What is a good presentable professional deck to use?

I was wondering what people's opinion was on a good presentable tarot deck.

I know when I use the Necronomicon Tarot or Gothic Tarot it gives off a dark vibe that's not for everyone.

Although I don't have it, I was thinking of acquiring the Universal Tarot (Professional Deck). http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/universal-professional/

Any thoughts on that deck, or any suggestions in general?

That deck is quite oversized; I think it's a teaching deck.

I believe you should read with whatever deck you are most comfortable with. Perhaps get to know several decks with different styles, and then either let your client choose from amongst them, or go with your intuition as to which is suitable.

I think for a general all-purpose deck you could use with any client, the Universal Waite is a good choice...But that's just the first one to spring to mind.

I agree with Carla in that any deck that you are comfortable with to read others is a good deck to use.

I tend to use the Robin Wood deck, even though there is a lot of nudity and the Lovers card itself usually raises a few eyebrows when I read with it. But, it reads like a charm and though I use to think one should be careful at the pick of reading decks per the type of clientelle, I have to say, reading in a store for customers that come in w/o any appointment, I don't always have time to worry about that. I figure as long as I can give them a good/great reading, the deck itself is not much of a worry, just giving them their moneys worth is!

Many, many decks.

I'd keep away from Manga, dark, erotic or childish decks, also themed decks like cat-decks, Halloween or Gummy-bear decks.

That leaves thousands to choose from.

Most popular chioces from people so far for me have been victorian romantic, bohiemian gothic, illuminated, shadowscapes, tarot of the sidhe, good old R-W, anne-k...

Universal Waite is good for just a general, Rider Waite style deck, but with colors I like better. Not the Universal one you showed, but the one colored by Mary Hanson-Roberts. There's both the larger size and a pocket sized one in a sturdy carrying case.

My most requested decks in order of request with the clients I have at all walks are:

1. Illuminated Tarot
2. Mystic Dreamer
3. Universal Waite
3. Quest Tarot

I have a lot of tarot decks listed on my professional site and these ones get requested most often. With the top two being the ones that are requested the majority of the time.

Now you mentioned the Universal Waite Professional edition, this is a huge deck but I found that it works awesome for some older clients I have that don't have the greatest eyesight. They can still see this very very well.

A bit late on the train, but here's my take:

At the moment I have 6 decks, having bought my first one (RWS Universal) a little over a year ago, and seriously reading for the past 6 months.

I've got most of the basic archetypes covered; simple, fairy-tale, gothic/dark, historic, painterly, religious.

As far as any deck being professional, that's up to the clientele. If they don't want a dark deck, then they don't choose Deviant Moon, and if they don't want "The Gnostic Christ" showing up in their reading, they won't choose the Grail Tarot.

Only occasionally will I advise people not to choose a particular deck. Specifically I prefer not to use RWS for complicated or in-depth readings, and I do not use Robin Wood for relationship readings.

My opinion is that if you only have one deck, and that deck makes the sitter feel uncomfortable, then you should expand your collection until everyone can find a deck they like (and honestly, 3 or 4 well-rounded decks will satisfy 99.5% of people - or so I've found).

As for the Universal Tarot: It's a lovely deck, and I'd add it to my collection if I didn't already have RWS. The cards are oversized, and I usually work with large spreads, so oversized cards are something I avoid. I think a lot of people would be very happy with this deck, and I've certainly considered purchasing it in the future, either when my reading circumstances have changed (ie, a bigger table) or when I feel it would start to greater benefit my sitters.

I have also used Marchetti's deck- the Legacy tarot. It has very warm illustrations that most people appreciate, with a more modern feel without being too modern. The cards are a good size as well, so easy shuffling. And it does read very well.

I agree with having 3-4 decks on-hand, and typically let the person I am reading for choose which deck calls to them. I do keep a dark deck on hand, as some people do request it depending on their individual circumstances (Bohemian Gothic is my favorite).

I also have my Greenwood (my first go to deck) for the more shamanistic side, but the DruidCraft or Wildwood would suffice considering cost. If you want a truly great shaman-type deck that is inexpensive, the Celtic Shaman's Pack was drawn by the same artist as the Greenwood- though this is an oracle deck.

I stay away from pop-culture type decks, vampires, cats, etc as well as the non-illustrated pips as non-tarot people don't tend to like them (though I LOVE them).

Hope this helps!

Penthasilia said:

I have also used Marchetti's deck- the Legacy tarot. It has very warm illustrations that most people appreciate, with a more modern feel without being too modern. The cards are a good size as well, so easy shuffling. And it does read very well.

I agree with having 3-4 decks on-hand, and typically let the person I am reading for choose which deck calls to them. I do keep a dark deck on hand, as some people do request it depending on their individual circumstances (Bohemian Gothic is my favorite).

I also have my Greenwood (my first go to deck) for the more shamanistic side, but the DruidCraft or Wildwood would suffice considering cost. If you want a truly great shaman-type deck that is inexpensive, the Celtic Shaman's Pack was drawn by the same artist as the Greenwood- though this is an oracle deck.

I stay away from pop-culture type decks, vampires, cats, etc as well as the non-illustrated pips as non-tarot people don't tend to like them (though I LOVE them).

Hope this helps!

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Amy, good to see you might be hanging around here for a while!

I agree with the Universal professional deck - or the Universal or Regular Rider Waite. Both are non-threatening, interesting enough to look at, and sturdy. But I also agree that it can't hurt to have a couple decks on hand for people to look at.