02-07-2018, 05:27 PM
I learned to read the traditional tarot with the Rider-Waite deck, and it's a pretty magical deck, so I don't dislike it or anything. It is special to me. But the quality of the art on the Smith-Waite makes a world of difference and the warm tones are so rich and beautiful. The red lines on all the faces are gone, they are skin toned on the Smith-Waite deck. I was always very annoyed by those red lines. When you're using a pictorial tool for divination, you're supposed to look at every aspect of the art... ALL of the lines matter, ALL of the color variations matter. It's all supposed to mean something. I felt like they weren't mindful of this on the Rider-Waite and I think that's kind of wrong. The Smith-Waite has ironed out those issues though.
I love the overall vintage look of the Smith-Waite. The card stock is excellent quality, it's pretty thick. It's not the easiest thing to shuffle when the deck is new. Rider-Waite shuffles amazingly well, very enjoyable and I give them credit for that, but let's face it, it's only because the stock is cheaper. I also prefer the solid color of the back of the Smith-Waite cards over the blue Rider-Waite back with all the dizzying lines...
Rider-Waite:
https://www.usgamesinc.com/images/D/SWR78_7.jpg
Smith-Waite:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/95/e8/f3/...8af77b.jpg
I love the overall vintage look of the Smith-Waite. The card stock is excellent quality, it's pretty thick. It's not the easiest thing to shuffle when the deck is new. Rider-Waite shuffles amazingly well, very enjoyable and I give them credit for that, but let's face it, it's only because the stock is cheaper. I also prefer the solid color of the back of the Smith-Waite cards over the blue Rider-Waite back with all the dizzying lines...
Rider-Waite:
https://www.usgamesinc.com/images/D/SWR78_7.jpg
Smith-Waite:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/95/e8/f3/...8af77b.jpg