Hello Hello,

Has anyone tried the new bicycle Master's Red deck that has just been released by ellusionist? Sounds great, and at $4 a pack if they stand up to their claims seems to be the deck I'll be using in the future. I heard they have a thicker stock, so I don't think these would be suitable for minipulations, but that's ok, always good to have special decks for minips. Does anyone know if thicker stock makes it harder to perform multiple card lifts, and placing DL's and such on a table stand out? Thanks

Dxsare

There is some ongoing discussion about the deck in the "Gaffed and Funky" section of the forums. It's a great deck, very good quality.

Kevin

Thicker always sucks for double lifts, which is a concern for any of these "special" decks.

A major selling point also seems to be longer life. With bulk Bicycles coming in at about $1.50 a deck, you could buy about 3 regular decks for the price of one "special" deck.

Only time will tell if they in fact do last longer for the money spent than a regular deck of Bikes.

Also, lasting longer is a relative, and very subjective observation.
Dirt and oil on your hands is dirt and oil on your hands, and once the cards are dirty, they're ready for the retirement home regardless of their "special" status or the remaining spring left in the cards.

Personally, it would seem that thicker stock won't have any impact on how quickly the cards get dirty, and therefore how long they will actually last for card workers.
This makes the lasting longer selling point somewhat reduced in its impact.

Only if you are a stage magician.

Silverking,
Have you actually worked with these, or are you making an uneducated guess?

I have succesfully performed triple, quadruple, quintuple, plus... lifts without issue. I don't think this is the deciding factor that would keep me from purchasing these.

I do, of course, respect your opinion. I'm looking forward to receiving my order.

Do you understand the difference between the phrase "uneducated guess" and "educated guess"?
One reads as an insult, the other as a legitimate question.

Yes, I have the Masters in my posession.

No offense intended.

Seen that one, seems interesting but imho it would just suck at double lift

Looks interesting..

Pfff.......... What a waste of money.

What's the point of buying them? Spend an extra dollar just so that they will last longer. that's pointless.

just buy a regular deck and take care of them, otherwise get tally-ho

Read and watch the details here, looks great !!!
http://www1.ellusionist.com/order/Bicycl......ards.php

High-end playing cards.
Premium, casino-grade card stock
UV500 Elite Airflow Finish
Exceptionally smooth handling for flourishers
Long-lasting durability

Brad Christian posted the following on 6/21:



Does this mean there is no difference between these and the Vipers other than the design is Bicycle?

Hi again.
Here's the scoop...
I received my order and have been playing with these for a few hours now. They are definitely high quality cards and handle very well.. They flat out feel good in my hands and look good on the table, and are even better quality than Tally-Ho but, sadly, not as good as Jerry's (but they're MUCH better looking, and I even like the re-vamped AoS). The edges are not as "polished" as I would have hoped for, but overall I like these cards and would recommend them (at least a deck or two) to those who call themselves true card enthusiasts. As for the price... and keep in mind that I normally get a case of Bikes at Costco for about $13.00... I doubt I'll stick with these once I blow through my 12-pack, but I'm still very happy with my purchase (and the fact that I got a special deal which included a ghost, a black tiger, and a tally-ho viper deck). The total per pack (including shipping) came out to $3.99 per deck which, given the quality of these cards, seems fair. The "pfff... what a waste of money" comment seems unjustified, and I would bet that the poster simply hasn't had an opportunity to try these out. They are, by no means, a waste of money, there are simply better deals to be had depending on your personal standard of quality. They will certainly fit in with a niche market (which, likely, doesn't include me). Kudos to Ellusionist for their continual attempts to bring new and interesting items to market.

Nice. review. but in how far are they still different from j. nuggets ofr tallys for example?

I no longer have any Nuggets, so this is just from memory, but as I recall the Nuggets have smoother edges. The Masters seem quite a bit sturdier than the Tally-Hos (possibly just a perception issue, but I did compare them side by side, both decks straight out of the box, and that was my impression).

I played with these for several hours after my last post and the more I worked with them and broke them in, the better they felt and the more they grew on me. I'm still sticking with the initial assessment I gave them, but I do like these cards.

I personally won't get one. I am just fine with my regular bikes and couldn't imagine trying to pull off a DL or even a TL with thick cards like that.

Hey guys,

Simply put, we tried to offer a higher quality of cards, with the traditional red-backed design. People love the quality of Ghosts, Vipers, and Tigers, but not everyone likes the unique look. This is our premium edition of cards, without the unique design(other than the Ace of Spades).

Premium quality means they last longer and handle better. As an employee and consumer of Ellusionist, I can personally vouch for that.

||Sean Beard ||
//Team E

You're changing the quality of the cards by changing the finish.

I personally have tried using the vipers and tigers and aside from other reasons that I don't like them, they pick up dust and dirt pretty quickly. For me at least.

"Premium quality means they last longer and handle better."

This depends on the person using them. I know people you use tally-hos(with great quality)and can wear them out in a week or even one practice session(Darwin Ortiz).
If you take care of your cards and treat them well they will last longer. I can make regular bike cards last for a month and they will still be in decent shape. If you treat them as garbage they won't last a day.

In regard to handling better, that too depends on the user. If they want better cards maybe tey'll go to Tally-ho. A MASTER EDITION deck won't handle better just because of the name. Good marketing tool but certainly the cards won't work for everyone.

Generally speaking after you open any deck of cards for the first time it feels great. Then after you break them in and so on they will get dirty, sticky, or whatever else. Cards wear out, just like shoes and clothing.

If you know how to take care of your cards, then you are fine. But a different finish of the same cards you've been using won't change your overall experience with them.

just my two centavos

Well, just like the Black Tiger deck, I really like the aesthetic properties of these cards, especially the ace. However, taking into account the price and the fact that they just look different (always a red flag for spectators), I can't imagine using them during a performance. I'll definitely need to grab a pack for the old collection, though.