BEST COMBO = Bee Stock + Magic Finish Playing Cards

[Coconut]

What I have learned from the united cardists community is that the best combination available of stock and finish for USPCC Playing Cards is the Bee Stock and the Magic Finish.

I might of asked a variation of this question, but I am interested in getting some in bulk for normal cardistry use so I would like to know what is available out there in a much more extensive list.

What are the playing cards that exist today that have Bee Stock and the Magic Finish?

What I know of so far of decks that have the Bee Stock and Magic Finish are:

Tendril
Aurum
Verve
Mechanic
Vaudeville
BMP's Bicycle Premium
Ellusionist Playing Cards (?)

Any more out there. Gladly appreciated.

[MagikFingerz]

Supposedly there's more than one kind of Bee stock. I think Sinjin7 commented on it back on UC.net, and I'm pretty sure he was right in suspecting that some of the ones that say they are on Bee stock aren't on the best kind. They just don't match up in thickness to the ones that are. I don't remember exactly which ones were in question, but I think it was some of the Blue Crown releases.

[Encarded]

I'm sure there are variances in the stocks. Alls I know is I tell them I want the Bee and the Magic, they whip up some decks for me and I love the way they feel and handle. I think it's a great combination. Most people seem to agree.

I'm sure that if I had Tendril reprinted today it probably wouldn't feel identical to the current ones. Paper is a natural fiber after all, there's no way you can make it 100% identical everytime like plastic. But even with variations or differences, I think it still is a noticeable step above the basic stocks. My originally opened Tendril deck which has been used about 4-5 days a week since April still fans great, springs nicely and shuffles well. Conversely, some of the latest decks from some other folks lose their ability to fan after a couple days.

Demand the best! Bee Magic forevah!!

[john]

Ellusionst decks with the new performance coating no longer have bee (casino) stock. They are bicycle casino stock. I have figured this out because in an interview Jbone, from E, he said artifice is bicycle casino and all of the E decks i have with the new performance coating are an identical thickness to artifice.

[dazzleguts]

The Gold Arcane and the Brimstones were magic finish, did either Bee stock?

[Russell]

Brimstones were Bicycle stock.

[MagikFingerz]

The Gold Arcane and the Brimstones were magic finish, did either Bee stock?

I believe the Gold Arcanes were the first deck to be made with this popular combo.

[alric]

Ellusionst decks with the new performance coating no longer have bee (casino) stock. They are bicycle casino stock. I have figured this out because in an interview Jbone, from E, he said artifice is bicycle casino and all of the E decks i have with the new performance coating are an identical thickness to artifice.

I'm afraid this info isn't correct. Black Tigers, Vipers, both Ghosts and all the Masters originally were printed on UV500, which is basically casino-grade Bee stock with UV imbedding. The first Ohio Arcanes were on a new stock called Aurora, which was quickly phased out by E due to some decks having durability issues not up to E standards. When the USPCC moved to Kentucky, E was forced to discontinue their exclusive UV500 stock, so they went with the best remaining stock available, casino-grade Bee stock. Now ShadowMasters, Arcanes (Black & White), Gaffs, Black Ghost 2nds, white Ghosts are all made of casino-grade Bee stock with Performance/Magic finish. I'm assuming all the Artifice and Infinity decks are also the same. Here is a link to E's blog post that verifies this info:

http://blog.ellusionist.com/everything- ... id-to-ask/

I know this blog post was from September of 2010, but someone from E (I forget who) confirmed this was still true a few months back.

Apparently there is a difference between standard Bee stock and casino-grade Bee stock. Kevin Reylek admitted in a thread back on UC.net that the Vaudeville deck is made with just standard Bee stock instead of casino-grade Bee stock. Damn, where's Sinjin when you need him? I think he's actually measured the stock of every deck made....

[MagikFingerz]

Apparently there is a difference between standard Bee stock and casino-grade Bee stock. Kevin Reylek admitted in a thread back on UC.net that the Vaudeville deck is made with just standard Bee stock instead of casino-grade Bee stock. Damn, where's Sinjin when you need him? I think he's actually measured the stock of every deck made....

Yes, that's what I was talking about in my first post. Thanks for verifying

[john]

Ellusionst decks with the new performance coating no longer have bee (casino) stock. They are bicycle casino stock. I have figured this out because in an interview Jbone, from E, he said artifice is bicycle casino and all of the E decks i have with the new performance coating are an identical thickness to artifice.

I'm afraid this info isn't correct. Black Tigers, Vipers, both Ghosts and all the Masters originally were printed on UV500, which is basically casino-grade Bee stock with UV imbedding. The first Ohio Arcanes were on a new stock called Aurora, which was quickly phased out by E due to some decks having durability issues not up to E standards. When the USPCC moved to Kentucky, E was forced to discontinue their exclusive UV500 stock, so they went with the best remaining stock available, casino-grade Bee stock. Now ShadowMasters, Arcanes (Black & White), Gaffs, Black Ghost 2nds, white Ghosts are all made of casino-grade Bee stock with Performance/Magic finish. I'm assuming all the Artifice and Infinity decks are also the same. Here is a link to E's blog post that verifies this info:

http://blog.ellusionist.com/everything- ... id-to-ask/

I know this blog post was from September of 2010, but someone from E (I forget who) confirmed this was still true a few months back.

