Carbon Fiber Playing Cards! Now with Bulletproof Kevlar! by Sly Kly (KS)

[ronyo_faukx]

Carbon Fiber Playing Cards

Project by Sly Kly
Third created, $35,000 goal, $100/1 deck Early Bird, $120 Standard Price




According to the project creator, these cards will be made from actual carbon fiber, then printed with the card design and punched out.

This is Sly Kly's first playing card project, (his first two were dice manufactured on a CNC machine, unsuccessful, then a successful relaunch).

I would need more information before being able to make a full assessment. From this image:




it is possible to see a white edge to the cards. This, in addition to the perfect orientation of the fibers, gives the impression that the design has been printed onto regular cardstock. Whether these cards are merely a mock up of what the end product will look like, or whether this is an impressive scam, or the cards are real carbon fiber and the white is the edge of the card with residue from being punched out is up for debate. We shall see.

At $70,000, a version accented with red thread will be released



and a blue thread accented version will see a release at $100,000



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First impressions?

[speedyy400]

This is honestly one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Unfortunately, $100 is way out of my budget so I will have to pass on them but I would get them in a heartbeat if those funds were available. I like the idea of including a little bit of blue or red in the carbon fiber. It definitely is a great touch and a great stretch goal. Just overall amazement with these cards.

[magnacat]

well... if i needed a deck that would last for life, and i was buying cards because of wear and tear often, this wouldn't seem like the worst idea, really. as for if they are printed on card stock or not, i watched the videos on the KS page, and they do not seem like a fake. i also noticed in the picture you showed above, mr. faukx, that the way the pattern lies on the cards is different from one to the next, from what i could tell by looking at the corners.

if i was going to get one of these, i think i would have to go with the red first, or the blue- they are a hundred times better looking than the plain black, although it may just be the way i'm seeing them, since they are not in my hands. (if you watch the video of the colored thread decks, you will notice the depth is more than you could achieve with printed images) if i was a backer, i would actually pull my pledge if we didn't reach the strech goal. speaking of which, why the h*ll are different colors a goal, when i doubt there is any printing minimum? it seems like he would be allowed this option from the start...  o.O?

i guess considering a pledge for four of these cards is $20, i have to think $120 for a deck and a metal case (because if you are going to spend $100 on these cards, why wouldn't you spend the extra $20 on a decent case?), all shipped, is pretty reasonable. although, i have no idea what carbon fiber costs, even in bulk, so i could be way off.   

personally, i would be more likely to consider this deck if it were more unique than just the material it's made of. some custom work would be nice, but it would even look better if the colors weren't so damn standard... they even have one-way backs, for God's sake.   maybe they will improve when the creator starts getting some feedback. it might be worth watching. 

[bhong]

The novelty of carbon fiber is pretty cool, but the price is pretty steep and understandably so. What I'm most curious is the USPCC standard courts and pips being used. Are those copyrighted? Obviously there's nothing wrong with someone that takes inspiration from the standard courts and drawing their own version of them, but how does creating a copy of them work, especially when using for their own profit.

[Anthony]

I saw these earlier today on my phone while i was waiting to pick up my daughter, cool as hell, but the price is a bit steep for me anyway. As for the question of is it worth it, Carbon fiber isn't cheap so the price IS in line with what their producing, it's gonna be interesting to see how it progresses.

I think the appeal would be more to the Tuner/Import auto mod culture, I would concentrate on getting the word out in that market ASAP, it taps into one of the key aspects of it. Carbon Fiber on your ride is a hot thing in those circles, if properly taken on they could get quite the funding.

Good Luck to them.

This is a Scion tC the car club I used to belong to did for the Chicago Auto show a few years back. All Carbon Fiber body panels.

[Don Boyer]

The novelty of carbon fiber is pretty cool, but the price is pretty steep and understandably so. What I'm most curious is the USPCC standard courts and pips being used. Are those copyrighted? Obviously there's nothing wrong with someone that takes inspiration from the standard courts and drawing their own version of them, but how does creating a copy of them work, especially when using for their own profit.

Generic card faces can't be copyrighted.  A legal concept called "prior art" takes precedence, because standard playing cards have been around for hundreds of years.  It's the same reason why you can't copyright a font.  A font is just another way of presenting the alphabet, and there's no way in hell your font artist will convince the Copyright Office that he or she created the alphabet...

