Split Spades differences

[ak2angel]

do you guys know the differences between the split spades lions (1st ed) and silver ed ? and what deck should i buy, shadow master, ghost, or ss silver? i mainly do flourishes 
thanks 

[Michael]

do you guys know the differences between the split spades lions (1st ed) and silver ed ? and what deck should i buy, shadow master, ghost, or ss silver? i mainly do flourishes 
thanks 

If I'm not mistaken, the 1st SS Lions did not have metallic ink while the Silver Edition SS does have metallic ink. Then again I was never fortunate enough to own 1st edition SS so my knowledge comes from the one time I handle a friend's deck. As for your second question I believe shadow masters and ghosts are more affordable then SS. Handling wise, I wouldn't consider myself expert enough to give advice to others

[Siegismyname]

Yes. There is metallic ink on the SSS but not on the first editions. And also the AoS on the SSS does not have the superstitious/split spades ambigram. The first editions handles great. Thick and snappy stock. Very nice finish that fans well and sticks together well during cuts. I haven't break the seal of the SSS. As for which deck to buy, the above mentioned decks all handle similarly. Just refrain from the transition phase decks from E. the ghost deck that I had that wasn't on performance coating nor UV-500 was very thin and didn't last as long. Started to clump very quickly. Anything other than that u should be safe. If you are just doing flourishing I might suggest u consider a deck that looks nice and fit your style as the pretty much handle similarly(of course UV-500 decks are significantly thicker). E decks are more mysterious while the SSS is more of style and flair to me.

[Don Boyer]

So, should I chime in as well and say that the 1st Edition Split Spades didn't have metallic ink?  Everyone else has... 

OK, kidding aside.  The handling of all three decks is practically identical, in that they are Bicycle stock with Magic Finish/Performance Coating.  If you find original Split Spades, they were just standard finish, but still an excellent deck series.  If you find older Ghosts and Shadow Masters, avoid the air cushion finish ones and try getting the UV500 ones - better stock, and they fluoresce under a UV light.

Silver Split Spades - arguably the most attractive of your three choices, and still on sale for retail at davidblaine.com.  It is a limited edition, though, so you'd probably only bust them out for special occasions rather than for practice.

Shadow Masters - a lovely deck, in my opinion; simple and elegant without having "dark" imagery on them to distract.  But again, this is a deck you'd save for special occasions - black decks look awesome when new, not so much when the black ink starts chipping off the card's edges, revealing the white paper underneath.  Alternately, you could simply stock up on them, since they're always around at E - it's a rare day when they cancel a particular deck that wasn't made as a limited edition in the first place.

Ghost - I think this is a solid deck for cardists.  The all-black pips are unique without being utterly distracting, they hold up well and they're not terribly expensive compared to some decks.  They aren't limited editions so you won't go crazy if you trash a deck.

For my money, though, crazy as it sounds, I think the NOC deck would be a pretty good cardistry deck, at least for practicing - zero distraction factor with standard faces, backs as plain as they come and they're probably the least expensive deck on the market that's both unlimited and has Magic Finish.  The handling characteristics on the NOC are pretty similar to the other decks you mentioned.

[Siegismyname]

I think the first edition split spades were printed on tally Ho stock. I remember reading it somewhere. And they do indeed handle differently from bikes.

[Pacis]

That's right, Sieg. But, in this case, ak2angel is talking about the 1st edition Split Spades Lions.

[Siegismyname]

That's right, Sieg. But, in this case, ak2angel is talking about the 1st edition Split Spades Lions.

yes. I am also talking about the first edition split spades aka split spades lions.

[MrMollusk]

If you find older Ghosts and Shadow Masters, avoid the air cushion finish ones and try getting the UV500 ones - better stock, and they fluoresce under a UV light.

Really?! Wow, I wouldn't guess that UV light would have any effect in lieu of their handling.
We all know how well the tragic royalty deck handled...

[Don Boyer]

I think the first edition split spades were printed on tally Ho stock. I remember reading it somewhere. And they do indeed handle differently from bikes.

That's right, Sieg. But, in this case, ak2angel is talking about the 1st edition Split Spades Lions.

yes. I am also talking about the first edition split spades aka split spades lions.

Sieg, the Tally Ho Split Spades and the Bee Split Spades were NOT Split Spades Lions.  The back design was different, with a bird's talons where the lions are on the SSLs.  The Split Spade Lions in the original three colors specifically state on the bottom of the box "1st Edition".

If you find older Ghosts and Shadow Masters, avoid the air cushion finish ones and try getting the UV500 ones - better stock, and they fluoresce under a UV light.

Really?! Wow, I wouldn't guess that UV light would have any effect in lieu of their handling.
We all know how well the tragic royalty deck handled...

I know - but believe it or not, there's a link to a video in the "Fact or Fiction" topic that shows how a properly dusted (fanning powder) deck of even Tragic Royalty can be made to perform very nicely.  The issue with those was probably more to do with that funky gray ink not accepting the finish as well.

As far as I can tell, the UV500 stock wasn't merely UV-fluorescent, it was also very thick - I think the "500" part refers to grams per square inch (gsm).  Before USPC stopped using gsm as a measure of their stock, Bikes were being made on 325gsm paper until 2010 or 2011, when they had to switch to 300gsm because the 325 wasn't working very well in the new print press.  The full title of the finish was "UV500 Air-Flow Finish" - the UV500 part has nothing whatsoever to do with finish, while "Air-Flow" does.  I suspect it's just the standard finish, but with that paper it performed very well - some people will pay a premium for the older decks, considering it even better than the current decks with Performance Coating.

