deck question

[nECr0MaNCeD]

My apologies if this has been asked....

I am trying to get more serious about practicing my cardistry. I have been practicing with the decks I own. From standard Bikes to KS decks. Some work better than others. Right now I prefer the Bee stock as they hold up longer. What decks do you folks use and like? Are the De'vo decks worth getting? Virts? Thanks for any help you can provide.


PS Are any of the videos/DVDs from T11 or E worth buying?

[MagikFingerz]

As I always say, if you can find some Ohio-printed Tally Ho's or New Fan Backs or something else that isn't standard Bikes (lower print runs mean better quality control), those are awesome. Look for the blue and seals, they switched to black ones around the same time as the factory move. Also Ellusionist decks with UV500 stock.

Other than that, I (still) like the CARC Exquisites a lot. The XCM Passion decks are an improvement to earlier USPCC decks stock-wise, but the ones I opened had quite rough edges which kinda ruined them (for me, anyway). Might just be a bad batch, of course, but I remember the first decks out of Kentucky had horribly rough edges. So if the XCM Passions was the first deck to utilize a change in the process, it wouldn't surprise me that there are flaws throughout the print run. The Virts decks are quite soft, so if you prefer Bee stock they probably aren't the best choice (they sure are pretty though ).

Best DVD purchase I ever made was XCM Beginnerz. Can't speak for much else though, didn't buy much after that one.

[Mirror]

It really comes down to what you like personally. The more you practice and the more experience you have, the easier it'll be for you to choose the decks you like.

For DVD's I have the Trilogy by D&D as well as SOLO by Michael James and they're both really good, but not for beginners. I would have gotten Director's Cut by Tobias Levin ans Oliver Søgard (two of my favorite flourishers by the way) but I missed it, sadly.

[shadowkat]

I tend to play 52 card pick up a lot while practicing my flourishing, so I like to use the inexpensive cards. I do think this comes down to what you are doing. As far as DVD's go, I think it is very dependent on what you like and your learning style. The first post I made here was about my frustration with XCM Beginnerz. I really got a lot out of the fanning section. The other bit frustrates me immensely. I sometimes am impatient, so I need to revisit the dvd. My suggestion is to watch some flourishers and see what and who you like and try to find dvd's that reflect that style. The Wire has lots of free downloads and a handy filter so that you can find the beginner stuff.

I really like School of Cardistry:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWseT8 ... MDOiscU4CQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Virts teaching style has been the easiest for me to pick up. They have some free stuff and some downloads to purchase. As far as their deck goes, it is pretty and I like it. I am a fledgling so I am not a good source of knowledge of handling. I did hear one person say that they don't hold up well over time. Not true for me so far, but I tend to use several decks instead of using one up. I would say, don't spend the ebay prices for the first edition just get the second one.

http://home.thevirts.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I hope this has been helpful. Happy flourishing!

[nECr0MaNCeD]

Thank you everyone for the excellent advice. I'll give XCM Beginnerz a try. I have been using a lot of Bikes lately and I was concerned I might pick up bad habits using decks not designed for flourishing. Thanks again everyone.

[sinjin7]

I wouldn't worry about whether a deck is designed for cardistry or not. Even the decks that are specifically advertised as decks for flourishing (like the Virt decks or De'Vo decks) are not physically different from other decks stock & finish wise, they just have printing on the backs that are allegedly designed to look better in fans or during certain cardistry moves. But any deck with thin back borders and bold colors will achieve the same result.

I think you have to distinguish between practice decks and performance decks. Any inexpensive deck will do for practice, but if you're going to perform in front of anybody, or shoot a video, you probably want to use a high quality custom deck with a back design that will stand out and catch people's attention.

I totally agree with Magikfingerz's recommendation of Q1 Ohio decks. One such deck in particular I would highly recommend is the Bicycle Rejuvenate deck. Its a Q1 Ohio produced deck that's still easy to find (unfortunately, Q1 Ohio Tally Ho's are starting to get scarce) and can still be found at a good price. It's basically a gold colored Rider Back with green accents and its part of a series with different color configurations. Its a great quality deck that's very under-rated, therefor still widely available. If you want to just pick up one deck, Merz sells them on eBay for just $2.95 + $2.49 shipping. If you want to pick up more than six decks, then Ace-King-1 sells them for $3.95 per deck, but he'll ship you as many decks as you want for just $6.00 via Priority Mail.

[Kruser]

... I have been practicing with the decks I own. From standard Bikes to KS decks. Some work better than others. Right now I prefer the Bee stock as they hold up longer. What decks do you folks use and like?

For many years I only used Bikes or Bees. Over the last 6 months, I've experimented with a number of different decks, with mixed results. One thing I've learned is that 'Bicycle' branding means nothing. For example, I was looking forward to using my Killer Clowns, but they are heavy, sticky and useless for handling, despite the Bicycle / USPCC provenance. Similarly, Jackson Robinson's Sherlock Holmes cards are beautiful, but too thick and stiff for real card work.

I actually don`t anticipate being able to use any KS deck for cardistry or magic. I secretly suspect that USPCC uses different stock for KS / custom decks than they do for their own decks - anyone else have similar suspicions ... ?

As far as Bees are concerned, these seem to have changed over the years. I remember in the 90s Bees had a cambric finish and felt fabulous in the hands, but now they seem to just be air-cushion. I agree that they are very durable, but I find they need to be well broken in before I can really use them. Today I tend to use the durable Bees for manipulations that are hard on the cards (back palming, productions, etc.) because they can take the abuse! For everything else, I've gone back to standard Bikes - 4 for $10 at Walmart - that's cheap for Canada!

Happy Carding! (is that a word?)
Kruser