This deck...will not last "forever" or even close to it.  The carbon fiber isn't actually printed - it's silk-screened.  Silk-screened images will wear off of the carbon fiber surface over time, especially when shuffled against other rather hard carbon fiber surfaces, a.k.a. the rest of the deck.  I'd wager a good plastic deck would actually outlast the finish on the carbon fiber cards, and it costs a fraction of the price.

Plain and simple, it's a novelty item, just like Sly Kly's "floating face" dice.  Why would any serious dice head want a die that rattles like a baby's toy?  The loose piece in the cage will throw off the physics of the roll, affecting the randomness of the outcome.  As Sparkz mentioned, this would have big appeal to the custom car community, but not as much for custom carD collectors in general, especially with that price tag...

[Jonathan]

Has anyone wondered what these cards would be like for throwing :| ...
Suspect they might pack a punch, more of a punch than the usual cards anyway.
I remember reading somewhere that someone was making banshee throwing cards that "scream" through the air when thrown in a certain way. That idea but made in carbon fibre would be pretty cool i think

[Don Boyer]

Has anyone wondered what these cards would be like for throwing :| ...
Suspect they might pack a punch, more of a punch than the usual cards anyway.
I remember reading somewhere that someone was making banshee throwing cards that "scream" through the air when thrown in a certain way. That idea but made in carbon fibre would be pretty cool i think

I wouldn't try it.  Carbon fiber is strong on the surface, but the edges can get damaged.

[sprouts1115]

The creator for these cards is the same guy Sly Kly

He single handedly brought down a dice scammer that was buying dice from china.  I loved it when the scammer  didn't call him "Sly Kly" but instead called him Kyle Sorensen.  I bet when the scammer saw the first 3 links he researched him and probable s**t a brick. 

Very Interesting reading.  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/75321040/free-roll-machined-gamers-dice/comments

[badpete69]

The novelty of carbon fiber is pretty cool, but the price is pretty steep and understandably so. What I'm most curious is the USPCC standard courts and pips being used. Are those copyrighted? Obviously there's nothing wrong with someone that takes inspiration from the standard courts and drawing their own version of them, but how does creating a copy of them work, especially when using for their own profit.

Generic card faces can't be copyrighted.  A legal concept called "prior art" takes precedence, because standard playing cards have been around for hundreds of years.  It's the same reason why you can't copyright a font.  A font is just another way of presenting the alphabet, and there's no way in hell your font artist will convince the Copyright Office that he or she created the alphabet...

This deck...will not last "forever" or even close to it.  The carbon fiber isn't actually printed - it's silk-screened.  Silk-screened images will wear off of the carbon fiber surface over time, especially when shuffled against other rather hard carbon fiber surfaces, a.k.a. the rest of the deck.  I'd wager a good plastic deck would actually outlast the finish on the carbon fiber cards, and it costs a fraction of the price.

Plain and simple, it's a novelty item, just like Sly Kly's "floating face" dice.  Why would any serious dice head want a die that rattles like a baby's toy?  The loose piece in the cage will throw off the physics of the roll, affecting the randomness of the outcome.  As Sparkz mentioned, this would have big appeal to the custom car community, but not as much for custom carD collectors in general, especially with that price tag...

I am not sure if I will stay in this project. I was the first pledge but I am struggling with this novelty and the fact that it's $120. Also Sly has been very quiet on his project . Not that I am looking for daily updates but maybe more excitement or energy. Just feel like the whole thing is low key  On the fence right now   

[Don Boyer]

I am not sure if I will stay in this project. I was the first pledge but I am struggling with this novelty and the fact that it's $120. Also Sly has been very quiet on his project . Not that I am looking for daily updates but maybe more excitement or energy. Just feel like the whole thing is low key  On the fence right now   

If it doesn't look right, feel right, sound right, taste right or smell right - it's probably not right...

Try contacting the project creator and suggest he make more frequent updates.

Not all project creators are as gung-ho and full of updates as someone like Jackson is - and it's a good reason why many of their projects fail.  If they're not selling it, promoting it, making it seem like the next best thing since air - well, then it doesn't appear like their heart is really into it.  It doesn't even mean it's a scam, just that the creator isn't pushing it in front of the right people and with the right energy level.

I compare it to performing magic.  I could perform the best trick in the world for you, just as the creator could make the best widget in the world for you.  There's two ways I can perform that trick - if I perform it cold and stiff, like an automaton, totally devoid of patter, it will come across totally flat and even dull; if I jazz things up, tell a joke or two, do just enough waving of hands and fingers, maybe produce some smoke, it will make people's jaws drop to the floor in astonishment.  It's a matter of "selling" the trick.  If a project creator has all the excitement of a TRS-80 Model I computer on sale now, people will give it a pass or drop out if they did give it a chance.  But if the excitement level is more on par with the iPhone 9sxz complete with a 3D holographically-projected Siri equipped with artificial intelligence, emotion subroutines and force field technology so you can hold her hand and she can fetch you a beer, it's going to be a dog pile of investors, everyone wanting in on the action.

