Card Clips Review:
This review evaluates the look and functionality of three of the best card clips on the market. Do this things really work? If so, which one is the best? The Ellusionist, the Joe Porper, or the Vault?
Comparison of Card Clips:
Most magicians and cardists who get sucked into the lure of custom cards will eventually buy one, or several card clips. My understanding is that it was Joe Porper who originated the idea of a card clip. Essentially a card clip’s function is to act as a portable card press. By placing a deck inside a card clip, the clip will press on the cards, which then flattens the cards and minimizes the bends in the cards that develop over time. Now, to be sure, the purpose of a card press is to flatten out cards that have already developed a bends and crimps. By contrast, a card clip is more preventative by nature. Continued use of a card clip will minimize the development of a bend but it won’t exactly straighten out a bend as well as a card press would.
For practical purposes I have never found card clips did much more than extend the life of a card by about ¼ of what would be expected without a card clip. That is to say, if you are using a deck that usually lasts about 4 weeks, the diligent use of a card clip may extend the life of your deck by about a week. What they are usefull for are two things. When the cards are protected in a card case I feel much more care free with how I handle a deck knowing that the case will take most of the abuse. Thus, I don’t worry about tossing me deck into a cluttered backpack or pocket. I also don’t worry about accidentally sitting on a deck when it is in a back pocket.
The other thing I find the card clip adds is, for lack of a better word, professionalism. As a magician, or cardist, when a spectator sees you take a deck of cards out of a card case you are immediately establishing yourself as an expert with cards. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your character. Think of it like a pool player who shows up with his cue stick in a nice leather bag. If you are showing up at a league game or competition, this can help you establish your authority and perhaps intimidate your competition. If, on the other hand, you are a pool hustler who hopes to trick your opponent into thinking you are not as good as you really are, a pool case would probably be a tip off to your deception. So in that vein, magicians who want to try to present themselves as “average” card handlers, would be best served by avoiding the use of a card clip.
So with that said let’s look at some of the most common card clips on the market.
Ellusionist Card Clips:
Price: $16.95
The Look
The Ellusionist card clips are made of steel and generally come embossed with one of Ellusionist’s signature deck designs engraved on the case. You will find that the surface of the steel will scratch pretty easily which is why the design you pick is important. When I originally got some of these I got one with the Master’s Edition logo on the front and one with the Black Tiger logo on the front. Because there is simply more engraving work on the Black Tiger clip it managed to keep a new look longer than the Master’s edition clip. The Master’s Edition clip was pretty scratched up at the end of a month and had already lost its “New Clip” luster. Though these are the only two styles of Ellusionist Clips I own, I think it is a good rule to follow when considering an Ellusionist Clip. The more the detailed the design work on the clip, the longer it will look good. The more simplistic designs will likely look scratched and beaten up within a month.
The Practicality:
I seem to recall that when I bought my clips they came in two sizes. One for standard sized decks and one for thicker decks. They did this because, at the time, most Ellusiuonist Decks came on the thicker UV500 stock. The UV500 stock has been discontinued and different sizes are no longer offered. Because, other than the embossing work, this is a pretty standard steel card clip, you will be able to bend out, and in, the sides of the clip to adjust for different size decks. That said, a thin deck will still feel fairly loose in a clip and a thicker deck will feel pretty stiff. For somebody who wants to try out a card clip for the first time, but wants something a bit more ornate than the most basic card clip, I think the relative low cost of the Ellusionist Card clips make them the obvious choice.
Joe Porper Card Clip:
Price: Between $25.00 and $60.00 depending on style.
The Look
These come in many different looks. Many magic companies have contracted with Joe Porper to make his clips with their logos embossed, painted, or engraved on the clip. The most ubiquitous Joe Porper Clip is flat black with his signature signed on the side of the clip.. Ellusionist now carries a Porper card clip with their engraving on it and an & Dave have produced a few clips with Porper as well. A recent addition to the many Porper clips on the market is the Blue Crown clip.
The Practicality:
The current Porper clip looks almost the same as his original design except that the folds in the steel are in an E like shape, instead of the standard 90 degree bend. From looking at it I would say that the intent of this shape is to make the clip more evenly distribute pressure along the deck. So, if you can imagine bending out your standard clip so that it is wide enough to hold a thicker deck, you will note that the inner side of the deck gets more pressure than the outside of the deck. The E folds of this deck seem to solve this problem. So in theory, this should be a more versatile, more effective, card clip regardless of the thickness of the deck that it is holding. My Porper clip is fairly new so I can’t exactly verify this from personal experience.
The Vault by Jamie Grant:
Price: $48.00 + $8.00 S&H
The Look:
Hands down the most beautiful card clip made….at least in my opinion! The Vault, by Jamie Grant, is a complete redesign of the card clip concept. This clip is made in brass, unlike the usual steel. I think artistically that was an excellent choice. Frankly, brass is to steel what gold is to silver. Both look nice in their element but if you were to poll people you would likely find that the majority of people will prefer the look of brass over steel just as the majority of people will prefer the look of Gold over Silver. There will certainly be exceptions but I guess that is why all art is subjective.
