original rider waite vs universal waite

etherial dreams

which of the two do you prefer? I am in two minds and own both decks and I cant decide which to use...any suggestions, help, opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks

xxx
 

Kissa

If i were you, i'd get the Universal Waite (Mary Hanson-Roberts's recoloring you are talking about, right?) and would wait for US Games "new" RWS to come out, for an olding deck. The pictures of the Original are so dark, you miss some details sometimes. Check the thread on the new RWS by US Games, you will get some scans there.

My two cents, of course...

ETA: sorry i juste re-read your post: you already OWN both decks. Universal is more friendly i think :)
 

Onyx

I fell in love with Mary Hanson-Roberts with her "Hanson-Roberts Tarot." She has colored a couple of other decks and I love the color pencil style that she uses. I have both decks but I like the Universal better than the Original because of the softer coloring.

But I am nearly convinced to give the Radiant Waite a shot too. I think that its dynamic coloring adds something to the deck. http://www.albideuter.de/html/radiant.html

Onyx.
 

Le Fanu

OK, just so you get a balanced view. I loved the Universal as soon as I opened it. I remember laying it out on the table and feeling that at last, the colouring had brought the RWS to life. Two weeks later I was bored stiff by it. Dull, dull, dull. Never had a deck which fell from favour so quickly. Now I have it in my drawer at work for impromptu, emergency readings. It doesn´t matter if it gets bent or coffee spilt on it.

The Original, by contrast, I didnt like at all when I opened it up. I just couldn´t relate to the colouring. It slumbered on the shelf for a while and then one day I took it out, slowly got used to the colouring, and now I adore it. I use it all the time. There does seem to be a difference between newer (Printed in Italy) and older (printed in Belgium) editions. Mine is the latter. It really seems to me to have an "atmosphere" and I can overlook now the ocassional blots, pixelated images and darker colours. Mine has low lamination and a nice weight in the hand. Nice backs too.

Radiant RWS reminds me of fake tan. Too orangy...
 

Aerin

Another vote for the Original.

It's like the difference between walking on the fells in the Lake District (moody, atmospheric) and wandering around a Cotswold village (pretty, chocolate box-y).

Aerin
 

etherial dreams

Yes I feel the same about the RRW fake tan! I think out of the rider waites my favourite is the original. It is more mysterious and inspiring as a reader...
 

WolfyJames

Onyx said:
But I am nearly convinced to give the Radiant Waite a shot too. I think that its dynamic coloring adds something to the deck. http://www.albideuter.de/html/radiant.html

I suggest the Radiant, it has great vibrant colors, kind of reminds me of the Tarot de Marseille Fournier in the coloring. Personaly, I find the Universal too pastel and too fluffy bunny, she changed the expressions and put smiles on everyone, weird.

Kissa said:
If i were you, i'd get the Universal Waite (Mary Hanson-Roberts's recoloring you are talking about, right?) and would wait for US Games "new" RWS to come out, for an olding deck. The pictures of the Original are so dark, you miss some details sometimes. Check the thread on the new RWS by US Games, you will get some scans there.

My two cents, of course...

I agree, it will be quite an edition surpassing the Original in every way.
 

The 78th Fool

I prefer the Original but my advice regarding the Universal would always be to buy the pocket version (printed in China) rather than the standard edition now printed in Italy. The standard version is a dreadful reproduction of Mary Hanson Robert's wonderful re-colouring of the artwork. It's washed out in the extreme and very inaccurate. The pocket edition by contrast reproduces the deep colours of her pencil work much more accurately. I was shocked when I bought this edition - it's so much finer and prior to owning it, I hadn't realised just how vivid the Universal Waite really was.

Chris. xx
 

Manda

The 78th Fool said:
I prefer the Original but my advice regarding the Universal would always be to buy the pocket version (printed in China) rather than the standard edition now printed in Italy. The standard version is a dreadful reproduction of Mary Hanson Robert's wonderful re-colouring of the artwork. It's washed out in the extreme and very inaccurate. The pocket edition by contrast reproduces the deep colours of her pencil work much more accurately. I was shocked when I bought this edition - it's so much finer and prior to owning it, I hadn't realised just how vivid the Universal Waite really was.

Chris. xx


I would echo that entirely, and also add that it is good to have a pocket deck to stash. Again, I say it over and over, but the Radiant is my RWS recoloring of choice.
 

Seafra

Le Fanu said:
Radiant RWS reminds me of fake tan.

YES !!! Love this comparison. And I am a die hard RWS fan. :)