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I have to start by saying that I have almost all of the Tim Holtz acrylic stamps. I initially realized that acrylic stamps are a much poorer investment than cling ones. Obviously the price difference is only a few dollars and acrylic stamps perform poorly and pearl up if used with a dye ink pad. Without realizing until much later, I have acquired almost all dye ink pads and have learned to prefer them over pigment ones. Not only is all of this true, but acrylic stamps don't last forever. Extreme heat and cold cracks acrylic stamps or melts them beyond repair. I wanted these for professional use, so I took the leap and started investing in all red rubber.
The storage with these is solved because the stamps are placed on a plastic, 3 hole-punched storage sheet that fits into a binder. Many will like this, but for me this was a nuisance. I truly wanted these organized by theme in plastic CD cases. The other line by Tim Holtz that is also cling mounted (smaller sheets, like Seamless Experience) have the designs stamped onto the foam backing. That was a blessing because when I put them in clear cases, they easily show the designs. With these, that doesn't happen. The designs are only stamped on the backing sheets and not on the actual foam. The foam just says Stampers Anonymous.
The second thing I did not like is the fact that these stamps are much smaller than their acrylic versions. I was hoping to purchase these and switch them out with their acrylic counterparts. Of course, this will not be happening. It was tricky for me to know this because none of the craft stores nearby have these so I did not see this in person. However, if you are like me, you will be disappointed to notice that the flourish is half the size of the acrylic one, the flowers are also on a smaller scale as well as the wings. The text was luckily printed on the same scale as was the quotes. However, I was really wanting the florals to be on a large scale too. Does this make this a bad set? No, it is still a quality product that I use, but won't be able to replace the acrylic set due to size. I figure the cost of the red rubber to manufacture these is obviously higher, but I somehow feel that for a few dollars slapped on extra it could've been done.
I do recommend these designs as they are versatile and stamp perfectly well. The rubber is very good quality and washes off each time. Some stamp sets suffer from poor rubber that stains way too easily. Tim Holtz's line clearly does not. I would buy these again, but I am disappointed about the scale on which these were manufactured.
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