Favorite Cards (2 Viewers)

[Bluegrass Poker]

Which brand of cards do you prefer? I posted this off the top of my head so forgive me if forgot any big ones. You can vote for your top two favorites.

 

[TonZaga]

I vote Desjgn with a close second being Trefl (thanks @KHarp1)

 

[TheOffalo]

Need to add Dal Negro.

Though my current favorite is the Fournier EPT.

 

[Bluegrass Poker]

Need to add Dal Negro.

Though my current favorite is the Fournier EPT.

Dang it. I thought of them then forgot to put them on the poll. I added them.

 

[JMC9389]

Dal Negro and Fournier are the 'ol reliables of all the cards out there. Just solid cards that won't leave you disappointed or wanting more. No major issues with quality control that I know of or have experienced.

Cartamundi Belgium are the best cards ever made. Period. Some people don't like the blocky graphics but I love them. Best feel, best pitch, best shuffle, best everything. Ink does fade a bit (one setup of mine has begun to fade after four 5 hour sessions, but the cards are still definitely usable). I'll use these into the ground until they're illegible.

Modiano makes some of the best cards but quality control and customer service are horrendous. The platinums and desjgn cards made on their stock are some of the best ever made.

Copags are decent. Nothing good or bad to say about then. The variety they offer is nice.

Gemaco I can do with or without. Feel nice but the graphics are very bland to me.

Faded Spade V1 and V3 cards are horrific. Bowed and warped messes. Their V2's feel the best but have splitting issues.

Kem's look and feel nice but are expensive and very finicky to maintain.

That about sums it up...

 

[JMC9389]

I'd remiss to not mention Piatnik or King as well.

Piatniks are like Dal Negros. Very nice and consistent. Graphics and font are nice too.

King card faces are the nicest feeling out of everything. Veey nice matte finish that's as soft as something between an eggshell and a baby's bottom.

 

[Fran]

Fournier, Faded Spade, Desjgn and Modiano for me

 

[kimbless]

Angel 4ever

 

[TonZaga]

Looks like I need a set of Fournier....

 

[Fran]

Looks like I need a set of Fournier....

We always need a set of Fournier

 

[KHarp1]

Trefl, Fournier, Modiano Platinum

 

[KHarp1]

I'll bring you a set of Fournier @TonZaga

 

[xent13]

Faded Spade and Copag.

 

[Kentucky]

My personal opinions probably best ignored…

Modiano are the sweet spot of stiffness/flex for me and they have some cool geometric patterns on the backs.

I keep going back to my Desjgn’s because the font is beautiful, but they are maybe a little stiff. The back of the poker jumbo is not my favorite.

Kems shuffle like butter but the bowing…

Looking forward to trying my new group buy Fourniers tomorrow night.

 

[CdnBeerLover]

Fournier, Bicycle Prestige (which are essentially Fournier), and Desjgn for me.

 

[allforcharity]

No choice for Angel?

 

[davefr]

These are our favorites:
1. I really like old Desjgn but have no idea who made them. They're a little thinner, less stiff and sure smell like Acetate. They were close to perfection.
2. Fournier. I hated them at first but now I love the nice crisp shuffle. Wifey thinks they are too stiff. I guess they're more of a man's card.
3. Kem. A little wimpy but nice texture/feel. I've never had issues with warpage. Wifey's favorite so I guess they're more of a girly card.
4. New Desjgn. Good all around card but not as nice as the old ones.
5. Angels. Almost like KEM but never heard of warping issues. Hard to find unless you order from Amazon Japan

This brand is the worst:
Copag. They go downhill fast due to bad fading.

New vs. old Desjgn:

Copag Fading:

 

[upNdown]

1. I really like old Desjgn but have no idea who made them.

4. New Desjgn.

I've done some digging and as far as I can tell, Desjgns have been produced by at least three different manufacturers (Modiano, Amass, Dal Negro) and possibly using two different stocks from both Modiano and Amass. So there are between 3 and 5+ different stocks of Desjgns out there.

 

[LowerBama1714]

I just ordered some 4 color faded spades. I’m out of town and they were delivered so I asked my wife to open and take a look…she said they smelled so bad she had to put them back in the box.

Almost home so will confirm….anyone else had a case of stanky faded spades?

 

[davefr]

I've done some digging and as far as I can tell, Desjgns have been produced by at least three different manufacturers (Modiano, Amass, Dal Negro) and possibly using two different stocks from both Modiano and Amass. So there are between 3 and 5+ different stocks of Desjgns out there.

Do you know if some of the old Desjgns were Modiano Platinums? My old set sure has that faint smell of cellulose acetate.

 

[Fran]

I just ordered some 4 color faded spades. I’m out of town and they were delivered so I asked my wife to open and take a look…she said they smelled so bad she had to put them back in the box.

Almost home so will confirm….anyone else had a case of stanky faded spades?

I have 8 decks of faded spade and they don’t stink
Of course if you put your nose on it they don’t smell paper

 

[upNdown]

Do you know if some of the old Desjgns were Modiano Platinums? My old set sure has that faint smell of cellulose acetate.

I don't. And I've never handled Modiano Platinums as far as I know, so it would be tough for me to say. But I do know that I personally handled some desjgn modianos that were flexier than the Alpha modianos so all I can say is that modiano has multiple stocks for sure, and that I think the desjgn Classic Victorians for example were on different, flexier modiano stock than the desjgn Casinos, which were also on modiano stock.

