wat are the best cards for loops?

[sash11]

hi i am going to by loops. i just wanted to know wat r the best cards to buy.

[Tim Magician]

I believe all cards work the same it's just with some decks the thread is more visible.
I would recommend getting a dark (black) deck WITHOUT white borders.
So, shadow masters, black tigers, etc.

I have also heard (although never tried this) that Bee bicycle decks also work, even though they aren't dark, it is because they have a busy pattern and hide the thread.

So try avoid white borders and go for darker decks.

[magic123]

Bees are the closest to bikes.

[Calbrit01]

Presumably you want to do haunted deck? If you are don't worry about it so long as the back is relatively patterned. Remember the spectators are expecting a regular card trick, you have to really look and know what you are looking for with thread tricks - magicians paranoia. So long as you don't show it twice they wont get it. I did it last for the adults at a kids party, on a white surface with red backed cards, white borders and loop (black), right under a fluorescent kitchen light .
They only thing I have found is my poker cards I got from the Luxor are very slippy, so make this trick easier,more impressive and less prone to thread break. I have used 2 loops before to protect against breakage, takes a bit of practice but no visibility and less heart in mouth just before friction is overcome on the slide card out.

If your paranoid about it though, then ideal would be borderless busy pattern on the back - dark if you are using black thread, and do it on a patterned floor with non fluorescent subdued lighting, or outside on an overcast day. But seriously, most decks will work, but experiment with different environments and you'll soon figure out what compensation factors you'll need for each presentation.

[traumatised-magic]

i disagree with pretty much everythin said here apart from the dark background comments....u either want a dark back design or a busy back design i usually use regular blue bikes, but u can use any deck u like really it has nothin to do with the deck on how u use loops.....and if ur thread breaks when doin the haunted deck then ur doin the trick wrong simple as that, i have never broken the thread when perfomrin it, u need to replace the card above half way in the deck, i usually put it about 1/3rd of the way down, that way there is not too many cards above it to cause un nessasary tension on the thread...

if ur workin with loops u need to work like u would with any thread, u need the right lighting and a busy back ground. take the haunted deck for example the thing that hides the thread the most is shadow, by bending down u block the light thus cause a shadow, now the deck will have enough light to be visible but there will be sufficiant shade to cover the thread....thats all u really need to think about. not the type of deck u use by the way u handle the thread and the lightin situations

[Calbrit01]

i disagree with pretty much everythin said here apart from the dark background comments


So do I.


....u either want a dark back design or a busy back design i usually use regular blue bikes, but u can use any deck u like really it has nothin to do with the deck on how u use loops.....and if ur thread breaks when doin the haunted deck then ur doin the trick wrong simple as that, i have never broken the thread when perfomrin it,



Never broken a thread?, you must be a genius, everyone has broken a thread at the beginning, you have to to understand the limits of the material and find the best thread for you. And how can you not be doing it wrong when you are learning? So anyone here breaking threads, practicing this, don't worry you are normal like the rest of us.


u need to replace the card above half way in the deck, i usually put it about 1/3rd of the way down, that way there is not too many cards above it to cause un nessasary tension on the thread...


Well that does not sound like a decent haunted deck, just a lame version. If you do it properly, you let the spectator choose where to place the card by rifling the deck and asking them when to stop, much more impressive.


if ur workin with loops u need to work like u would with any thread, u need the right lighting and a busy back ground. take the haunted deck for example the thing that hides the thread the most is shadow, by bending down u block the light thus cause a shadow, now the deck will have enough light to be visible but there will be sufficiant shade to cover the thread....thats all u really need to think about. not the type of deck u use by the way u handle the thread and the lightin situations



Some considerations are similar for thread and loops, but they are not the same animal by any stretch. Each has its subtleties you have to learn, for a start off regular thread is not elastic.

Looks like you can only do the trick if the conditions are right - your back to a light so as to cast a shadow. I don't have to lean over the deck as if I am hiding something, I stand away from it sometimes, on the floor, on a table sat down, standing up, in a room with fluorescent light, outside etc, you just need to know your compensation factors for each environment, and that only comes with experimentation.

At the end of the day, just experiment and find what works best for you, push the envelope to improve your skills, and dont be afraid to break a few eggs (or loops:D ) when making that omelet. Most of all have fun with it, its a killer illusion for first time spectators..its one of my favorites.

[traumatised-magic]

So do I.




Never broken a thread?, you must be a genius, everyone has broken a thread at the beginning, you have to to understand the limits of the material and find the best thread for you. And how can you not be doing it wrong when you are learning? So anyone here breaking threads, practicing this, don't worry you are normal like the rest of us.



Well that does not sound like a decent haunted deck, just a lame version. If you do it properly, you let the spectator choose where to place the card by rifling the deck and asking them when to stop, much more impressive.




Some considerations are similar for thread and loops, but they are not the same animal by any stretch. Each has its subtleties you have to learn, for a start off regular thread is not elastic.

