Bought a 12 pack brick and I love the feel of these cards, really believe they handle better than
any cards I've used before. I can't justify removing a star over this but my one complaint is on the
bottom of each card case, it has printed Penguin Magic's info. As magicians we're always trying to
convince our spectators that a deck is "normal". It's annoying that an actual ungimmicked deck of
cards has a magic company's name on it on the box. Now it is fine print and there's a chance that no
spectator would ever notice it, but still I'd greatly prefer it not be there.
51 of 53 magicians found this helpful.
It's everything you want, classic 808 tuck with no seal, so it will work with all of your classic
gaffs and that "escaping card" trick you know. Nice soft crushed stock, two gaff cards and a
traditional cut for all you card sharks.
33 of 35 magicians found this helpful.
I'll preface this by saying I'm hard on a deck of cards. They're NOT treasured objects to be
revered. They are pieces of paper used in making a connection with the audience. I do 160+ days of
shows a year and several shows each day. Cards get a LOT of use. When I am performing in outdoor
venues I can easily go through 1-2 decks each day due to environmental factors - dirt, moisture, and
humidity as well as having cards signed, bent, and given away as souvenirs. Otherwise, it's a deck
a day habit.
These cards last through at least TWO days. And that's saying a lot.
Yes, they faro easily out of the box. But so do fairly fresh packs of regular Bikes. However,
they hold their "faroability" much longer than standard cards. They hold up to the elements better
than any other card I've used. They still fan evenly, spread evenly and predictably, and will hold
"work" done on a finer level due to the thinner composition of the cards.
It isn't all tea
and cakes, though. The cards are thinner and "softer" - which would make them better for card manip
work, but they feel a bit "cheap" when you're used to standard Bikes, Bees, or Tally Hos. The box
looks a little off if you're doing work which requires one since the box printing doesn't match the
regular product and there is no seal. No worries, just use a standard card box. And it does take a
bit of an adjustment to get used to them. But it's not a huge thing and you'll have it in short
order.
Were they worth it? Depends on what you're looking for. Price, of course, it a key
point for me since I go through so many decks. They are easy to work with and durable. Those are
two positives for me. YMMV.
29 of 32 magicians found this helpful.
I buy quite a bit of magic, but rarely do I review any products. I had to take time to let everyone
know that Penguin has done it! This deck is PERFECT The feel of the cards is great and the cut is
the best. Finally, a red bicycle deck that performs like a high end deck. Great price so you're not
hesitant to open and use. Can't wait for them to make Blue!!
21 of 22 magicians found this helpful.
I fell in love with the bicycle elite playing cards when I first saw them at a penguin live mini
convention and bought a bunch of them there and have been buying bricks ever since. I love the
quality, how broken in they felt when you opened up the box, and the traditional cut. However,
lately when I buy them I feel like they’re completely different cards. I don’t feel them as broken
in as they used to be, and I think I got a batch with the traditional cut done very crudely—they
hardly feel as they should. (They are still better than the bikes that you will purchase at the
store, but they aren’t living up to the “elite” title anymore.) I hope this changes in the future;
bikes own the market share of gaffs and gimmicks and you almost have to buy bicycle brand. If the
quality continues to decline I’m going to have to change to a brand with better quality control.
14 of 14 magicians found this helpful.
Count me among those that do not get the raves over these cards. I can faro a standard bicycle deck
ten times easier than these. The short ends are very rough out of the box.
Plus, they
started warping within a few hours. They are supposed to be a traditional cut. Using the rough
smooth beveling test...the long edges are rough when beveled to the right, and smooth when beveled
to the left, just like the standard bicycle decks. So, I'll assume they are NOT traditionally cut.
23 of 35 magicians found this helpful.
The back of the complete pack is printed off Center.
So white line left side is much more
thicker than on right side...Well it is called Elite Edition ?
15 of 19 magicians found this helpful.
I have been faro shuffling cards for 50 years, and I am always impressed when I can easily
"Faro" a deck fresh from the box.
I feel that this is an important feature for an
outstanding deck of cards.
I found that it is NOT easy to faro shuffle these cards
right out of the box, in that regard they remind me of a fresh Aviator deck.
Of course
,advanced card magicians can probably faro anything.
Other than that, the cards are
delight to handle.
11 of 12 magicians found this helpful.
I ordered half a dozen different types of cards hoping to find something smooth, springy and supple
for general purposes. These fit the bill exactly. They are (May 2017 batch) thinner than the
Gold-Seal (Bee card-stock) Bicycles, but are nearly as springy. Individual cards are supple and
snappy and the feel is just perfect. They're not overly slippery, they have a nice smooth slightly
viscous feel that allows them to glide like hot butter when you're moving them around, but they're
controllable when you need to keep them in place. In other words, they respond very accurately and
predictably to different amounts of pressure. A joy to handle. I followed up by ordering a brick of
them. Well done, folks.
9 of 10 magicians found this helpful.
I am not a card person by any means, however handling these cards might change that. Instead of
coming out with the next "fad" deck someone took what every magizard uses and actually made them
great again. They look great because they are the standard and feel simply incredible. These will
be your new "go to deck" so load up!
10 of 13 magicians found this helpful.