Sharman-Caselli deck or Llewellyn?

[Simple]

After feeling blocked and disconnected and a car accident, I feel inspired again to get back to tarot. I want a clear, no-nonsense deck with soft or bright colors. I've never had a RWS but I have its themed decks like Steampunk and Anna K. But I feel like it's time to go for a basic deck that reads like others. Llewellyn seems a bit blurry and I can't find much about Sharman-Caselli deck (heard about Mythic tarot but I prefer the original art and don't have the money for it).
So, anyone has experience with these decks? Recommendations? Thoughts?

 

[mah jong]

Sharman-Burke Caselli was my first tarot deck. It closely mirrors RWS and to me, and reads like an actual RWS deck. It's simple, visually bright and readable. As such, it was a good deck for me to learn on and to continue practice. They are relatively affordable to buy too.

 

[Little_Bear]

Sharman-Caselli Deck

I have the Sharman-Caselli deck too. It's my go-to study deck. It's easy to read with and the book that comes with it is really rather good for just jumping in and learning.

 

[greatdane]

I am interested in the Sharman-Caselli as well

QUESTION please for those who have it. Cardstock? I have read the cardstock isn't great. I know there are two decks out there, correct? One smaller, one larger, I think. Could any who have this deck comment on the stock? I'm not that hard on decks, but it's good to know what the cardstock is like.

 

[SarahJoy]

I have the Sharman-Caselli. It's a nice RWS variant deck with a very good book. I found the colors to be too jarringly bright, especially the yellows of the Wands, and ended up dunking it in tea several times to get it tolerably subdued. I also trimmed the borders, tinted the edges, and Umbraed the deck. As a result, I now find the deck quite charming, but can't comment on the cardstock; I don't remember what it was like fresh out of the box.

Side note: I bought the Sharman-Caselli early in my tarot studies, as one of a string of RWS variants, when I thought I didn't like the RWS and was trying to avoid it. I eventually broke down and bought the PCS Commemorative edition, and I wish I had done so sooner. The variants are nice and I don't regret owning them, but they're no substitute for the original, at least for study, and I fell in love with the softer coloring of the PCS as soon as I opened it.

 

[Essence of Winter]

The Sharman-Caselli deck is fantastic. I love the artwork and it is very true to the Rider symbolism. There are one or two exceptions, but they still preserve the meaning.

I don't have the Llewellyn but the Sharman-Caselli deck should remain of interest to more experienced readers rather than being merely a beginners' deck (as all too often it seems to be overlooked as) but I don't get that impression from the Llewellyn deck.

 

[Little_Bear]

I have the Sharman-Caselli. It's a nice RWS variant deck with a very good book. I found the colors to be too jarringly bright, especially the yellows of the Wands, and ended up dunking it in tea several times to get it tolerably subdued. I also trimmed the borders, tinted the edges, and Umbraed the deck. As a result, I now find the deck quite charming, but can't comment on the cardstock; I don't remember what it was like fresh out of the box.

Side note: I bought the Sharman-Caselli early in my tarot studies, as one of a string of RWS variants, when I thought I didn't like the RWS and was trying to avoid it. I eventually broke down and bought the PCS Commemorative edition, and I wish I had done so sooner. The variants are nice and I don't regret owning them, but they're no substitute for the original, at least for study, and I fell in love with the PCS as soon as I opened it.

Holy crap your customised version of the Sharman-Caselli looks amazing! I am seriously tempted as I know what you mean about the brightness of the wands.

I have the PCS edition of the RWS and it is the only version of it that I have ever connected with. I absolutely love it and it has the nicest backs of all the RSW decks IMHO.

 

[journeyinghome]

Just to even things up a little!

I love the Llewellyn. It was the first RWS variant I "got". The 'blurry' thing you mention - it is a watercolour deck. Also, sometimes photographs of cards aren't good online. Personally, I find it very clear and my eyesight isn't brilliant. I like the book too. But obviously it has Welsh stories as its background and that's not for everyone.

Sharman-Caselli. I think this is pencil? It's nice enough, easy to read, but I didn't like many of the faces. That said, the Queen of Swords is fantastic. The version I bought had the most vivid pink card backs that didn't seem to go at all well with the soft colours of the cards themselves. I got rid of it quite swiftly.

But, all that said, it seems like the Sharman-Caselli might suit you better than the Llewellyn, in terms of what you want

 

[garmonbozia]

I also trimmed the borders, tinted the edges, and Umbraed the deck.

Very cool looking deck. What is Umbrae-ing?

 

[SarahJoy]

Holy crap your customised version of the Sharman-Caselli looks amazing! I am seriously tempted as I know what you mean about the brightness of the wands.

Thanks! All the cards in the wands suit (and a few of the majors) have bright, saturated yellow backgrounds that I found really jarring and distracting. Your taste may differ, of course.

Very cool looking deck. What is Umbrae-ing?

Thanks! The Umbrae method of aging a deck. I sometimes use step one to "soften" the feel of stiff new decks. The Sharman-Caselli got the full treatment plus some.