This is a great thread, and although I realize it's over a year old, there's some excellent comments here, especially from Don.
I just wanted to update this by mentioning that Legends Playing Card Company and EPCC now have an additional finish available that is worth considering. As best as I can tell, the "Elite" finish from Legends is identical to the "Damask" finish from EPCC (for some discussion on the Damask finish, see
this thread). It's similar card-stock to the "Classic" finish used by both companies, but apparently has a deeper embossing, and thus a softer feel.
I'd also highly recommend reading the very excellent feature article by Don Boyer entitled "What's In An Expert Card? Plenty!", which gives an extensive overview of the manufacture and quality of decks by Expert Playing Card Company. You can find it in the complimentary issue of CARD CULTURE which is available right here:
CardCulture-Special-Issue-2015.pdf (p.14ff)
I've also written a detailed article about Legends Playing Cards which you'll find here:
http://www.playingcardforum.com/index.php?topic=10259I wrote this independently from Don's work, and only afterwards came across his great article, which does a much better job of covering everything; although it helps that he had the benefit of sitting down with someone (William Kalush) from EPCC. But I also cover their four types of finishes, and how they compare with USPCC cards.
Seeing as it is relevant to this topic, I'll repeat some of my conclusions about the Legends playing cards below. If any of my information is inaccurate, I'd love to be corrected on any points.
Regards, Ender
Finish types: The word "finish" is often used and meant in different ways. Technically it does not refer to the coating that is applied to a card at the end of the printing process, but rather to the texture of the card's surface, which can be either smooth or embossed (i.e. dimpled, to create an "air cushion" that makes the cards slide optimally). When embossed, this can be done to different depths and with different patterns. Legends offers four different "finishes", which are really different combinations of paper stock and embossing. Their paper stock comes pre-embossed from overseas suppliers, and the main differences between their "finishes" has to do with the type of paper and embossing used. Some of these finishes are identical to the ones offered by Expert Playing Card Company (EPCC), despite different names given to them, because these two companies do collaborate at times, and often use the same factory in Taiwan:
● Diamond Finish (=EPCC's Master finish) - This is the thinnest paper stock, but is very hardy and durable. The embossing is similar to Bicycle's "Air Cushion Finish". It is the thinnest and least-embossed, and this makes it feel somewhat plastic-like, but it is also the longest lasting.
● Classic Finish (=EPCC's Classic finish) - This is a thicker paper stock, which feels softer and more papery. The embossing is also similar to Bicycle's "Air Cushion Finish". Of all four finishes, this has an overall feel that is closest to a Bicycle type deck.
● Elite Finish (=EPCC's Damask finish) - This uses a similar paper stock to the Classic Finish, but uses a different and deeper embossing pattern on the cards, making them feel softer.
● Emerald Finish - This has a similar feel to the Diamond Finish, and is made from thin paper stock with minimal embossing, and a slick coating. Unlike the other three finishes, this is produced in a factory in China rather than Taiwan, and has standard Casino-cut edges rather than the superior Diamond Cut used for the other three finishes.
Of these four, the two that are the most commonly used are the Diamond Finish and the Classic Finish; personally I have a slight preference for the latter, but that might change over time.
Card quality: Even though the card-stock of the Legends' decks is slightly thinner than standard Bicycle stock, they have a very strong paper that doesn't seem to be any less durable than other decks. This is especially true of the Diamond Finish cards. While they feel thinner and more snappy than most most playing cards, they are also incredibly durable. There's an immediate sense that they can handle a lot of wear and tear, to the point that they almost seem to be made out of plastic. Perhaps that's the reason why some designers prefer the Classic Finish over the Diamond Finish, because the Classic Finish is slightly thicker, and has an overall feel that more closer approximates the feel of typical Bicycle deck from USPCC, while still handling better than a standard Bicycle deck. With both finishes, there's an initial stiffness that ensures that the deck actually improves in its handling as it is broken in. The cards and hold their shape well, and have a beautiful snap, especially noticeable when springing, which is far more satisfying and smooth with this deck than a Bicycle deck! While they have a real spring to them, at the same time the cards still fan beautifully and spread very evenly. That's because the card surface is embossed with tiny dimples to ensure just the right level of friction, and the finish ensures good handling for shuffling and fanning. The cards are less slippery than usual, ensuring that they don't slide over each other too much during shuffling, and they also packet well for cardistry. In other words, the handling is superb all round. I could find no fault with either the Diamond or Classic finish, but can't really comment on the Elite or Emerald finish, since I don't really have enough experience with those.
Card cut: As for the cut of the cards, it's precisely what Legends' Lawrence Sullivan has aimed for with all the finishes: beautiful clean edges that are second to none, and a consistent border which can be thinner than usual due to the precision printing process. The fact that they have smoother edges than Bicycle cards is immediately noticeable when taking them out the box the first time. We were very impressed with this step up in quality, when compared with a regular Bicycle deck. The card expert I consulted observed that even though the Classic finish felt more akin to a Bicycle deck from USPCC than the Diamond finish did, the Legends decks performed better than the USPCC decks because of the much smoother cut, which made maneuvers like a perfect faro far easier and smooth. Legends decks are all given a "traditional cut" (face to back) rather than the "modern cut" (back to face) used by USPCC, and that also makes the Legends decks better for doing a weave/faro shuffle straight out of the box, without needing to be worn in first - card experts prefer the traditional cut for this reason.
Card printing: The precision printing used by Legends allows them to use narrower borders than normal, which gives a greater range of options for designers, and also can produce a classier look. While a web press is preferred by USPCC for the sake of efficiency and speed when doing higher-volume print runs of many thousands, Legends only uses a sheet-fed press (which USPCC also uses for smaller print runs), which gives greater precision in printing and cutting. As best as I can tell in the decks I own, the printing registration is consistently crisp and bold. The only issue I noticed with printing was with a deck that had all black cards (Don Quixote Vol 1), and seemed to have some white marks and spots on every card, which detracted somewhat from the overall look once you noticed it. However, to be fair, some of the pictures I've seen of this deck online suggest that this might even be part of the design, in which case it's not at all a flaw in the printing process. Aside from this deck, the printing on all the other decks I have was crisp, clear, colorful, and more than satisfactory.See the entire review
here.
Poll
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