Zenith -- by Encarded

Fri May 09, 2014 12:03 pm

rousselle wrote:Regarding the chemical smell... it's definitely there, and I defnitely do not like it, but I'm glad that it's nowhere near as powerful out of the box as it was with Legends v1 and the black Legends. Luckily, that smell goes away with time and use.

I barely noticed it on any of the Legends. But if anyone got the Myth/Moth deck or any of the other decks by Misdirection's Mystery, they reeked! They still handled well though, so I didn't mind that much.

Fri May 09, 2014 12:31 pm

My Owl Eyes had that bad chemical smell 10x worse than the Zeniths I opened.

Unread post by **Encarded** » Fri May 09, 2014 12:35 pm

USPCC and EPCC decks both smell, but they certainly smell different. I noticed the odor too but it goes away pretty quickly.

As to feel, the varnish coating is definitely different. Not "bad" different, just not what everyone is used to. When brand new I've described it as a bit more "waxy" feeling compared to the (almost too slick) dry feeling USPCC coating.

I've had good success with fanning my Zenith deck though. I've had it longer than most of you

but I am able to get perfectly spaced fans without much effort. I think the finish EPCC uses is almost the opposite of USPCC. The initial friction is a bit higher but it smooths out with some use and gets very consistent. On my USPCC decks, they come out the box feeling extremely slick but start to degrade and get stickier with time. I recently pulled a Fantastique deck off my shelf which I've probably only used 6 times and can't for the life of me get a smooth fan with it, but my Zenith deck which has seen daily use for over a month is working really well.

Every deck is different, even from the same manufacturer, so give it a little time and see how it works after some use.

DragonSoul · Unread post by **DragonSoul** » Fri May 09, 2014 1:33 pm

Yeah, I'm sure both will go away with use and time. I'm just not a convert yet.

Actually, it's Mrs. Soul and no, it has nothing to do with with soap or lotion because I opened a new USPCC deck before these.

Unread post by **Encarded** » Fri May 09, 2014 1:44 pm

For the side-load tuck newbs

:

http://instagram.com/p/nyP5otlL0_/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

sinjin7 · Unread post by **sinjin7** » Fri May 09, 2014 3:14 pm

shadowkat wrote:I actually opened one of my decks to play around with, and as I was putting them back in the box, tragedy occurred! The bottom flap on the box really dinged one of my cards pretty badly (hopefully my porper clip will return it to almost new)

I guess you guys didn't read my mini review of these cards back on page 19 of this thread:

sinjin7 wrote: ...The thickness of the stock makes it a little difficult to open and close the wide flap of a side tuck box. And the biggest problem lies with the bottom of the box. USPCC tuck boxes are glued on the bottom, so there's no flap that tucks up into the inside of the box. The Zenith side tuck box has a bottom flap that's inserted into the inside of the tuck just like the top flap, so the flap protrudes inside of the box. When you put the cards back into the tuck, its a tight fit and 2-3 cards don't go all the way into the tuck and sticks up because they're butting up against that inside tuck flap. You really have to wiggle and manipulate the cards to get them all inside....

The trick that works for me for getting the cards back in the side tuck is to put a single cards in first to cover the bottom flap inside and then the rest of the cards slide easily in after that.

shadowkat · Unread post by **shadowkat** » Fri May 09, 2014 4:39 pm

sinjin7, you are correct. I am new to forums and admit I don't read every post.

Thank you for the advice, following from here on out. Thank you.

And Paul, thanks for that video. Yes I am a noob all around.

Bikefanatic · Unread post by **Bikefanatic** » Fri May 09, 2014 11:18 pm

I never paid attention to the smell of a USPCC deck but for the Zenith they had a smell to them only if your nose was up close. Ya'll made it seem like the smell will slap you in the face when you open up the box. I got 504/1000, New Orleans area code. I have no complaints with these cards. The snug tuck isn't a problem.

Sat May 10, 2014 6:09 am

Bikefanatic wrote:I never paid attention to the smell of a USPCC deck but for the Zenith they had a smell to them only if your nose was up close. Ya'll made it seem like the smell will slap you in the face when you open up the box. I got 504/1000, New Orleans area code. I have no complaints with these cards. The snug tuck isn't a problem.