[Sher143]

I'm on the fence about this project, too. I don't think it's scam, though. I collect cards for their art (my favorites are Paul Carpenter's Deco series and Jackson Robinson's Federal 52 series) or sometimes because they have a relatively unique feature (like Paul Carpenter's laser cut Aurum decks or Dale Mathis' 3D Mechanical decks). I backed this because of the unique carbon fiber feature, but now I'm not so sure if the novelty is worth spending $100 on. I understand why it's priced so high, but I was wondering if any one could elaborate on why they would/would not back this project? I'm still trying to make up my mind and it would be nice to see other people's perspectives.

Don, do you mind elaborating on why you think this won't appeal to custom card collectors in general?

[Rob Wright]

I am not sure if I will stay in this project. I was the first pledge but I am struggling with this novelty and the fact that it's $120. Also Sly has been very quiet on his project . Not that I am looking for daily updates but maybe more excitement or energy. Just feel like the whole thing is low key  On the fence right now   

If it doesn't look right, feel right, sound right, taste right or smell right - it's probably not right...

Try contacting the project creator and suggest he make more frequent updates.

Not all project creators are as gung-ho and full of updates as someone like Jackson is - and it's a good reason why many of their projects fail.  If they're not selling it, promoting it, making it seem like the next best thing since air - well, then it doesn't appear like their heart is really into it.  It doesn't even mean it's a scam, just that the creator isn't pushing it in front of the right people and with the right energy level.

I compare it to performing magic.  I could perform the best trick in the world for you, just as the creator could make the best widget in the world for you.  There's two ways I can perform that trick - if I perform it cold and stiff, like an automaton, totally devoid of patter, it will come across totally flat and even dull; if I jazz things up, tell a joke or two, do just enough waving of hands and fingers, maybe produce some smoke, it will make people's jaws drop to the floor in astonishment.  It's a matter of "selling" the trick.  If a project creator has all the excitement of a TRS-80 Model I computer on sale now, people will give it a pass or drop out if they did give it a chance.  But if the excitement level is more on par with the iPhone 9sxz complete with a 3D holographically-projected Siri equipped with artificial intelligence, emotion subroutines and force field technology so you can hold her hand and she can fetch you a beer, it's going to be a dog pile of investors, everyone wanting in on the action.

One of the issues I see is this is a 59 day project. Most are 30-40 days. It's kind of like pulling a carton of milk from the fridge, only to find it's well past it's date. Things start to stink after a while.
He's also only made 2 updates. The first not until after the goal was met. I think that is one thing a lot of creators don't get. Yea, he is making comments regularly, but the comments are not emailed to the backers like the updates are. I do not read every comment on every project I back. If I did, I would still be reading comments from the Name of the Wind project. I do read every update- even Jacksons almost daily "Super Pumped" essay updates. 

[badpete69]

Yeah i think I will be pulling out of this one....I never was interested in playing cards made of wood or in this case carbon fiber. Plus $120 gets you many more decks I want more. If someone wants my early bird pledge let me know by PM and we can coordinate when i remove my pledge

[Don Boyer]

Don, do you mind elaborating on why you think this won't appeal to custom card collectors in general?

They're expensive.

They're more of a novelty than a practical deck.  I'm trying to imagine riffle shuffling 52 slabs of carbon fiber and it doesn't come across as a fun thing to do.

They're more of a novelty than an artistic deck (whereas something like Dale Mathis' mechanical deck is jaw-droppingly gorgeous).

Did I mention that they're all this AND expensive?  The "expensive" part is worth mentioning twice, because they're that expensive.  In fact, they're not just expensive, they're expensive...

[Sher143]

I will be letting go of my EB pledge ($120 tier, w/ metal case) approximately 2 hrs and 30 minutes from now, at 12 AM EST, if anyone wants to claim it.

[Don Boyer]

I will be letting go of my EB pledge ($120 tier, w/ metal case) approximately 2 hrs and 30 minutes from now, at 12 AM EST, if anyone wants to claim it.

You might want to hurry.  I've been told there's a deadline on all KS projects after which pledges CAN'T be canceled.

