I was looking for something to help shorten some commutes to work and visiting friends across the city, and got some advice from a skateboarding subreddit. This was one of the recommendations for a total beginner for the distances I wanted to travel which were in the 5-10 km range, and I'm very pleased with it.
The main points for the subreddit recommendation were that the longer Drop Cat board provides stability, is wider with a concave curve/rocker & flex so is more comfortable to ride, has larger wheels which helps with the of the speed board (i.e. more distance with less pushing), and the design puts the board closer to the ground so will help a beginner to learn pushing the board. I found all of these to be true with the Drop Cat 38 - it was very beginner friendly, and I was able to get the basic hang of it within the first couple hours, enough to the point where I comfortable went for a 2 km trip on a lakeside boardwalk in my city for my third time on the board.
Further, I'm quite happy with the build & functional quality (coming from a mechanical engineer's perspective). The bearings in particular have a similar feel to the ones I've used for industrial machinery, and the assembly fit-up for all the parts look well done.
Personally, I liked the Vibes artwork a bit more when browsing online as the art looked very relaxed and calm. However, it was sold out online when I bought my board, but the art for the Seeker Black that I went with has really grown on me as I find…