[sr15]

I've honestly never had a problem with my TR deck. It's always fanned just fine for me, much like a standard deck of bikes. Somewhat related, here's an awesome fanning video involving TRs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H-du5B7Wy4

[Don Boyer]

I've honestly never had a problem with my TR deck. It's always fanned just fine for me, much like a standard deck of bikes. Somewhat related, here's an awesome fanning video involving TRs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H-du5B7Wy4

That's one of the videos I was discussing when I mentioned that they're in the "Fact or Fiction" topic.  There's another showing how to effectively treat a deck with fanning powder.  I was told this was treated in much the same way, but I could be wrong.

[Joker and the Thief]

I'd probably go with Ghost or SSS. I haven't handled SSS but on the whole any David Blaine deck handles well. The Ghost deck is extremely durable and smooth. Just, like most people have stated, be careful of Ellusionist's transition period. The UV 500 and Air-Cushion Ghosts are quite good.

[Siegismyname]

I know the bees and tally split spades are not lions and they have slightly different backs. But we are talking about the lions right? All that i have described are about the lions. Not the other 2. And I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the lions are on tally stock as well.

[Don Boyer]

I know the bees and tally split spades are not lions and they have slightly different backs. But we are talking about the lions right? All that i have described are about the lions. Not the other 2. And I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the lions are on tally stock as well.

The SS Lions aren't on Tally Ho stock.  It's just Bicycle stock, probably 325gsm at the time, or maybe 350gsm if Bicycle Casino stock was still around.  The Silver SS Lions are definitely Bicycle stock.

I'd probably go with Ghost or SSS. I haven't handled SSS but on the whole any David Blaine deck handles well. The Ghost deck is extremely durable and smooth. Just, like most people have stated, be careful of Ellusionist's transition period. The UV 500 and Air-Cushion Ghosts are quite good.

As I understand it, J&T, the UV500 Air-Flow decks are great, the Air Cushion decks are OK though perhaps not as durable finish-wise, and the Performance Coating decks are very good, better than or close to the UV500 Air-Flow depending on who you ask.  Another caveat about the Air Cushion E decks - a healthy percentage of them were made during the transition from Cincinnati to Erlanger, roughly from mid-2009 to late 2010.  Many custom decks from that era suffered greatly in terms of quality because USPC was still trying to get the hang of things in the new plant with the new hardware.

Any late-model E deck will give you great performance, really.  If you want a great deck for knocking around while practicing, it's hard to be the red and blue Bicycle Masters.  They're a couple of solid-performance inexpensive decks - they actually sell for less than my local shops charge for a pack of Standard Bikes, except for the big-box retailers (and even then only if you buy by the brick)!

[Joshua Robinson]

Does anyone know the stock and finish make up on the SSS? I am going to be getting some soon and would like to know before hand. Also how rare are the Tally Ho Split Spades?

[Don Boyer]

Does anyone know the stock and finish make up on the SSS? I am going to be getting some soon and would like to know before hand. Also how rare are the Tally Ho Split Spades?

Silver SS are Bicycle with Magic Finish.  (I'd swear this was mentioned earlier in the topic...)

Tally Ho SS are pretty rare.  Last I heard they were about $40 a pack, when you can even find them.  I seem to recall that one of the colors, maybe blue, was more sought-after because it was harder to find.  If you go here you can get the black deck and go here for the red one at the extraordinarily reasonable price of $24.95 each.  Gambling Incorporated is the more gambling-oriented site run by Meir Yedid Magic (mymagic.com) - very little there on magic but they have a lot of cards and lots on casino gaming.  I'd say to verify they're still in stock, though - that's the same price I paid for my decks about two years ago.  Nowadays, SS Lions go for that price and more, other than the Silver.

[Joker and the Thief]

I know the bees and tally split spades are not lions and they have slightly different backs. But we are talking about the lions right? All that i have described are about the lions. Not the other 2. And I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the lions are on tally stock as well.

The SS Lions aren't on Tally Ho stock.  It's just Bicycle stock, probably 325gsm at the time, or maybe 350gsm if Bicycle Casino stock was still around.  The Silver SS Lions are definitely Bicycle stock.

I'd probably go with Ghost or SSS. I haven't handled SSS but on the whole any David Blaine deck handles well. The Ghost deck is extremely durable and smooth. Just, like most people have stated, be careful of Ellusionist's transition period. The UV 500 and Air-Cushion Ghosts are quite good.

As I understand it, J&T, the UV500 Air-Flow decks are great, the Air Cushion decks are OK though perhaps not as durable finish-wise, and the Performance Coating decks are very good, better than or close to the UV500 Air-Flow depending on who you ask.  Another caveat about the Air Cushion E decks - a healthy percentage of them were made during the transition from Cincinnati to Erlanger, roughly from mid-2009 to late 2010.  Many custom decks from that era suffered greatly in terms of quality because USPC was still trying to get the hang of things in the new plant with the new hardware.

Any late-model E deck will give you great performance, really.  If you want a great deck for knocking around while practicing, it's hard to be the red and blue Bicycle Masters.  They're a couple of solid-performance inexpensive decks - they actually sell for less than my local shops charge for a pack of Standard Bikes, except for the big-box retailers (and even then only if you buy by the brick)!

Well if I thought my Air Cushion Ghosts were good, I should be in for a very nice surprise when I get around to handling the Performance & UV500 models

[Pacis]

That's right, Sieg. But, in this case, ak2angel is talking about the 1st edition Split Spades Lions.

yes. I am also talking about the first edition split spades aka split spades lions.

Well, all I can say is that I have both decks and I can tell Split Spades Tally Ho isn't the same as Split Spades Lions 1st Ed.