 

[TonZaga]

I just ordered some 4 color faded spades. I’m out of town and they were delivered so I asked my wife to open and take a look…she said they smelled so bad she had to put them back in the box.

Almost home so will confirm….anyone else had a case of stanky faded spades?

I don’t know from experience but some say the smell matches their customer service

 

[Old State]

A couple thoughts on this as the owner of all the cards mentioned as options -
Is this a look or feel vote…or both?

1. I’d vote Desjgn as they are the best looking cards ever made IMO but the stock has changed over time. All his stocks are good but I prefer some over others….so there is an asterisk next to my Kem vote as I was thinking purely on feel.
2. I’m shocked there are cards that scored higher than Faded Spade
3. I’m wonder how many have tried all of these cards as brands are far more similar than different. Fournier gets the most votes but Bicycle plastic prestige (0 votes) are literally the same and there are 3-4 other brands that feel 95%+ the same.
4. The only truely unique feeling cards are Kem (good) and FS (bad IMO). The rest are within a few degrees of separation with Copag feeling most flexible and Gemaco (assuming Superflex) being the most stiff.

For anyone looking at this to influence a purchase decision, I would want them to understand that. IMO Kems are unmatched in their ultra premium feel but take some extra effort to care for so they don’t bow . Faded Spade are the only card I 100% recommend NOT buying.

Everything else is pretty good to go and most people would be happy with any of these. I’d recommend Cartamundi CCP bridge for around $12-14 a set up. I’d recommend their Ace brand for full size…if you prefer that for some crazy reason They feel 99.99% the same as Gemaco Superflex but are cheaper and better looking. Best bang for the buck card to be found.

 

[Fran]

I’m wonder how many have tried all of these cards as brands are far more similar than different. Fournier gets the most votes but Bicycle plastic prestige (0 votes) are literally the same and there are 3-4 other brands that feel 95%+ the same.

Indeed Bicycle prestige (that I like a lot too) are produced by Fournier.

 

[Old State]

I just ordered some 4 color faded spades. I’m out of town and they were delivered so I asked my wife to open and take a look…she said they smelled so bad she had to put them back in the box.

Almost home so will confirm….anyone else had a case of stanky faded spades?

So they “stink” in multiple ways?

If smell is what you want Kems smell glorious…even after years of use! It’s the base note of the new fragrance “Bleuf” by Channel.

 

[upNdown]

A couple thoughts on this as the owner of all the cards mentioned as options -
Is this a look or feel vote…or both?

1. I’d vote Desjgn as they are the best looking cards every made IMO but the stock has changed over time. All his stocks are good but I prefer some over others….so there is an asterisk next to my Kem vote as I was thinking purely on feel.
2. I’m shocked there are cards that scored higher than Faded Spade
3. I’m wonder how many have tried all of these cards as brands are far more similar than different. Fournier gets the most votes but Bicycle plastic prestige (0 votes) are literally the same and there are 3-4 other brands that feel 95%+ the same.
4. The only truely unique feeling cards are Kem (good) and FS (bad IMO). The rest are within a few degrees of separation with Copag feeling mist flexible and Gemaco (assuming Superflex) being the most stiff.

For anyone looking at this to influence a purchase decision, I would want them to understand that. IMO Kems are unmatched in their ultra premium feel but take some extra effort to care for so they don’t bow . Faded Spade are the only card I 100% recommend NOT buying.

Everything else is pretty good to go and most people would be happy with any of these. I’d recommend Cartamundi CCP bridge for around $12-14 a set up. I’d recommend they’re Ace Braden for full size…if you prefer that for some crazy reason They feel 99.99% the same as Gemaco Superflex but are cheaper and better looking. Best bang for the buck card to be found.

This is 100% truth. I’ve owned every brand listed here (and a bunch more) except faded spade. I’ve played with faded spade (not sure if 2.0 or 3.0) and though they were stiffer than I like, they were fine.

Anyway, there are different things about different stocks that cause me to like a brand more or less. But unless I’m the one gathering, shuffling, and pitching every hand, the differences don’t matter very much. If we’re passing the deal, I can tolerate most things once per orbit. Which is why I’ve gravitated toward cheaper cards.

 

[LowerBama1714]

I don’t know from experience but some say the smell matches their customer service

Well…I just took a big whiff. There is a distinct skunky odiferousness to them.

I bought two setups…gunna see if the smell goes away, but I don’t think if I can deal with my wife bitching about it every time we use them.

Not sure what to do.

 

[Old State]

This is 100% truth. I’ve owned every brand listed here (and a bunch more) except faded spade. I’ve played with faded spade (not sure if 2.0 or 3.0) and though they were stiffer than I like, they were fine.

Anyway, there are different things about different stocks that cause me to like a brand more or less. But unless I’m the one gathering, shuffling, and pitching every hand, the differences don’t matter very much. If we’re passing the deal, I can tolerate most things once per orbit. Which is why I’ve gravitated toward cheaper cards.

The most important thing is that no one should still be playing with paper cards in 2023!

 

[RagahRagah]

Copag but damn if I don't like Desjgn and Faded Spade, too.