It's kind of strange because it varies so much: the new "Exquisite Bold" has basically no smell at all even right after it's opened. I think they are listening in here?

nECr0MaNCeD · Unread post by **nECr0MaNCeD** » Sun May 11, 2014 1:38 am

I was trying to figure out what my cards smell like. It took me awhile to pin it down but I figured it out. They smell like smoldering credit card....

Unread post by **MagikFingerz** » Sun May 11, 2014 8:10 am

nECr0MaNCeD wrote:I was trying to figure out what my cards smell like. It took me awhile to pin it down but I figured it out. They smell like smoldering credit card....

That's not the cards... Check your pocket

Unread post by **rousselle** » Sun May 11, 2014 11:33 am

nECr0MaNCeD wrote:I was trying to figure out what my cards smell like. It took me awhile to pin it down but I figured it out. They smell like smoldering credit card....

+1 For the win!

Norbie · Unread post by **Norbie** » Tue May 20, 2014 11:50 pm

The 2 decks I ordered arrived here in Australia yesterday safe and sound. I didn't get any cool numbers, only 763 & 768 (I opened 768) I will have to wait for another numbered edition to see if I'm lucky to get a triple 6 deck.

There is no significant fragrance that some have been experienceing, although I'm sick in hospital so maybe that might have are roll in my senses. No dramas in getting the cards out and into the tuck case, and the cards do feel a bit oily.

Looking at the cards..... I don't know if it's worth $20 + international postage! but the tuck is awesome, I like the thickness of it.

UPDATE -

Ok, getting the cards back into its deck can be a challenge if you don't do it right. Just go back a few pages and there is a video showing you how to do it. There is also the issue at the back where some of the cards are a bit higher than the cards at the front.

Also, playing one excruciating game of solitaire I found something amazing about this deck. Now, I've mentioned this before but to those who missed it I'll say it again; please remember that what I am saying is coming from some one who has only 10 fifferent decks.

I don't know what you call what I am describing so please try to stay with me, and if you know what you call what I'm describing please let me know. I'm pretty sure everyone does this when they play cards, even though there is a few different variations of it.

Ok..... You have a deck and you cut it in two. You take one half in one hand and the other half in the other hand. You put them on the table and using your thumbs you lift the corner of the two decks and then you let them go. What happens is the deck on the right and the deck on the left are "shuffled" evenly.

Well, whatever you call this thing, the Zenith deck is a natural when it comes to it. You almost get an even distribution from the moment you take it out of the tuck. I was very impressed as the other cards that I own (all 10 of them) weren't so ....... How can I say it?..... Balanced when you do it, you need to be very good to get an even shuffle. But the Zenith does it no matter how good you are, I can get a nice even distribution!

Is there anybody out there who knows what I'm talking about?

Another thing that caught my eye was the cello wrapping around the tuck; it's not fully wrapped, but more like 3/4 of the tuck is covered. Anyone know why this is so?

The seal was pretty tricky. I tried to unpeel it but it didn't go so well so I used a sharp knife to cut the seal.

And while we are at it - I got some photos of the decks in the hospital with me but I can't get img to work here. What do I need to do to get it working?

And one more thing; when you take off the cello at the front you'll see the ink of Paul's signature is leaving its mark on the cello.

I think that's it?

