I was poking around the gift shop at the Los Angeles International Airport looking for those elusive Tally-Hos when I came across something that looked like a cigarette pack. Curious, I looked closer... and saw that they were Aviators. Never having used cards besides Bikes and E custom decks before, I bought six (three red, three blue) and cracked one open to take a look.
Box: Like I said, it looks like a cigarette pack at first glance, and people think I smoke when I carry this around. (I don't, by the way.) But it's interesting - a plane flying across the top with "AVIATOR" in big letters across the face. The box is the same on both sides - you don't get a peek at the design of the card backs on the back of the box. Looks kinda trippy in the TG Deck Flip. 8/10
Card Back Design: Kinda repetitive... just a bunch of circles. 7/10
Ace of Spades: VERY simple AoS, not much to look at. Just a big spade in a lined box that says "AVIATOR". 3/5
Jokers: The jokers have no design whatsoever- just the word "AVIATOR" on their faces. 2/5
Card Faces / Court Cards: Exact same thing as Bikes... except for a small difference that will be covered later. Read on for the "surprise." 9/10
Stock: ...I don't know if this is because I've been handling E custom decks for so long, but these things... are... THIN. I only have the Aviators with me right now (so no comparison for the time being), but they are so thin that I keep thinking I'm missing cards. They are also VERY STIFF. I love the stock! 10/10
Fanning/Finish: They clump right out of the box, but fan MUCH better after about 2 days and keep on producing perfect fans, even though I've dropped them on the dirty school floor multiple times. Oh yeah, the "surprise" - the tiny divots that are on Bikes are NOT on Aviators. These cards are COMPLETELY SMOOTH, and yet they fan incredibly well. The reason why the faces look different is because the cards have no visible dots on them even up close. 10/10
Flourishing: They actually hold together pretty well. Not like Wynns, certainly, but better than the Bikes that I am used to. They also spring and LePaul like bricks out of the box because of their stiffness. 8/10
Magic/Performance: Very nice. They've taken a beating at the hands of spectators in "pick a card" tricks, and like I said, they still fan and spread extremely well. Plus they're cheap, and I can buy them in bulk. 10/10
TOTAL: 67 / 80 = 84%
Final Thoughts: These have replaced Bikes as my everyday performance cards. They'rs thin, very durable, wonderfully simple and highly recommended. I have yet to pick up a deck of Tallys, though, so... that might change soon. For flourishing, though... back to the Wynns.
Box: Like I said, it looks like a cigarette pack at first glance, and people think I smoke when I carry this around. (I don't, by the way.) But it's interesting - a plane flying across the top with "AVIATOR" in big letters across the face. The box is the same on both sides - you don't get a peek at the design of the card backs on the back of the box. Looks kinda trippy in the TG Deck Flip. 8/10
Card Back Design: Kinda repetitive... just a bunch of circles. 7/10
Ace of Spades: VERY simple AoS, not much to look at. Just a big spade in a lined box that says "AVIATOR". 3/5
Jokers: The jokers have no design whatsoever- just the word "AVIATOR" on their faces. 2/5
Card Faces / Court Cards: Exact same thing as Bikes... except for a small difference that will be covered later. Read on for the "surprise." 9/10
Stock: ...I don't know if this is because I've been handling E custom decks for so long, but these things... are... THIN. I only have the Aviators with me right now (so no comparison for the time being), but they are so thin that I keep thinking I'm missing cards. They are also VERY STIFF. I love the stock! 10/10
Fanning/Finish: They clump right out of the box, but fan MUCH better after about 2 days and keep on producing perfect fans, even though I've dropped them on the dirty school floor multiple times. Oh yeah, the "surprise" - the tiny divots that are on Bikes are NOT on Aviators. These cards are COMPLETELY SMOOTH, and yet they fan incredibly well. The reason why the faces look different is because the cards have no visible dots on them even up close. 10/10
Flourishing: They actually hold together pretty well. Not like Wynns, certainly, but better than the Bikes that I am used to. They also spring and LePaul like bricks out of the box because of their stiffness. 8/10
Magic/Performance: Very nice. They've taken a beating at the hands of spectators in "pick a card" tricks, and like I said, they still fan and spread extremely well. Plus they're cheap, and I can buy them in bulk. 10/10
TOTAL: 67 / 80 = 84%
Final Thoughts: These have replaced Bikes as my everyday performance cards. They'rs thin, very durable, wonderfully simple and highly recommended. I have yet to pick up a deck of Tallys, though, so... that might change soon. For flourishing, though... back to the Wynns.
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