Can you see any difference in the texture of the face side of the two cards below? I received my first Marion Pro setup shortly after my first time handling Faded Spade 3.0 cards, and it was immediately obvious that the cards are the same texture. Those who are a bit more familiar with them may also know them as the manufacturer of the Marion Pro line of cards, which is on their nicer 0.31mm matte finish stock. Kuo Kau is perhaps best known here for their Royal line of cards, which are a rather unimpressive line on 0.27mm glossy stock. I don’t have any insights about their version 1.0 and 2.0 products, but I assess with a high degree of confidence that Faded Spade 3.0 cards are made by Kuo Kau Paper Products. The buzz on PCF seemed to indicate that Faded Spade may be manufacturing their own cards and were making changes each generation to improve their product. When I first learned of Faded Spade upon my return to PCF last year, I thought it was great that there was another player in the playing card business.
With Faded Spade being discussed again, I figure that now is as good a time as any to share my observations about Faded Spade 3.0.