Looks like you can only do the trick if the conditions are right - your back to a light so as to cast a shadow. I don't have to lean over the deck as if I am hiding something, I stand away from it sometimes, on the floor, on a table sat down, standing up, in a room with fluorescent light, outside etc, you just need to know your compensation factors for each environment, and that only comes with experimentation.

At the end of the day, just experiment and find what works best for you, push the envelope to improve your skills, and dont be afraid to break a few eggs (or loops:D ) when making that omelet. Most of all have fun with it, its a killer illusion for first time spectators..its one of my favorites.

i'm not sayin i've never broken the thread what i actually said was i have never broken the thread when performin a haunted deck

and to be honest i've never had anyone question the fact that i place the card into the deck....i tend to do both ways depending on the situation, either i spread the deck and let the spec put the card in or i'll just push it in.....if the spec sees u pushin the card in without any notion of lookin where its goin or if ur even bothered where its goin then they should have no suspicions at all.....rifflein the corner of the deck and askin the spec to say stop doesnt sound like a great way of doin it to me, but each ot their own, the way i perform the haunted deck never raises any suspicions from anyone and always gets great reactions. i also usually do it with an ITR wich means i stand up to about 2-3 feet away form the deck, but u still have to compensate for light...i never once said i lean over the deck. i position myself so that a slight shadown is cast to cover the thread, that doesnt mean i lean over the deck it means i position my body to block direct back lighting, wich u need to do when workin with any thread.

i've been workin with thread/ITR/IE for 5-6 years now so i'm fairly competent when it comes to knowin the right lightin situations and the right backgrounds needed to hide the thread well enough, most of the factors are exactly the same the fact the thread stretches or not is not a factor u have to consider so ur statement about that means absolutly nothin, lightin and background are the most important factors u need to consider when usein any type of thread and they are solved in pretty much the same way. a busy background is better than a dark one direct light form behind is a deffinate NO and try to keep the thread movin, the more it moves the less visible it is...obviously depending on the type of effect ur doin

[Calbrit01]

I am sure if we were having this conversation face to face, we would be talking the same thing, "email" text can be so easily misinterpreted. No offense mate, just came out of a meeting with a "know all", and fired from the hip.

Anyway, bollocks to it. I am skiving off work and going skiing. . Have a good en one and all....:)

[magick]

I believe all cards work the same it's just with some decks the thread is more visible.
.

i dont agree with that.....if you are going to do haunted pack or some other effect that is simillar to it....

then you need a deck that fans smoothly.....if you're trying to use some cheap deck that wont seperate well....then you are going to break a lot of loops....

brand and color don't matter much.....so long as thy have a good finish that spreads easy....

and no plastic cards....plastic cards have sharp edges that dont give any...they will cut the thread.

[MagicianLS]

Bicycle Centaurians or whatever from T11

[Renegade]

Presumably you want to do haunted deck? If you are don't worry about it so long as the back is relatively patterned. Remember the spectators are expecting a regular card trick, you have to really look and know what you are looking for with thread tricks - magicians paranoia. So long as you don't show it twice they wont get it. I did it last for the adults at a kids party, on a white surface with red backed cards, white borders and loop (black), right under a fluorescent kitchen light .
They only thing I have found is my poker cards I got from the Luxor are very slippy, so make this trick easier,more impressive and less prone to thread break. I have used 2 loops before to protect against breakage, takes a bit of practice but no visibility and less heart in mouth just before friction is overcome on the slide card out.

If your paranoid about it though, then ideal would be borderless busy pattern on the back - dark if you are using black thread, and do it on a patterned floor with non fluorescent subdued lighting, or outside on an overcast day. But
seriously, most decks will work, but experiment with different environments and you'll soon figure out what compensation factors you'll need for each
presentation.


Wow? All he asked was what deck he needed. And you gave him a whole speech. If he found it helpful then good for you. I wouldn't use black decks like tiger or viper cd then the decks look suspicious.. Unless your audience/spectator is familiar with your line of card work.

[Tim Magician]

i dont agree with that.....if you are going to do haunted pack or some other effect that is simillar to it....

then you need a deck that fans smoothly.....if you're trying to use some cheap deck that wont seperate well....then you are going to break a lot of loops....

brand and color don't matter much.....so long as thy have a good finish that spreads easy....

and no plastic cards....plastic cards have sharp edges that dont give any...they will cut the thread.

Well, yes, that's true.
But by saying all cards work the same I was just thinking about the regular decks most people use like Bikes and Bees. I assumed people would know that I meant, most normal, non-cheap decks, not decks made out of razor blades or something -.- My bad.
And, no cards work the same when you think about it, blue may be a heavier ink then red, thus causing the haunted deck to be easier to be performed with red because it is lighter.....

[MagicAce]

I think its worth mentioning...
Why is everyone so dead-set on using loops? I mean ok, they're great, but you're so confined with space, your hands HAVE to be near the deck. But with the Cloak, you're so free, you can stand a few feet away from the cards and let the haunted deck happen... and there'll be NO clean up, right after the effect they can touch the deck, you don't need to do anything with it... and the breakage is so low that you'll only need one for a long time and its just a great hookup with IET. But that's just my views... i really think that the Cloak is a major upgrade from loops...