Which (paper) cards are the most durable?
- Thread starter leumas1960
- Start date
For practice, don't think durable, think cheap. Buy bikes or tally hos in bulk. Locally I can get bikes at about 1.50$ at Costco. If you can get a brick at your local wholesale shop, buy it. Otherwise, bricks at 30$ from Theory11 are at a good price.
If you insist on buying durable, you can try Fournier 605. The stock is made of paper, but are plastic coated with a specific polymer with smooth finish. You will have to break these in for about 10 hours (20 min each day for 30 days) for them to fan great. You can wash them. I haven't washed mine yet, but I know someone did and he reported that once broken-in and washed, they handle better than an out-of-the-box bicycle deck. They are Lee Asher's signature deck, great for magic because of their handling. But you can also use them to practice cardistry. They are thinner than bikes, but very stiff, which will help you build hand strength to do springs and Lepaul spreads. Plus, packets hold well together, so they are great for packet cutting too.
Another one I heard of is the EPCC Robusto Classic that you can buy at Conjuring Arts. I haven't tried it yet. But I read these are indestructible, very thick, very stiff, great trainers. Like most EPCC deck, expect the finish to have worn off by the time the stock is broken-in. Otherwise, I heard most EPCC decks are very durable.
I would advise you also practice with decks you intend to perform with since not all decks handle the same. For cardistry, you will "perform" everytime there is someone around. So use, any deck you like whenever someone is watching you. Any decks by T11 and others are great for this as long as you like them, and they are generally more durable than standard bikes.
I think it's Andrei Jikh who said you should practice with as many decks and as many conditions as you can to get better, so you can handle any deck anytime.
If you insist on buying durable, you can try Fournier 605. The stock is made of paper, but are plastic coated with a specific polymer with smooth finish. You will have to break these in for about 10 hours (20 min each day for 30 days) for them to fan great. You can wash them. I haven't washed mine yet, but I know someone did and he reported that once broken-in and washed, they handle better than an out-of-the-box bicycle deck. They are Lee Asher's signature deck, great for magic because of their handling. But you can also use them to practice cardistry. They are thinner than bikes, but very stiff, which will help you build hand strength to do springs and Lepaul spreads. Plus, packets hold well together, so they are great for packet cutting too.
Another one I heard of is the EPCC Robusto Classic that you can buy at Conjuring Arts. I haven't tried it yet. But I read these are indestructible, very thick, very stiff, great trainers. Like most EPCC deck, expect the finish to have worn off by the time the stock is broken-in. Otherwise, I heard most EPCC decks are very durable.
I would advise you also practice with decks you intend to perform with since not all decks handle the same. For cardistry, you will "perform" everytime there is someone around. So use, any deck you like whenever someone is watching you. Any decks by T11 and others are great for this as long as you like them, and they are generally more durable than standard bikes.
I think it's Andrei Jikh who said you should practice with as many decks and as many conditions as you can to get better, so you can handle any deck anytime.
I looked up the Fournier 605s, they're pretty awesome, though their backs look kind of boring. The thing about USPCC is that they make a lot of varied, cool cards, so I want durable cards for practice, and cool looking cards that'll wear out pretty quickly for performance. And btw, I prefer quality over quantity (unless they just look cool, as long as they perform decently)
I really like the good ol Bee 92's. They are reasonably priced, are a thicker stock and hold out longer than bikes.
I second the advice above, particularly regarding working with a LOT of varying decks consistently, and especially in various states of use (new, broken in, worn to death, etc)
If you're always in control of what deck(s) you will be using (performing magician perhaps), then I suppose that bit of advice isn't as important.
However, if your skills will be used at the table as well, it is probably one of the single most important bits of advice one could, and should, apply.
Best of luck!
I second the advice above, particularly regarding working with a LOT of varying decks consistently, and especially in various states of use (new, broken in, worn to death, etc)
If you're always in control of what deck(s) you will be using (performing magician perhaps), then I suppose that bit of advice isn't as important.
However, if your skills will be used at the table as well, it is probably one of the single most important bits of advice one could, and should, apply.
Best of luck!