I had the email to say it was shipped yesterday, and was surprised to get it so soon, as I know in the USA people are still waiting- I think something to do with the Patent case being brought by Sweet Petunia re the MISTI.
Anyway, here first is the unboxing.
It came in a nice strong cardboard box, which was inside a polybag.
Next layer was what you see above, which is a card sleeve, all inside a plastic layer.
Remove the plastic and the sleeve, and you see a layer of foam above the tool, which is encased in a strong cardboard outer frame.
Remove the foam and you can see it is also sat on a layer of foam. So, so far, full marks for packaging and presentation.
And here it is out of the box. As you see it comes with two magnets to hold your paper/cardstock in place.
I also like that the hinge is a solid metal bar, and the slots the hinge fits into are also metal lined, so breakage/wear is not going to be an issue.
The top also has a grid moulded into it, but presents no difficulty for cleaning. The bottom is completely smooth, and again, cleans easily.
Flipped over, non-slip feet at the top, and a foam rubber mat. So, no slipping and sliding.
How well does it work? I've selected some squares of hammer effect cardstock, which normally would give really poor print results.
Cardstock is held in place with two magnets, and you place your stamp face down on the cardstock, where you want the image to go.
Close the lid down onto the stamp to pick it up, open up and ink your stamp.
This is the first imprint on the hammer effect cardstock. In honesty, I'd be happy with this as is, but I can simply reink the stamp, and stamp exactly over the top to darken the image.
The re inking has made her raised leg as dark as the rest of the image. By the way, at the moment I'm using Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black.
So, a solid silhouette stamp came out very nicely.
Next onto a stamp with more detail, a circle of stars. Both these images are from Lavinia Stamps.
The Memento Luxe is a foam type pad, so overinking your stamp is always a problem, especially if it has a large, open area like this one does.
Plenty of overinking on the stamp, and onto the lid of the Platform.
No problem, it wipes straight off with a baby wipe, as does the bottom platform.
Close the lid, press down.......
.....and a nice clear image, with no evidence of all that extra ink. This too was the first stamping, I'm very impressed that I get a good image in one impression, so far.
So lets try out some smaller word stamps. This word circle is another from Lavinia Stamps. This time I've placed my cardstock in the top corner, and weighted it down.
First impression, and this one is a little pale. But still no issue with the over inked edges of the stamp.
So, just re-ink, then re-stamp.
Much darker the second time around. Still no smudges.
Okay, this time I've flipped the lid to the 'Rubber' side.
Stamped twice to get the solid bars nice and black.
Another Rubber stamp, and this is after the first impression, still on the Hammer effect card, this time using Versafine Onyx Black.
I definitely would not be happy with that impression.
So, re-ink and re-stamp.
Much better, lovely clear image.
I thought I'd do the same image using just the stamp on an acrylic block, then side by side compare.
A clear wording stamp, again Versafine Onyx Black. First stamping, and the image could be a little darker.
Re-inked, and a much darker image.
So, my thoughts.
Very well packaged, I'm impressed to be honest.
The Platform itself is sturdy, as are the component parts.
One side (right), and the bottom are open, so you can use any size paper/cardstock.
The metal bar for the hinge is very solid & strong, as are the metal hinge linings. Good attention to detail, looks like this will last and last.
The measurements along the top and side are in metric AND Imperial- which I love as I am totally still working in Imperial!
And they will not wear off either. It's not tape, or painted on, but moulded in black, with the numbers and increments the grey of the platform. Hard to show, but you can actually feel all the increments. Again, made to last.
All surfaces wipe clean of ink with a baby wipe, even the grid lines moulded into the 'CLEAR' stamp side.
Am I happy with my purchase? Absolutely.
I see an end to accidental smudges from the edge of an over inked stamp, or those from inky fingers, which went unnoticed! As your fingers never go near the cardstock once you've inked the stamp, if this is something you get a problem with, then this Platform will be worth it's weight in gold for all the saved projects!
I've never been one for making One Layer cards, as the risk of a smudge or blotch was always there, but no more. 😀
Quality- Full Marks, from initial view.
Price- Great value for money.
User Friendly- 100% yes.
Would I recommend- Totally.
