How long should my cards last?

Nov 8, 2018
18
1
I'm a 13 year old thats really into card tricks and cardistry and i bought the Art of Cardistry deck online. It came perfectly and i use it at least more then seven hours a day and i started noticing that the cards are really dirty and some even have a little blood on them. they work fine but they look ok. i'm wondering how long the deck should last or if there is a way to clean them.
 

byronblaq

Elite Member
Jul 22, 2010
225
129
Melbourne, Australia
Hey MLG,

It depends heavily on the individual so I'll use myself as an example.

When I was your age a deck of bicycles would rarely last me a day. Within a few hours they would be clumpy and the edges would start to wear. Using playing cards was particularly expensive at the time and most of the money I made went into the cards I used to continue practicing.

As time progressed I realised playing cards are not all made equal and better stock often leads to a longer lasting deck at some expense. Some decks would last me a couple of days and others a few hours.

What I've come to know now, as I've aged with cards in my hands, is that it often relates directly to how oily or sweaty or moisturised your hands are. When I was younger my hands produced a fair amount of natural oils but now in my 20's this has subsided and a deck of bicycles can last days and other decks can on occasion, last weeks.

In my struggles with having cards last as long was I could I wasn't able to find a reasonable way to clean them, but I did find ways to make them more affordable (buying in bulk, buying Costco bikes etc).

With my hands at your age the art of cardistry deck would have lasted 3 days to a week, now it would last me 1-2 weeks.

Hope this helps and keep at it!

B.
 
Dec 5, 2014
58
15
I think it's truly subjective and based on how worn the cards are.

For me, my cards generally last me a long time (~3 months) of using them everyday. This is because I don't mind playing with clumpy/dirty cards. But once it starts to impede upon my practicing to the point where it is difficult to do certain flourishes or tricks, I will put them aside and play with newer ones.

When I come back to them later on, I feel like they're not as "old" as I once thought they were and I still continue to use them lol
 
Oct 19, 2018
1
0
MLG, I am also a thirteen year old working on Cardistry. I have the FW17 virts and use them regularly. You have very nice cards so even at the rate you use them per day they should last about a month or longer. Just know that the more you use them the less easy they will be to thumb fan or pressure fan etc.
 
Sep 29, 2018
94
48
I'm a 13 year old thats really into card tricks and cardistry and i bought the Art of Cardistry deck online. It came perfectly and i use it at least more then seven hours a day and i started noticing that the cards are really dirty and some even have a little blood on them. they work fine but they look ok. i'm wondering how long the deck should last or if there is a way to clean them.
Everything that you said is okay...and the guys gave pretty good advice. Decks last as long as they are, in a way, allowed to. And cardistry decks, well, they are supposed to be a bit more heavy duty, but...

If you keep doing heavy duty moves with them, they are bound to get dirty.

Wash your hands before and after you touch the deck. No, seriously, do that. For your deck's as well as your own health reasons.

I think there is a sort of a deck cleaner...look it up on google or something? Uncle Google never disappoints. :)

No...but what really bothered me is...your cards have blood on them?!?!?!?

Mate...cut down the amount of practice you put in your cardistry IMMEDIATELY!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Clee26

GavHern

Elite Member
Nov 24, 2015
58
16
California, USA
gavhern.com
It honestly really depends on the amount of care you give them. If you're as overprotected as me and wash your hands constantly than your cards will stay clean looking for longer. It also helps if you keep them in the box when you aren't using them to prevent warping. Some decks work just fine when dirty (virtuosos for example) so it is essentially based on your care and the deck you're using.
 
Searching...
{[{ searchResultsCount }]} Results