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.

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.

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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 ?

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.

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.

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!