the Glow?

This is the part everybody notices first.

Yes, Full Moon wheels glow.

No, we don't think glowing is an excuse for mediocre skateboard wheels.

The glow is supposed to add something to the experience, especially during night skating. Charge them under a strong light source and the urethane emits visible glow when you head into darker conditions.

There's something genuinely different about looking down during an evening skate and seeing the wheels glowing underneath your board.

Parking lot lights, sunset sessions, garages, darker streets and nighttime spots make the effect especially fun.

But here's our philosophy:

If you turned the glow off, we'd still want you to enjoy skating the wheel.

Otherwise, what's the point?

A novelty wheel that feels terrible after the first ten minutes becomes decoration.

Full Moon is supposed to be the opposite.

👉 Discover the Best Glow Skateboard Wheels That Actually Perform

What Should You Look for in a Good Skateboard Wheel?

Before buying any wheels, we'd look for:

• A durometer that actually matches your terrain

• Urethane with lively rebound

• Predictable wheel control

• A shape that suits your skating style

• Enough diameter for the ground you regularly skate

• Consistent slide feel

• Resistance to premature chunking and uneven wear

• Speed retention that doesn't make long pushes miserable

• Appropriate wheel clearance for your setup

• A wheel you genuinely want to skate

That last one matters.

Skateboarding is supposed to be fun.

Performance matters, but there's nothing wrong with wanting your skateboard to look weird, colorful, clean, aggressive, minimal, glowing, or completely different from everybody else's.

How Full Moon Wheels Should Feel Under Your Board

The right wheel shouldn't constantly remind you that you're riding it.

That's probably the simplest way to explain our goal.

You should be thinking about the ledge ahead, your next trick, the parking block you're approaching, or where you're going next.

Not:

Why am I losing speed again?

Why does this pavement feel so brutal?

Why did that slide feel completely different from the last one?

A properly matched wheel should make the setup feel cooperative.

Long pushes should carry farther.

Rough sections should become less annoying when you've chosen the appropriate durometer.

Landings should feel controlled.

Powerslides should become something you can learn and anticipate rather than something that changes character every few attempts.

The board should feel like it's working with you.

That's the difference we're chasing.

Durability: What Happens After the New-Wheel Shine Is Gone?

Fresh wheels are easy to photograph.

We're more interested in what they look like after they've actually been skated.

Every skateboard wheel wears. Powerslides remove urethane. Rough ground chews at wheels. Repeated impacts, ledges, parking blocks, asphalt and normal street skating eventually change their diameter and shape.

No legitimate wheel should be sold as indestructible.

What you want is predictable wear without premature failure.

Rotate your wheels periodically so they wear more evenly. Pay attention to coning. Look for serious chunking, cracking, major flat spots, or enough diameter loss that the setup no longer feels the way you want.

We've put together a separate guide explaining how long skateboard wheels last and the signs that it's actually time to replace them if you're trying to figure out whether your current set is finished or just looks used.

And that's an important distinction.

Used wheels aren't automatically bad wheels.

Who Full Moon Wheels Are Actually For

We think you'll probably like Full Moon if you:

• Care noticeably about wheel feel

• Skate streets, parking lots, sidewalks or mixed terrain

• Want something visually different without sacrificing actual skating

• Enjoy night skating

• Want multiple durometer options instead of one prescribed setup

• Appreciate smaller skateboarder-owned brands

• Like dialing your setup around how and where you actually skate

And we'd especially look at the Vacationer 95A if rough pavement is constantly making your harder setup feel harsher than you want.

Full Moon Vacationer 95A 54mm glow skateboard wheels charged and glowing after dark.

👉 Shop Full Moon Skateboard Wheels

Who Probably Shouldn't Buy Them

This part matters.

If you don't care about glow at all and specifically want the hardest possible wheel for ultra-smooth terrain, some Full Moon models won't make sense for you.

If you want an oversized, extremely soft cruiser wheel designed primarily for transportation, the Vacationer isn't trying to be that either.

And if you buy wheels entirely based on which professional skateboarder is attached to them, we're probably not your brand.

Full Moon is skateboarder-owned, but we're not building the company around fake pro hype or trying to convince you that a famous name should determine what belongs underneath your board.

We'd rather explain the wheel and let you decide.

So, Are Full Moon Wheels Worth It?

They are if what Full Moon is building matches what you care about.

That's the honest answer.

If you're looking for skateboard wheels with distinctive glow urethane but still care about rebound, speed retention, wheel control, terrain, durometer and how your board actually feels throughout a session, that's exactly the problem we're trying to solve.

The Vacationer 95A gives rougher street skaters a smoother option.

The 97A range gives you a firmer middle ground.

The 99A options serve skaters who prefer a harder response.

None of them are supposed to magically make you skate better.

Good equipment doesn't work like that.

What the right wheels can do is remove unnecessary friction between you and your skateboard.

Less fighting rough pavement.

Less obsessing over why the board feels dead.

More predictable control.

Smoother pushes.

More confidence in what the setup is going to do underneath you.

And ultimately, more time thinking about skating instead of your equipment.

That's what we want Full Moon Wheels to be.

The glow just makes the ride a little stranger after dark.