Apparently there is a difference between standard Bee stock and casino-grade Bee stock. Kevin Reylek admitted in a thread back on UC.net that the Vaudeville deck is made with just standard Bee stock instead of casino-grade Bee stock. Damn, where's Sinjin when you need him? I think he's actually measured the stock of every deck made....

I own both Air Cushion/Bee casino stock and Performance coating/??? stock and i can indeed say Bee casino is 5 cards thicker, making it not the same stock but anyone with half a mind could understand that. I also compared PC shadow masters to Emerald artifice and they were the same thickness. Assumeing JBone didn't lie in that interview, that would mean shadow masters are bike casino.

[alric]

If the Shadow Master deck is the same thickness as the Emerald Artifice (and they are since I compared the two decks), then BOTH decks are casino-grade Bee stock. This is exactly what E has been saying. The finish, whether Air-Cushion or Performance/Magic, will not make a significant difference in how thick the stock is.

There is no way E decks like Shadow Masters, etc.. are the same thickness as Bike stock, they are much thicker. I have at least half a mind so I can tell that difference. I don't know what you're referring to when you say casino Bike, and I'm suspecting you don't, either. Here are your stocks from the USPC from top to bottom:

Casino-grade Bee
Standard Bee
Aristocrat
Standard Bike - also known as 325 stock.

[john]

If the Shadow Master deck is the same thickness as the Emerald Artifice (and they are since I compared the two decks), then BOTH decks are casino-grade Bee stock. This is exactly what E has been saying. The finish, whether Air-Cushion or Performance/Magic, will not make a significant difference in how thick the stock is.

There is no way E decks like Shadow Masters, etc.. are the same thickness as Bike stock, they are much thicker. I have at least half a mind so I can tell that difference. I don't know what you're referring to when you say casino Bike, and I'm suspecting you don't, either. Here are your stocks from the USPC from top to bottom:

Casino-grade Bee
Standard Bee
Aristocrat
Standard Bike - also known as 325 stock.

Do you have both Air Cushion and Performance Coating shadow masters?

[john]

If the Shadow Master deck is the same thickness as the Emerald Artifice (and they are since I compared the two decks), then BOTH decks are casino-grade Bee stock. This is exactly what E has been saying. The finish, whether Air-Cushion or Performance/Magic, will not make a significant difference in how thick the stock is.

There is no way E decks like Shadow Masters, etc.. are the same thickness as Bike stock, they are much thicker. I have at least half a mind so I can tell that difference. I don't know what you're referring to when you say casino Bike, and I'm suspecting you don't, either. Here are your stocks from the USPC from top to bottom:

Casino-grade Bee
Standard Bee
Aristocrat
Standard Bike - also known as 325 stock.

Found that PDF with the JBone interview <--------- Dat Beard
http://www.mediafire.com/?c0fl1tbytjj1bkg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Page 11, the question about what stock they used.

[Russell]

Casino-grade Bee
Standard Bee
Aristocrat
Standard Bike - also known as 325 stock.

'Standard' Bee, Aristocrat, Tally-Ho, Aviator and 'Standard' Bike are all the same thing. And, the standard isn't even 325 anymore I believe it is 310, but I have to look it up again.

[decksparadise]

Eco edition, Smoke and mirrors v1-v5, old studs are decks that i like to handle. Not pretty sure about their stock and finish though.

[darkinertia]

are you sure the vaudeville is bee stock? ive actually been trying to find out that myself, they dont say it anywhere i dont think and they havent responded to my question on facebook yet, same goes for the crown decks, im hearing some people say aristocrat some say bicycle...thats all from random deck sellers so im sure they really have no clue

personally, one of my favorites are wynns so whatever the stock and finish is on that...but close second is bee magic and since you said the aurum is bee magic you just pushed me over the edge to finally get that deck lol

[volantangel]

are you sure the vaudeville is bee stock? ive actually been trying to find out that myself, they dont say it anywhere i dont think and they havent responded to my question on facebook yet, same goes for the crown decks, im hearing some people say aristocrat some say bicycle...thats all from random deck sellers so im sure they really have no clue

Yupp its supposed to be, as claimed by hopc http://houseofplayingcards.com/playing- ... -deck.html. The crown decks are bike stock, find the link on the website yourself I have both decks, and they do feel different although i cannot put claim as to which deck has what specific card stock, but i believe their website to be accurate.

[MagikFingerz]

The Vaudeville stock has been questioned before, and we found out that it does have Bee stock, it just doesn't have Bee Casino stock. The latter is the superior stock we've all come to love and praise as the best stock available, while the former isn't nearly as thick and durable.