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Angel Card Review. Best card on the Market? (1 Viewer)

Old State

Old State

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After seeing positive feedback from many here and the comparison to Kem …but without warping issues, I finally decided to buy a setup from Japan. The acetate casino version…not their PVC version.

I will make a bold statement ….bold because I have collected virtually every card in existence. These are the best cards you can buy.

I started collecting cards trying to find a replacement for my beloved Kems that felt the same but didn’t need to be stored a certain way to avoid bowing. After 20 years and 38 setups from over a dozen manufacturers…I think these are it. I waited so long becasue I didn’t want to pay the ridiculous shipping.

So…the comparison to Kem - I think these were very much influenced by Kem cards….both in artwork and feel. They are actually MORE satisfyingly flexible than my gold standard of Kem. A little thinner and more PVC than acetate in feel…but lacking much of the cheaper feel PVC has. Kem still have a slightly nicer elastic feel so it’s a wash.

I hesitated to post this without a longer time with them, but I have a game tomorrow night and will put them in play. I can report back in a few months on durability …but as they are acetate I’m going to store them like I do Kems unless I hear enough positive feedback back from others that they will not bow. As of today I’ve found every acetate card from any manufacturer will take a slight bow if not stored upside down with a cut card and dealer button on top.

Now they just need to make more variety. As my poker friends are getting older…jumbo index has gained in popularity

Last pick is showing Kems next to the Angels to illustrate the artwork similarity.
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Old State said:
After seeing positive feedback from many here and the comparison to Kem …but without warping issues, I finally decided to buy a setup from Japan. The acetate casino version…not their PVC version.

I will make a bold statement ….bold because I have collected virtually every card in existence. These are the best cards you can buy.

I started collecting cards trying to find a replacement for my beloved Kems that felt the same but didn’t need to be stored a certain way to avoid bowing. After 20 years and 38 setups from over a dozen manufacturers…I think these are it. I waited so long becasue I didn’t want to pay the ridiculous shipping.

So…the comparison to Kem - I think this were very much influenced by Kem cards….both in artwork and feel. They are actually MORE satisfyingly flexible than my gold standard of Kem. A little thinner and more PVC than acetate in feel…but lacking much of the cheaper feel PVC has.

I hesitated to post this without a longer time with them, but I have a game tomorrow night and will put them in play. I can report back in a few months on durability …but as they are acetate I’m going to store them like I do Kems unless I hear enough positive feedback back from others that they will not bow. As of today I’ve found every acetate card from any manufacturer will take a slight bow if not stored upside down with a cut card and dealer button on top.

Now they just need to make more variety. As my poker friends are getting older…jumbo index has gained in popularity

Last pick is showing Kems next to the Angels to illustrate the artwork similarity. View attachment 1499389View attachment 1499390View attachment 1499391View attachment 1499392View attachment 1499393View attachment 1499394
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Holy cow @Old State has somebody hacked your account? ;) :D
 
Yes, shipping from Japan is expensive for one setup. But it becomes pretty reasonable if you buy 3 or more setups and amortize the shipping.
 
menapamw32 said:
Haven’t heard of these to date. Where did you buy yours from?
Click to expand...
You need to create an account on the Japanese Amazon website. Shipping for one in as much as the cards but if you add more decks the price isn’t much more. I ordered two. There are other reviews on this forum and encourage you to read them. But these are really good cards.
TheBigTater said:
Holy cow @Old State has somebody hacked your account? ;) :D
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I know. If I had found these in 2006 I’d only own the Kems I only ever bought on sale and these. Maybe a couple decks …but my collection would likely be 1/4 of what it is.

Oh…I’d definitely own Desjgn cards as they are aesthetically the classiest looking card made and his cards stock has been very good to good over the various releases.
 
davefr said:
Yes, shipping from Japan is expensive for one setup. But it becomes pretty reasonable if you buy 3 or more setups and amortize the shipping.
Click to expand...
I asked a buddy who is a member hear if he wanted a set, but he didn’t…so I could only justify 2. I should have tried their PVC cards but I found the colors pretty ugly.

People interested should do a little group buy
 
Wait a sec,
Old State said:
Do a search. Tons of threads on this. Kems are hands down the best feeling cards made IMO. I bought dozens of setup from every brand looking for something that feels close and there is nothing in their league.
Click to expand...
All this talk and you never had Angels?! Every time someone brings up KEMs and flexy cards they are mentioned! I thought for sure you would've had them, they've been mentioned to me for years!
 
Tonystark137 said:
How different are two deck colors?
Click to expand...
Different enough. Kem had a similar circle square design with these colors I think
NotRealNameNoSir said:
Wait a sec,

All this talk and you never had Angels?! Every time someone brings up KEMs and flexy cards they are mentioned! I thought for sure you would've had them, they've been mentioned to me for years!
Click to expand...
I have mentioned before in threads I hadn’t tried Angels yet. I never wanted to pay the shipping …and recently they were reduced in price on Japanese Amazon by about $4 USD. They are now $17.72 US before shipping.
Also I didn’t really trust anyone becasue many have made the Kem comparison to other cards and I didn’t agree at all.

