How Long Does a Deck Last?

[Karo-K54]

I use bad quality, half-dollar, Chinese decks. They last around two months before they go stale... I want to buy a good Bicycle brand deck to do better flourishes and so that I don't need to invest in cards every once in a while. How long does a Standard Bicycle deck last? And what about "Bee" decks? I've been hearing some good words on Tally Ho as well.
As a side question, what are the steps one can take to take care of one's deck?

 

[obrienmagic]

It all depends on a few things:

How clean your hands are.
How gentle you are with the deck.
How often you use them.
What you use them for
What kind of tricks/sleights you use.
ETC.

For me, I have naturally sweaty hands so after about 2-3 hours the deck is garbage and I toss it out haha

But for someone else it could last a few months if you take great care of it.

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

I generally take care of my cards and don't live in a humid climate or have naturally sweaty hands, I can usually get a couple months out of a Bicycle deck before it starts to clump, click, and become discolored.

Also depends on the type of tricks you do. If you do a ton of signed card stuff or TnR tricks, you're obviously gonna go through a deck a lot faster than someone else.

 

[Karo-K54]

I generally take care of my cards and don't live in a humid climate

Yeah, that's my problem. I live in a humid climate, and don't have easy access to Bikes.

I can usually get a couple months out of a Bicycle deck before it starts to clump, click, and become discolored.

Hmm, and do you think that the cards flourish better with Bicycles? My cards can be used for a month or two, but the quality of the cards diminish in around two weeks, and it takes around two days to break in the deck. Would you recommend that I invest in a Bicycle deck ($2.99), or should I stick to Chinese decks (around 65 cents)?

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

Yeah, that's my problem. I live in a humid climate, and don't have easy access to Bikes.

Hmm, and do you think that the cards flourish better with Bicycles? My cards can be used for a month or two, but the quality of the cards diminish in around two weeks, and it takes around two days to break in the deck. Would you recommend that I invest in a Bicycle deck ($2.99), or should I stick to Chinese decks (around 65 cents)?

I'd get more Bicycle decks if it were me. From my experience, cheaper Chinese decks don't spread very well and clump almost immediately out of the box in most cases. Bikes are a bit more expensive but are overall probably better for flourishes and card tricks imo.

But the cards don't matter too much. If you get a deck of Bicycles and find that you're so used to sleights and flourishes with the Chinese deck, then by all means stick to those cards. It's all personal preference. If you don't like the feel, don't use them.

Also, where do you live? Because in the US you can get an entire brick (12 decks) of Bikes at Costco for like $15.

 

[tricksandbeats]

In the Netherlands where i live a deck of Bicycle cards costs €3,50 per deck (about $4,50) so that's quite expensive... i always wash my hands before handeling my cards and switch decks a couple times per day/week.

 

[Lord Magic]

I use bad quality, half-dollar, Chinese decks. They last around two months before they go stale... I want to buy a good Bicycle brand deck to do better flourishes and so that I don't need to invest in cards every once in a while. How long does a Standard Bicycle deck last? And what about "Bee" decks? I've been hearing some good words on Tally Ho as well.
As a side question, what are the steps one can take to take care of one's deck?

The climate I live in is practically the DEFINITION of humid, and my hands are not super-dry, yet my cards last for a year AT THE LEAST...and they are not bicycles.
Hola, I am magical.

 

[RickEverhart]

This is the EXACT reason I always highly recommend buying bicycles in bricks at Sam's Clubs, Costco, or BJs wholesale. You can throw them away after a few gigs and not feel bad at all. People who think you "have" to have the super expensive decks to perform are nuts...ha ha. Cards are meant to be torn, signed, burnt and used to engage your spectators. Just my two cents.

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

This is the EXACT reason I always highly recommend buying bicycles in bricks at Sam's Clubs, Costco, or BJs wholesale. You can throw them away after a few gigs and not feel bad at all. People who think you "have" to have the super expensive decks to perform are nuts...ha ha. Cards are meant to be torn, signed, burnt and used to engage your spectators. Just my two cents.

I collect the expensive and intricate decks but I don't perform with them.

 

[Desert Cool]

I use bad quality, half-dollar, Chinese decks. They last around two months before they go stale... I want to buy a good Bicycle brand deck to do better flourishes and so that I don't need to invest in cards every once in a while. How long does a Standard Bicycle deck last? And what about "Bee" decks? I've been hearing some good words on Tally Ho as well.
As a side question, what are the steps one can take to take care of one's deck?

I bought my first deck of bikes about 3 months ago.....And they are pretty well until now (just slightly brown on the edges) and have slightly started to clump.
And my non-bikes usually last around a year.
So what I suggest is if you want your bikes to be with you for a longer time,don't use them daily.
Learn sleights on your chinese deck first and then go over to bikes.....Because at the end of the day they are made out of paper which will degrade over time.
Strictly wash your hands with hand wash/soap before handling them,avoid dropping them.

That's it...I think if you follow this, and if your hands are not too sweaty ....it will last around 7-8 months (I expect at least 7-8 months from my bikes)