Bira Craft Easy Stamp Platform

Like others who've posted reviews, I'm relatively new to stamping, went a little crazy buying clear stamps because they're pretty inexpensive here on Amazon, and then decided that acrylic blocks weren't going to do the trick. I needed a positioner. So I looked around, mouth literally wide open in unhappy amazement at the cost of these items. I also noticed that most of them just consist of two hinged plates, and I felt that those plastic hinges seemed like a real weak point. I've never used any of those products, but my experience with other plastic things suggests that they're going to break at some point. Anyway, amongst all those expensive items was the Bira (which has "Sunlit" written on it, and "Bira" nowhere, but I'll continue to refer to it as a Bira), which was not expensive at all. The other brands looked like they started around $60, while the Bira is just under $25; a *considerable* difference. So, I figured I'd get something cheap and flimsy, but it'd give me a chance to try positioners out to see if I wanted to spend the big bucks on one of the major brands. Turns out the Bira is NOT cheap OR flimsy. It feels solid, and I am not afraid that I'm going to snap it to pieces just by looking at it. The bottom plate is heavy and obviously contains a steel plate for the magnets, which are surprisingly strong! Your cardstock is NOT going to slip under these magnets. The top plate, which I imagine is acrylic, feels nice and sturdy. It's not a thin sheet, and doesn't feel like it's going to break the moment I press on it. Instead of a hinge, the disconnected top plate magnetically snaps onto posts set into the bottom plate that feel quite secure - once in place, the top plate can only move straight up and down, and not to the sides in any direction. You position your stamps on the cardstock, just "snick" the top plate in place (the magnets will grab it and position it perfectly on the posts), press down and the springs bring it back up with the stamps attached, you pull the whole top plate off, ink it, snick it back into place, push it back down, and you're set. If you need to re-ink, just pull it off, re-ink, snick it back and press again. The fact that you pull the top plate completely off is actually very convenient. If it were hinged, you would have little choice over where it's going to open. But here, you can pull the top plate off and carry it over to another table if you want - it's completely disconnected from the bottom, and so can be placed anywhere it fits. I've used this just a couple of times, now, but I have zero complaints. It was completely easy to use, worked like a charm, feels sturdy, and makes me believe that I don't need a more expensive version, EVER, as I can't imagine what a more expensive one might do that this one doesn't. And there are no hinges to break on this model. I am 100% happy with this product. Five stars.