Wilko · Unread post by **Wilko** » Wed May 21, 2014 4:27 am

Got my Zenith decks the other day. No special numbers, all in the low 800's.
My thoughts are...
The deck is a bit smelly but most of the decks coming out of EPCC seem to carry the same smell. It doesn't really bother my. Its not like the smell hurts my nose or offends me. I think of it as being part of the experience of opening a new deck!
The cards handle fine. I've not played around with them too much so cant give any real opinion on this. They fan alright and faro fine bottom to top if I remember correctly.
For me these handle like a mix between a Fornier and a std deck out of USPCC. I dont mind the feel of them.
The box is very nice. I wasn't too sure how it was going to be. The pictures looked great and I wasn't disappointed when I saw it in the flesh.
The biggest disappointment is the overall experience. You receive a really nice looking deck, the box looks great, nice thick tuck box card used, side loaded tuck box, which seems to be a trend at the moment. A nice limited individual deck seal. Then you open the box up and for me, the cards are a bit of a let down visually. Like I say they handle as you expect but after the great visuals of the box, the cards don't live up to the standards set by the tuck box. I guess what i'm saying is, the box looks great, the cards are a bit meh.
For a collector who doesn't open decks this isn't a problem because all your going to see is the box but I think a bit too much emphasis has been placed on the looks of the box and the cards have been a little bit forgotten.
Dont get me wrong, if the cards were in a std looking tuck box I would probably be saying that there fine looking but after getting a tuck box that looks as fine as the Zenith I was expecting the cards themselves to look a bit more WOW.

Just my thoughts. Still a great deck to own.

Norbie · Unread post by **Norbie** » Wed May 21, 2014 5:14 am

Wilko wrote: ... the cards don't live up to the standards set by the tuck box ...

My thoughts too.

Anyway, here are a few shots of my two decks.

I hope you don't catch this image while you're eating.

You can notice how the cello only covers 3/4 of the tuck. Also notice how nice and clean they look.

WARNING! DONT HANDLE YOUR TUCK TO MUCH!!!!!!

I had this tuck in my hands for about half an hour .......

See how it's scuffed on the right side. Be gentle with your Zenith tuck, I wasn't doing anything strenuous when I had the deck in my hands. I was only spinning and turning (like when you watch a video for a deck and the person is showing off the deck, something along those lines) it while watching TV.

Unread post by **MagikFingerz** » Wed May 21, 2014 5:15 am

Mine are numbers 53, 64, 69 (

) and 76.

The smell is there, but very faint and not really noticable unless you put them right up under your nose.

Handling is at Exquisite level, maybe slightly better. Fans are awesome, not as perfect as with some USPCC decks but the design is a bit forgiving. And I prefer the stiffness and amount of snap of EPCC decks compared to USPCC, which I feel has been bad on all non-Bee stock decks since the move from OH to KY.

What Wilko is saying is usually an experience I have with decks that have overly pimped out boxes (e.g. T11), but I didn't have that experience with these. We saw enough pictures to expect what was inside, and the design is so unique that they're an absolute joy to play with (dem fans...

). Maybe I was just so eager for the cards themselves that I didn't really let the box have an impression on me at all.

Unread post by **Encarded** » Wed May 21, 2014 8:48 am

Norbie,

Your deck has cellophane on just part because you asked for a signature, so I had to take off the top to sign on the deck itself.

I've had a Zenith opened for a few months now and if you handle it constantly, the foil does wear. I don't actually own any other deck with that much foil coverage, but the few that have a lot do have some wear if you handle them frequently. I think this holo foil is a bit more delicate than a standard thick gold foil, and visible wear would probably also vary depending how oily or rough your hands were. I'd consider it a patina, and also a testament that you are brave enough to actually use the thing.

snsdmonkey · Unread post by **snsdmonkey** » Wed May 21, 2014 9:09 am

Damn we could've requested a signature on our deck?

Unread post by **Sher** » Wed May 21, 2014 9:11 am

Norbie wrote:And while we are at it - I got some photos of the decks in the hospital with me but I can't get img to work here. What do I need to do to get it working?

Norbie, use the "ucimg" option on the far right side of the editor. It should come out like this:

The ucimg code automatically resizes the pictures to fit the forum.

snsdmonkey wrote:Damn we could've requested a signature on our deck?

It wasn't explicitly stated, but I should have thought of asking. It looks really nice on the tuck, doesn't it?

Unread post by **bhong** » Wed May 21, 2014 11:22 am

Encarded wrote:Norbie,

Your deck has cellophane on just part because you asked for a signature, so I had to take off the top to sign on the deck itself.