In addition to the choice of material, the design is also an important factor in the overall look. Jamie Grantburnished a Damask pattern in deep brown on to the card clip. The Damask pattern really adds to the elegance of the card clip. Damask is a pattern that comes from rug and tapestry work that dates back to the early Islamic and Byzantium Kingdoms and had a resurgence of popularity in at the dawn of the Renaissance. That is fitting for a card clip considering the Renaissance is also about the time that cards and card games started to become popular. Simply put, the Damask pattern gives the Vault an air of mystery and a touch of class that you won’t find in other card clips.
If those two design features are not enough to sell you Jamie also includes a nice zippered bag, also embroidered in a Damask pattern, that is just big enough to comfortably carry your cards. Not only does this add an extra touch of class on an already classy device, but it also helps protect your clip from scratches and dings that are common with steel card clips.
The Practicality:
By his own admission, Jamie’s primary purpose for this card clip was to protect the box. This came about as a by product of his effect, Industrial Revelation, because the steel block inserted in the card box was pretty rough on card boxes. Even if not for that, it was probably time that a card clip came along that helped protect the box. In the last two years we have seen more and more boxes being produced with special features such as metallic inks and embossed lettering. So it is nice to see a clip come along that helps protect the box.
Here is how it does that. Basically, the Vault wraps around both sides of the box. There are a couple of slits in the center of the back that are big enough to stick your knife, or quarter, through while performing IR and, in the front, there is an inch wide opening down the center to help you slide in the deck. One problem with the vault is that it is made of brass. This effects the Vault because it makes it harder to make minor adjustments to account for different box sizes. That said, consider this. You likely will be able to squeeze almost any deck in the Vault. I managed to get an Anglo box in the Vault and that is about the biggest box on the market. What happens though is that pushing a big box in and out of the Vault will take its toll on the box. Arguably it could beat up the box more with the Vault than with a standard card clip. This, however, is negated because of the overall design.
The Vault isn’t like other card clips. You do not need to continually pull the box out of the Vault before you open the box. In fact, you have full access to opening of the box while it sits in the Vault. Therefore, you can squeeze a tight box into the Vault and then leave it there until you wear out your cards. So in that sense, provided you use it properly, the Vault does exactly what it says it will do regardless of the size of the box. .
As for any preventative maintenance on the cards themselves, I have to imagine that the Vault will do at least as well as a standard style card clip. You will have good, even pressure on both edges of the cards. It is only the center of the cards where there is a relief in pressure. So this should do about as good a job reducing corner crimps as a standard card clip. I do think that the Porper card clip, with its’ special design that distributes pressure evenly across the card, will probably give the cards slightly better protection. The caveat to that is that, like a standard card clip, the Porper design requires you take the box out of the clip every time you want to pull the cards out of the box.
The final bit of practicality is the durability of its “good looks.” The burnished design on brass seems more scratch resistant than my experience with the various steel clips I have used. In addition to that, the bag that comes with the Vault only further protects the clip from inadvertent scratches.
Overall recommendations for who and for what:
Beginners and or performers who mostly use cheap, common decks of cards like Bicycle 808s or Waddington’s. If this is you, I really wouldn’t bother with a card clip. What is the point of spending the extra money to prolong the life of a cheap deck of cards? If you do want to try out a card clip I would recommend ano nonsense clip with no engraving on it. These can be found at most magic retailers for $10.00 – $11.00.
Guys who are beginning to experiment with custom cards and want to squeeze a bit of extra life out of their expensive decks: For these guys you might at least want a cheap card clip with no design on it. For those who feel that the look of the clip is as important as the functionality I would recommend one of the engraved Ellusionist card clips. The more detailed look of the Ghost and Black Tiger designs will hide scratches on the surface of the clip so if scratches will bother you stick with one of these two designs
For guys willing to pay top dollar for a card clip that most closely matches the form, function, and intended purpose of the card clip, shop around for a Porper card clip. There are several different color and design options with Porper clips. Just look around for the one that most closely matches the look you desire.
For guys willing to pay top dollar for the best looking card clip, and for those who are as concerned withprotecting the box as much as the cards, the Vault is clearly the top of the line.
My Personal Recommendation:
For me personally, the Vault, is now my clip of choice. My personal experience is that, we card geeks like to convince ourselves that card clips play a bigger role in protecting cards than they actually do. Card clips are essentially an accessory item for magicians and cardists much like “Guchi-flage” designer camouflage clothing is to hunters who then go out on the hunt wearing a bright orange vest. So that said, I am looking for a card clip that helps me present myself with the highest degree of professionalism. That coupled with the fact that it also protects the box better than any other card clip helps propel it to the top spot in this review.
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