[Rob Wright]

Carbon Fiber Playing Cards! Now with Bulletproof Kevlar!

[Fess]

The idea is cool as hell. I don't think it's going to be a functional deck of cards for me though. They're marked to begin with, it's just the nature of what they're working with. I think it would be a lot of waste if they cut them just so, then they would still end up being marked.

I wonder how these perform and how well the ink sticks. I also wonder about the card edges. A lot of curiosity on my end. I don't know if I'm curious enough plunk down $155 to find out though. Actually, I do know I'm not that curious haha. Kind of hard to justify since I just don't shoot my playing cards. That's just me though, some people may shoot them up daily. I'm not judging haha.

[BiggerDee]

If you look at the comments for the creator's first carbon fiber deck, there are a lot of complaints about quality. To be fair, he/she could have a different supplier now, so the quality issues may be in the past, but at least for the first deck, there were many complaints and most were met with the comment of "I'll let the supplier know" and apparently not much else. They are worth reading through. I was curious as to how the deck turned out (I didn't pledge because I was worried about issues with splinters, which some are apparently having), so I read through the comments a couple of weeks ago just to see how it all turned out. Los of comments about ink coming off as well with the creator responding by saying that the underlying image should be enough to make them usable even if the ink wears/flakes off.

[Don Boyer]

If you look at the comments for the creator's first carbon fiber deck, there are a lot of complaints about quality. To be fair, he/she could have a different supplier now, so the quality issues may be in the past, but at least for the first deck, there were many complaints and most were met with the comment of "I'll let the supplier know" and apparently not much else. They are worth reading through. I was curious as to how the deck turned out (I didn't pledge because I was worried about issues with splinters, which some are apparently having), so I read through the comments a couple of weeks ago just to see how it all turned out. Los of comments about ink coming off as well with the creator responding by saying that the underlying image should be enough to make them usable even if the ink wears/flakes off.

What kind of lame-ass excuse is that?!  "Underlying image?"  Make the bloody things right in the first place and you won't have a problem!

It's pretty clear to me that he doesn't know a lot about actual Kevlar.

    Kevlar is lighter that both fiberglass and carbon fiber.  If is often used in conjunction with either one to improve the toughness, flexibility, abrasion resistance and most importantly, the impact resistance of the composite part.
    To make Kevlar, a special weaving method — known as an aramid weave — is used to turn a liquid into a solid. Aramid fibers tend to be difficult to corrode, resistant to heat, and have no melting point.
    Kevlar is a synthetic fiber of high tensile strength used especially as a reinforcing agent in the manufacture of protective gear such as helmets and vests.

Kevlar is NOT a combination of fiberglass and carbon fiber.  It's a single type of fiber, known chemically as [-CO-C6H4-CO-NH-C6H4-NH-]n.  There is no actual fiberglass in there, just carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen formed in very long, continuous molecular chains.

Aramid is NOT a special type of weave.  It's the category of chemicals which includes Kevlar as well as other strong and heat-resistant fibers such as Nomex.  Kevlar is in a subcategory called para-aramids.  You don't make it from a liquid by weaving - it's made by forcing the liquid chemical through a spinneret, not entirely different from the spinnerets found as part of the anatomy of web-creating spiders.  It dries fast and hardens to make the fiber, similar in many ways to nylon and other synthetic fibers.  Seriously, gang - how does one weave a liquid?

Kevlar is NOT a reinforcing agent in ballistic (bullet-resistant) vests.  It IS the vest, or at least the most important part of it - the front and back panels held in place against the body using a vest-like carrier.  I don't know as much about Kevlar helmets and such, but I'm guessing that's not much different from the Kevlar in a vest.

Simply put: this guy doesn't have a clue about what he's saying.  I wouldn't trust him to effectively manage this campaign better than his previous one.

[BiggerDee]

Well said, Don!

All it takes is a few minutes reading the comments (and his replies) on the previous CF deck and the red flags start flyin"! I'm really surprised that he has the gall to come beck with another high-dollar deck consisting of (partly) the same material as the first deck which has so-so reviews at best.

[Fess]

Relaunch all Kevlar this time, instead of the kevlar carbon fiber mix.
Kevlar Playing Cards
By Sly Kly

[PrincessTrouble]

Doesn't look like they come with a tuck box.

[Don Boyer]

Doesn't look like they come with a tuck box.

If you're referring to the video of them shooting them up, it's just a sample.  Plain vanilla tuck boxes aren't very costly, though his cards are likely thicker than plain vanilla paper.