I've had a Zenith opened for a few months now and if you handle it constantly, the foil does wear. I don't actually own any other deck with that much foil coverage, but the few that have a lot do have some wear if you handle them frequently. I think this holo foil is a bit more delicate than a standard thick gold foil, and visible wear would probably also vary depending how oily or rough your hands were. I'd consider it a patina, and also a testament that you are brave enough to actually use the thing.

That reminds me a bit of the DeckOne V1 where the tuckcase's ink faded with usage to give it a nice worn out look to it. It might be something cool to consider for a future tuck design.

volantangel · Unread post by **volantangel** » Wed May 21, 2014 11:29 am

Haha Paul forgot to sign mine although I requested

making me all the more jealous lol

volantangel · Unread post by **volantangel** » Wed May 21, 2014 9:24 pm

Finally got around to taking some photos for Zenith. The flare really does look amazing when you know what to do with it.

Follow the link if you want to see more

http://unitedcardists.com/viewtopic.php ... 986#p49986

: Zenith

Bikefanatic · Unread post by **Bikefanatic** » Thu May 22, 2014 12:15 am

I don't understand all of the problems with this deck. It has too much of a plastic feel than a UPSCC deck but it handles well.

I really can't smell the scent of the cards unless I put my nose up on it. (Some of you might have a deck sniffing fetish).

Putting the cards back into the tuck isn't rocket science. Grab the deck vertical where your thumb is at the bottom and rest of your fingers are on the top. For the thumb side, angle it so the lower right corner goes into the box then with the top part you can just push it in.

Thu May 22, 2014 12:43 am

volantangel wrote:Finally got around to taking some photos for Zenith. The flare really does look amazing when you know what to do with it.

Follow the link if you want to see more http://unitedcardists.com/viewtopic.php ... 986#p49986

IMG_9248.jpg

@volantangel - You take amazing photos!

Unread post by **Encarded** » Thu May 22, 2014 6:40 am

lovely pictures, thanks for sharing them. those really capture the color of that foil.

volantangel · Unread post by **volantangel** » Thu May 22, 2014 8:49 am

Encarded wrote:lovely pictures, thanks for sharing them. those really capture the color of that foil.

No problem Paul, you can use them as you wish, although you are sold out of them

th4mo · Unread post by **th4mo** » Thu May 22, 2014 9:15 pm

volantangel wrote:
Encarded wrote:lovely pictures, thanks for sharing them. those really capture the color of that foil.
No problem Paul, you can use them as you wish, although you are sold out of them

He should post them anyway...
It can't help but increase the demand (and thus the value) of the cards that are out there!

volantangel · Unread post by **volantangel** » Thu May 22, 2014 9:42 pm

th4mo wrote:
volantangel wrote:
Encarded wrote:lovely pictures, thanks for sharing them. those really capture the color of that foil.
No problem Paul, you can use them as you wish, although you are sold out of them
He should post them anyway...
It can't help but increase the demand (and thus the value) of the cards that are out there!

Haha buddy you are overrating my photos, it ain't thatttt good lol

nECr0MaNCeD · Unread post by **nECr0MaNCeD** » Thu May 22, 2014 10:29 pm

volantangel wrote:
th4mo wrote:
volantangel wrote:
Encarded wrote:lovely pictures, thanks for sharing them. those really capture the color of that foil.
No problem Paul, you can use them as you wish, although you are sold out of them
He should post them anyway...
It can't help but increase the demand (and thus the value) of the cards that are out there!
Haha buddy you are overrating my photos, it ain't thatttt good lol

You are under-rating your talent my friend!

th4mo · Unread post by **th4mo** » Fri May 23, 2014 2:18 am

volantangel wrote:
th4mo wrote:
volantangel wrote:
Encarded wrote:lovely pictures, thanks for sharing them. those really capture the color of that foil.
No problem Paul, you can use them as you wish, although you are sold out of them
He should post them anyway...
It can't help but increase the demand (and thus the value) of the cards that are out there!
Haha buddy you are overrating my photos, it ain't thatttt good lol

To be brutally honest, i wouldn't say that about all of your photos...

though they are all really good and show tons of creativity.

But you knocked it out of the park on these, really showing off the rainbow in the foil!!!

Zenith -- by Encarded

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A Quick look and a WARNING.

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