UnitedCardists.com - The forum for Cardistry, Magic, Custom Decks and All Things Playing Cards.

My Greetings to your amazing online community.

I am a new Cardistry enthusiast, struggling to find my way in the vast volumes of information available on the www for this wonderful form of art.
I started experimenting with various decks of cards, mainly superior editions of Bicycle cards and Tally Ho. For the latter, I read rave reviews as far as their suitability for Cardistry is concerned.

My experience of my first fan back deck is the following: After 3 days of half an hour practice a day, the deck became sticky and ‘swollen’ (it barely fits in the tuck case, and when I take out it is like a single inseparable block). Although this is good for cuts, fanning and dribbling are impossible. Is this normal?
Could it be my handling? or environmental conditions (in my home town humidity can reach up to 60 or even 70 degrees)? forgot to mention, every time I practice I wash hands thoroughly.

However, Bikes, which are supposed to be not as durable as the Tallies, stand pretty well over reasonable amount of time.

In general, which (not costly) decks would you suggest for regualr Cardistry practice, and, is it the case that a good deck for cuts is not that good for fanning and other similar flourishes? Is there any one-fits-all candidate?

Thanx in advance,
Vasilis
Patras, GREECE

Hi Vasilis! This is my first post here, but I believe I can answer:

The symptoms you are describing sound like humidity/moisture problems. I've had to force myself to dry my hands twice after I wash them (I also wash my hands before trying things with my cards) because it's easy to get a little bit of moisture in the creases of your skin where your fingers and palm meet.

So in short, either a combination of the humidity and any bits of water left on your hands has caused your cards to swell up.

As far as durability is concerned, I'm pretty sure both Rider Backs and Tally-Hos are printed on the same card stock, as they're both made by the USPCC. Tally-Hos have a higher quality assurance check, but as far as functionality they should be virtually identical.

Hi Zeede,

Welcome to UC and thanks for your insight - yea, washing your hands well and making sure they're thoroughly dry def helps in extending the life of your cards and keeping them in better shape with handling - it seems simple enough, but sometimes I'm just too excited to open a new deck...