talkmagic.co.uk

Hello All,
As a complete card nut, I was wondering what make of cards people have found to be the longest lasting?

I always used to use bikes as when I first got into magic, all my gaff cards etc were bikes. Now I dont use any gaff cards atall and spend many hours practising every night. I found that bikes get tired after practicing endless faro shuffles etc. very quickly.

A friend of mine always uses Tally Ho's as he reckons that they are harder wearing (and also are less likely to be off center printed. but thats another matter) and I have this evening opened my first pack. They seem firmer and slippier than bikes.

Chatting with another Cardician they recommended "Bulldog Squeezers" as being very hard wearing. Anyone tried them?

Sorry if I appear tight, but as a Scotsman and going through a costly divorce every penny counts!

P.s. Costco are doing Bikes for a pound a pack! Even cheaper than the ASDA price!!!

I have had a deck of Tally-Hos for 3 weeks now and they're still almost as good as new - so they get my vote . The vipers, though, the finish wears off them almost instantly .

Kati

Well, it depends on what you do with the cards! Constant faro shuffling etc. will definetely wear out the cards easily. My cards are really quite worn out and I struggle to do even Erdnase Colour Change because the cards are too rough! But once my cards are worn out, I find a practical use for them! Signed card effects! Such as the ambitious card routine. I always used worn out decks because I don't want to use brand new decks and ruined instantly!

StEvEbO!

Possibly the hardest wearing cards are the Bicycle "Tactical Field" decks produced by the USPCC for the US armed forces.

They come in standard Poker Size and are available at at military exchanges.

They have either black backs or very dark green backs.

The faces are the same as modern Bicycle Rider backs except for the blood-red ink used on all the hearts, diamonds, and face cards. This ink seems to be the same shade of red used on most casino decks. For the military, it was used so that the red cards can be seen with a red lensed flashlight.

Note: if you want Tactical Field cards, try here - I think that's the only place that sells them.

Kati

That link comes back as:

Invalid Item
This listing () has been removed by eBay or is no longer available.

EDIT: Damn. For some reason I can't copy and paste URLs. Just go to ebay.com and search for "tactical field" - you'll find several.

Kati

http://search.ebay.com/tactical-field_W ... QQfromZR40 shows three lots on offer. All ex the US so the price of $4.99 will be plus P&P.

Hello there.

Not quite on topic, I suppose, but after a couple of weeks with a Bike deck I've gone back to my manky old WH Smiths decks to practice. The reason is that they're old and greasy and nasty, so if I can control them, the nice floaty bikes will seem like they run on greased bearings when I go back to them.

My card control is rapidly improving, and I think this may be the reason. One day, I'll get a web cam and unimpress the world with my prestidigitatory "skill"

I bought one of those tactical field decks in camoflage design, put them down and haven't been able to find them since

On a serious note, does anyone know what the approximate shipping charge would be from the US?