How long should a deck of cards last?

Jan 30, 2009
67
0
kent
how long should my black ghost bicycle deck last i have had it just over 3 weeks and really am not going to buy another soon as they cost a bit more in the uk and i have just used my money on xb 1
 
Jan 31, 2008
363
0
Location: Location
how long should my black ghost bicycle deck last i have had it just over 3 weeks and really am not going to buy another soon as they cost a bit more in the uk and i have just used my money on xb 1

Maybe there is such thing as a stupid question.... A deck will last however long you want it too, I have a almost 2 year old ghost deck that I still use on occasions. The longevity of your deck will depend largely on how much you use the deck and what you use it for. The longevity would be defined by what you count as a useable deck and a crap deck. For example, decks may last much longer for those that just do two handed cuts vs. someone who does fans and other spread move because a deck will only naturally fan for so long, but it will be able to cut almost indefinitely. So basically the life of your deck depends on these points....

-How much you use your deck
-What you use your deck for
-What you consider a useable deck
 
Jan 30, 2009
67
0
kent
ok thanks

so if i am using it for springs dibbles etc it will lasy a whuile but aerials it will be bad because of the bends but i will let it last for ages as i dont want to keep butying new ones thanks.
 
Jan 28, 2009
258
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Eventually your deck will die a slow and painful death. Buy lots of cheaper bicycles to practice on, and maybe keep a deck you really really love for when you're performing. Any deck of cards, no matter what it is (unless it's one of those 30 buck plastic immortal water proof gun proof lion proof) will eventually wear out from handling it, and using it. 3-4 hours a day of practice and any deck will lose its sparkle after a month - 6 weeks in my experience. I know people that get through about 2 decks a week, lol.
 
Jan 27, 2008
220
2
Cardbeginner93, if you wash your hands each time before you use a deck and don't drop it on the ground ever, ( if you sit down while your flourishing the cards will go on your lap) , the deck should last as long as you want really, sweat from your hands will be absorbed by the cards and thats really the only 'warping' that will happen. Take good care of your decks, theres gotta be a thread somewhere about proper deck care either here or on decknique.
 
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Sep 1, 2007
1,005
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JDEN is almost right, they will last for a really long time, but after 60 years or so (depending on the manufacturer) they will in fact spontaneously combust. So if you guys are using vintage decks be careful.
 
Feb 17, 2008
6
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Hello,

For me, a new deck (in normal condition of training) last about 4/5 days. After that time, the deck starts to react differently for DL, fanning and aerial change. It's also depend of the deck. For example, the D&D cards or Centurion/Guardians last more longer than Tally-Ho (for me).
In general, I don't perform. But when I am performing, a deck last about 10-15 minutes... (very very very sweatty hand) :(
 
Your hand condition will play a role in that most of the time. If you're like me with sweaty palms, cards will go through in an instant. Properly rotate decks during practice sessions to increase the longevity of your decks. On average including my sweatyness usually a couple weeks if I rotate it properly. Some fanning powder also helps keep the deck in a nice tune condition.
 
Jan 28, 2009
258
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If you practice a lot 2.5 weeks sounds about right to me. I don't have hugely sweaty hands but at the moment I'm putting in about 4-5 hours a day trying to figure out how to perform again with 2 immobile fingers. Lol.

The fact is, cards are made of card, which are in essance a bunch of fibers. Regularly bending, cards, twisting them, flexing them (Cardini change etc etc) snaps, warps and twists these fibers. It also seperates them so the card gets thicker. Then sweat (which is natural) and everything else goes into the fibres and the card becomes even softer and even more degraded. Sure a deck of cards will last forever....to like....play cards with, but to perform magic with, it needs to be clean and crisp.

If you're being paid to perform, 4 bucks for a set of cards for the show, isn't a huge investment to make, lol. Whenever you see a video you always see new cards. Some magicians have a preferred level of wear to a card, personally I like mine close to new.)

Basically, buy cheap bikes and wreck the **** out of them, and save your expensive decks for performing.
 
Sep 3, 2007
77
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When I first started, I used to run through cards like crazy. I would use like 2-3 decks a week.
 
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