RWS Clones

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 Apr 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Solty Dog	16 Apr 2004
Greetings, I am currently looking at yet another deck to buy and I want to replace my old RWS. I was looking at three in general. Universal-Waite Universal Tarot Albano-Waite Does anyone have any opinions on any of these, which you prefer, Im just looking to get somthing beyond the reviews. Thanks for any help B.S. Dog

September Pixie	16 Apr 2004
I am rather fond of the Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot :)

September Pixie	16 Apr 2004
Oh and there is the Robin Wood tarot.. symbolism is much like the Waite decks but the pictures are prettier I think, and still easy to read :)

CreativeFire	16 Apr 2004
Hi Solty Dog I have the Universal Waite (which is one of my main reading decks) and I also have a mini Universal (de Angelis) that is a good carry around size. I also have the Radiant Rider Waite, but personally I like the colouring and the image detail in the Universal Waite better. Also the backs on the Universal Waite are more appealing as well. Have also found the quality of the card stock and laminating finish of the Universal Waite is quite good - not too plasticy (if that is a word :D) feel to them and a managable size for shuffling as well. I have not seen the Albano-Waite so cannot comment on that one, but no doubt some here at the forum will have some feedback on that deck for you. Hope you find what you are after. CreativeFire

lawguy51	17 Apr 2004
Universal Waite is great. I don't use it much because I'm more of a Thoth kind of guy, but when I do use an RWS deck, that's the one. It's pretty and sturdy and the backs are made for reversals. You can't go wrong with this one. Lawguy51

dolphingirl	17 Apr 2004
I have all three decks Universal Waite - I like the colors and with it being Waite you won't miss any of the symbology that the books talk about. I am really waiting for the new pocket version of this deck comming out soon as I really like smaller decks to shuffle. Universal Los Scarbeo - this deck has nice artwork and it is in the style of Rider Waite. This deck also comes in a pocket version which is really nice for small hands. The artwork has kind of a comic book feel to it. Really nice. Albano Waite- This was the first pocket deck I found and it just seems to really fit my hands well. Although the colors are not very pretty (primary colors and lots of yellow) I think all these decks are great and you can't go wrong with any of them :)

Le_Corsair	17 Apr 2004
I have all of these. :D 1. Albano-Waite: Uses the same line drawings as the RWS deck, colored differently by Frankie Albano. Since this re-coloring was done in the late 60's, a rather psychedelic palette was employed, which may elicit nostalgia or turn you off, depending on your age and political persuasion. I dislike the coloring on the Pentacles in this deck, they don't look like metal coins at all. The backs are a plain cream color with a small "rising sun" emblem in the center, similar to the Japanese naval flag of World War II. 2. Universal Waite. Artist Mary Hanson-Roberts took the original RWS line drawings and re-executed them in fine pencil, and recolored the images in colored pencil. The result is outstanding, giving this deck a delicacy and professionalism missing in the original RWS deck. The backs are navy blue with a field of eight-pointed silver stars. An attractive deck. 3. Universal Tarot by Roberto de Angelis. This is a redrawn RWS. The poses and images are similar to the RWS, but being drawn by a different artist, reflect his own level of skill and vision. There are a few cards in this deck where the images vary a little too much for my taste; for example, the juggler in the Two of Pentacles is juggling in a town square, not by the seaside, which I find dismaying, since I am an old sailor. The backs of the cards (on my deck) are blue playing-card style circle patterns. As has been said already, this deck is offered in two sizes. (So is the Albano-Waite, for that matter.) Another choice for fans of RWS decks is the Hoi Polloi, which closely follows the RWS images, but leaves some of the backgrounds out, and changes a few details. Lovely early 70's deck, the backs are brown with a large skeleton key. It can be found on Ebay regularly for around 20 dollars. There is another variant of the RWS called the Adam Fronteras Tarot, but this is on too-thin stock, and is recolored in a silly way so as to be more inclusive of non-European cultures. Taking the RWS images and recoloring them so that some of the people are canary yellow, purplish-black or brick red does not make a multicultural deck, in my opinion. The deck I recommend? Aeclectic member Rota's International Icon Tarot. It is an RWS clone deck, done in lovely colors, and refines the RWS images to their purest zen essence. Click on the link and see for yourself. In addition, if you're a fan of the Simpsons, the deck comes with a Happy Squirrel Card. :D The International Icon Tarot is the one that you want. Trust me on this. Bob :THERM

Emily	17 Apr 2004
Hi Solty Dog, My favourite Rider Waite clone deck is the Morgan Greer. Its a nice size, the colouring is bold with out being over the top, no borders or keywords, some of the cards differ from the traditional Rider Waite imagery so it is a nice change from the Rider Waite and reads very well. :) Other than that the Universal Waite is very nice, if you want soft colouring without losing much detail. I do also like the standard Rider Waite though, I have the pocket size and the so called 'Original', but I wouldn't recommend that one because the thick black lines and limited colours puts me off, but the pocket size is nicely coloured.

Solty Dog	18 Apr 2004
Thanks to you all for your replies. Today I picked up the Universal-Waite deck. It is outstanding, the images seem to jump right out. I also have added the International Icon Tarot to my wish list. I love the look of that. B.S. Dog

The RWS Clones thread was originally posted on 16 Apr 2004 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.