If I had to nitpick I’d say the Kem texture is a bit better. Angels are a little slicker. My very old Kems are slicker and closest to this. Also they are the only card slightly MORE flexible than Kem. Maybe about 2-5% more. Kems still have a bit more of that satisfying almost elastic feel to them but it’s very a small difference. If you shuffle with a proper casino riffle technique you will notice this stuff.

If they hold up better than Kem in the bowing department …they are definitely the better card. And are definitely the WAY better value. The difference between these and Kems is very very small. If Kems were the same exact price and didn’t have any propensity to bow…I may say they would still be the best …by a hair. But that’s not the situation we have.
MC_CPA said:
Are links allowed on PCF?
Click to expand...
I’ve seen plenty of link here posted over the years
https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Angels-Poker-2-Single-Pack/dp/B06XRBRWZR/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3D6IKJ2VPERF7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.xeUH_6NbeHj2dGhpypbwIMzuV9O70ohKdtYjNp-tQAzUOLFcIhAPU_gsAVBUQeoH8FxvHLExC-zS25aM-7RDpZWe2ImPuUxxIX_XfQSK5_qEtRnqIebGdQ6gQfo_CYd8zIqz2r6MnQxo1aujA6Dju7NjcZHk2sMsaCWXx8QbJbZ87b9NYF0mt47LcDaXhf8jRvlwH9Cf_ciYxR0uHJ_Haf6QNuwvIz_UVSOxU_bgbcpsgGRjofad_vwe0uSQ0VTG1x5wNkDBB7Vvbu9FGp4kgrBDZELxrLuhpd3kvBBeuwg.HlojBwCg4LEwk19Z5SZa9qcRipPeCHDk6pFGjJ4pqyc&dib_tag=se&keywords=angel+playing+cards&qid=1745532331&sprefix=Angel+playing+,aps,137&sr=8-6&th=1
 
justsomedude said:
Pretty sure Angels do not warp.

They are a little slicker for sure. But for my money I don't know of anything better.

View attachment 1499446
Click to expand...
Well that’s Angel Club Poker, i’m pretty sure those aren’t acetate and are a different card than the normal Angels. Although I may be wrong.

But, to your point, Angels do not warp. I’ve seen a very small amount of bowing on one deck, only because I left it out in 20 degree weather for 24+ hours.

I don’t store my cards special, (except for room temp) no DB or cut card and they haven’t seen any bowing. This setup has probably seen close to 15-20 games so far.
 
justsomedude said:
It's my understanding the Club Pokers (bridge/jumbo) are 'casino only' and hard to come buy. I got those from a PCF group buy back in 2016ish.
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That sucks…and I would have expected the opposite. I’ve never played poker at a casino in Vegas or AC that used jumbo index. Always regular index Kems.
allforcharity said:
I offered but nobody was interested. I'll be in Japan in 3 weeks.
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Hopefully this casino only Jumbo bridge things is no longer the case, if so I’m definitely interested
jayfiggy said:
I’m intrigued! Shipping is the real killer with these cards
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Shipping for one deck was $23…more than the cards. But two decks it was like $26. It’s gets way cheaper the more you buy. I paid an extra $3 for express shipping becasue I didn’t want them in the heat too long. I ordered them Monday morning and they came today
 
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To all those who replied "interested" above, be careful what you wish for. Final price could be $25-30 per setup plus shipping to you from Canada, and likely a 2 setup minimum. There's not even a guarantee that I can find them in a department store hunt, though I will be able to try in multiple cities. If you are willing to commit to this level of spending, then I will do what I can. But I absolutely will *not* take a loss on these.
 
allforcharity said:
To all those who replied "interested" above, be careful what you wish for. Final price could be $25-30 per setup plus shipping to you from Canada, and likely a 2 setup minimum. There's not even a guarantee that I can find them in a department store hunt, though I will be able to try in multiple cities. If you are willing to commit to this level of spending, then I will do what I can. But I absolutely will *not* take a loss on these.
Click to expand...
For those in the US it’s probably better to just buy at least two setups from Amazon Japan. That will put you just under $30 per setup
 
Interested if you find any jumbo index Berny.
 
 
Old State said:
For those in the US it’s probably better to just buy at least two setups from Amazon Japan. That will put you just under $30 per setup
Click to expand...

Yea, just checked. Probably better to just go direct from Amazon.jp... 4 setups is $99 USD door to door. That's $24.75 per setup, delivered. Which isn't terrible if you love bridge/standard.

1745537067562.png


1745537104536.png
 
allforcharity said:
To all those who replied "interested" above, be careful what you wish for. Final price could be $25-30 per setup plus shipping to you from Canada, and likely a 2 setup minimum. There's not even a guarantee that I can find them in a department store hunt, though I will be able to try in multiple cities. If you are willing to commit to this level of spending, then I will do what I can. But I absolutely will *not* take a loss on these.
Click to expand...
If I recall we had another member search for these in Japan and their B&M stores only had the PVC cards.

Yes, the minimum shipping between Canada and the US is around $20 for very lightweight items.
 

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