Need help making a board decision

hey
So I snapped my capita indoor survival the other day and need a new board.
trying to get something under 500 as i just got back from NZ and am a bit low on funds.
I’ve had a fairly good look around town and found some pretty good specials just can’t decide.
I was pretty happy with my indoor and am looking for something about the same flex or a shade softer.
My options at the moment:

K2 happy hour 2013(worried it might be a bit stiff for presses/general buttery fun)
K2 parkstar 2013
Arbor westmark 2013(not sure about speed with the extruded base) read a good review on this on boardworld but it was before it changed bases
Solomon villain( im pretty keen on this but cant find one on sale so would need to wrangle so more money somehow)
Signal yusaku fm flat 2014 (Not sure if it will be to soft)

If anyone has ridden any of these boards and could chuck their 2 cents worth in or has any other boards to look at it would be really handy

cheers

I’ve demoed the Villain for one run. I came from riding stiff boards (YES pick your line, Lib T.Rice) so for me this board is really soft, I would probably rate it a 4/10 for stiffness. It will not be as loose as your Indoor I think because it’s a cambered board but when you weight the board the tip and tail rocks up. I don’t know if the edges are dull when I demoed it or the sidecut sucks but I (and my friend too, we switched boards) kept slipping on the hardpack. Nice for pressing and butters, washed out on the nose/tail for the first few times because I’m not used to the flex.

Hey Ryan,

I ride a 2011/12 Parkstar. It has the same profile (flat insert to insert, rockered tips).
The new Parkstars have pretty much all the same tech, but with the addition of the tweakend tips. I havent ridden this new shape, but from what I have read and looked at them in person, they look the goods. It basically extends the rocker profile right to the tip instead of having the generic curved up tip like most boards. Basically it gives you more surface you can actually use while riding. It will help with lift in pow, and give more stability with presses and butters.
I love my parkstar. Yes it is a park board, but it can really shred anything. I have ridden it in deep Japan powder, and in Whistler’s full on terrain in all conditions. The rocke-flat-rocker is a winner for me. It carves awesome, but is still playful as hell. While flatbasing and crusing it has a real skateboard style to it. Ollies are snappy as hell. Mine has carbon stringers in tip n tail, I think the new ones have more carbon, so ollies and snap will be mint.

Now the K2 Happy Hour.
I have been wanting to get onto this board since it came out! The 2013 is completely flat. I havent ridden it, but people I have to spoken to who have said it rips. Definately not too stiff. The ollie-bar gives it heaps of snap, but it also has tweakends so it butters nicely.
Watch this clip. Jay is riding the Happy Hour (first model before tweakends came in). Buttering and stiffness is no issue!

The 2014 Happy Hour seems to have changed profile. It looks to have flat between the bindings then camber on to the contact point then tweakends. So when you stand on it the ends will still lift off. Similar I believe to the DC profile has on some of their boards.

So out of the two, its gonna come down to Parkstar is gonna be a tad looser, but can still ride everything well. Happy Hour can still jib n butter and park ride like a champ, but will also be more steady on bigger jumps. I thin the Parkstar mite float better in powder, but the happyhour will be good too, but will hold a better edge and take crapper snow better

Thanks for the feed back guys. Was really helpful. I managed to get myself a happy hour to test out on Sunday so if I don’t like that looks like the parkstar will be the way to go.

Nice. Let me know how it rides. Either way if u end up with park star u won’t regret it.