Happy Monday such as it is and welcome to another epic review! I have a lot coming up even though I've been on quite a roll lately. In any case today I'm going to be talking about Pet'la Plate again! You may recall I did a very extensive review on this brand several months ago. Read about it here. At that time I had several plates that were a bit problematic in terms of etching and asked for replacement plates with Petra's shallower level of etching so the focus of todays post will be on these replacements. I usually will post my reviews on the weekend, but I found out that there was a special going on with Pet'la so I wanted to share that info a little bit sooner so that if you wanted to take advantage of the sale you could. As usual these reviews are broken up into sections for your perusal so feel free to skip to a particular area of interest. So let's get started and don't forget to leave comments, feedback, and your experiences with these plates!
Pet'la Plate
Just as a quick refresher for those that don't know. Pet'la Plate is the first and only stamping company from Hungary. The owner and brainchild behind this awesome company is Petra. She has released around 30 plates which she designed for herself and friends who are also lovers of stamping nail art. They feature images rich cultural references from Hungary and really all over the world! This is a brand that gives me palpitations whenever I hear the whispers of a new release. In addition, these plates are uniquely composed of bronze which gives them a lovely golden appearance that was the first of its kind seen in the stamping world.
The Plates
The factor that initially drew me to these plates is their color - a rich gold colored brass That's still very true for me today. These plates require a little extra TLC in the maintenance department, but are totally worth it. The brass can become oxidized over time. The oxidation is normal and can be removed with a bit of brass cleaner so it's really no big deal. Today I'll be showing you 5 plates that arrived as replacements from my original orders here today with the new etching Petra has put in place.
Image Size Comparison
The image size on Pet'la plates can vary generally they are 2.4 x 2.0 cm length by width but they can and do get larger. These days it's a bit of a breeze for me to show you comparisons of different image sizes across brands since I made my large chart. For now I'll mention my common brands as a point of comparison, but if you are interested in a broader comparison across many brands you can click here to view a comprehensive chart I created with measurements from most brands of stamping plates. Also I have recently added some new measurements to the chart so be sure to check it out!
MoYou London Plate Pro 08 (non-XL) - 1.5 x 1.3 cm
MoYou London Plates Explorer 10 (XL) - 2.2 x 1.6 cm
Bunny Nails HD B - 2.0 x 2.5 cm
MJ Plate VIII - 1.7 x 2.2 cm
Fab Ur Nails Fun 2 - 1.7 x 2.2 cm
Vivid Lacquer 007 - 2.0 x 2.0 cm
Cheeky Jumbo 2013 - 1.5 x 2.0 cm
Bundle Monster CYO 2013 - 1.7 x 1.9 cm
Cici & Sisi - 1.5 x 2.0 cm
Swatches
As with all my reviews when swatching out the images I used Wet N' Wild Black Creme and my gold standard XL marshmallow stamper from Bunny Nails (4 years old) or as in this case my marshmallow stamper from Magno Nails. I only switch to Konad Special Stamping polish or Mundo de Unas in the event I am unable to pick up an image which I didn't have to do with any of these images.
Again for those that don't know the reason I choose to stamp with Wet N' Wild Black Creme for my swatches is because it's cheap and readily available. Furthermore, it is the lowest quality polish I can use for stamping. What does that mean? It means I don't expect images generated by WnW to have near the clarity of those generated using a polish designated for stamping. Stamping polishes allow an image to stamp with even more clarity and crispness than regular polish. Period. In short if I have a plate that stamps well with WnW polish this is my assurance that indeed the etching on these plates is excellent enough that it can support stamping with a polish that is not meant for that purpose.
Stamping Polish Comparison
Some of you may recall from my first review of these plates I had a terrible time using any polish that was specially made for stamping. Because the plates were etched so deeply everything would just smear out especially if I used something like Mundo de Unas which is a slower drying stamping polish compared to others. This time I had no such problems. In fact everything stamped out like a dream regardless of what I used.
Stamping Polish Key:
WnW = Wet N' Wild Black Creme
WnW FM = Wet N' Wild Fantasy Makers
Konad = Konad Special Stamping Polish in Black Gold
Rica = Rica in Blackout
FabUrNails = FabUrNails in Black
SH InstaDri = Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Rapid Red
Moon Nails = Moon Nails Supply (color name? came in the metallics mini set)
MdU = Mundo de Unas in Black (#2)
Handy = Handy Nails in Wine
Color Club = Color Club Foiled in
Final Thoughts
I remember I had this same moment the second time I reviewed plates from Loja BBF. In her initial run there were some etching problems with the plates, some too deep and some too shallow, which has long since been resolved, but I remember what I said is that every company has its hiccups. Indies tend to be more prone to them since they are often one women shows, however we have to give these companies a chance and offer them constructive feedback because once they hit their stride they will be phenomenal. That's the case with Petl'a Plate as well. I have been a fan of the designs from day one after all they are highly unique! My only issue was that the etching was so problematic/hit or miss. The new level of etching makes stamping a breeze and now I don't have to worry about flooding which was the problem I initially had. I'd also like to add that I have several of the new plates as well from the last collection and they are also flawless!
I'm so thrilled with how well etched these plates are! So much so that I can give them an unabashed and 100% positive review. From design to etching these plates are wonderful. I do believe Petra is making all her plates now with this etching so no worries about any orders placed from this point forward. You can find Pet'la Plates here. You may also be interested to know there is some kind of mystery plate lurking in her shop that I discovered during my stalking ;) Also right now she is doing the 4+1 special again so when you purchase any 4 plates you get a random plate for free! Shipping will be calculated at the end and the webshop is very friendly to international customers. Please don't forget to leave feedback and comments regarding this review or your experiences with your own plates. Happy hunting and I will see you next post...
I own no Pet'la plates, but that may change in 2015.
ReplyDeleteGreat review as always! Now to track down mystery plates 8)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review- I was hesitating due to the deep etching but this review cinched it- just ordered 4 plates and can't wait to try them :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the excellent, and thorough, review.
Em x
You're welcome hun! I know you are really going to love them when they arrive. Aside from the fact they are so pretty in the looks department they also happen to be just totally gorgeous designs!
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