Thursday 27 May 2010

Bundle Monster Plates, Detailed Review and Konad Comparison.

Okay, anyone who uses Konad has probably heard of the Bundle Monster plates by now.
If not then let me help you out,  Bundle Monster is the name of an Amazon.com seller that has created their own fauxnad plates.  There are currently 21 plates and they are the same kind of thing as Konad, various designs etched into the round metal plate.

There are some really cute designs too, I actually bought mine for one single design! LOL  Sad eh?  Sorry, but the lipstick design was so flipping cute it had to be done, see my French Kiss mani here.

They are really good value for money as you get 21 plates for $17.99 plus shipping.  I got mine for $22 including shipping from the USA to the UK.  The shipping was very fast too.  I ordered on Sunday, they shipped on Monday and I got them by Saturday!  Pretty good eh?


Okay, so what do I think now they are here?  Well, as I said, I only bought them for one design, so anything I liked above that was a bonus.  I actually have to say I like from 2 to 4 designs on each plate, so pretty good going.  There are some really fun designs too, loving those. They are packaged in three sets of seven plates, in clear plastic wrappers similar to Konad.  They are the same size as Konad plates too.  All good so far huh?

 
BM plate compared to a Konad plate


Well, it's not all great news........
The plates are just metal, there is a layer of clear plastic on the top that you have to remove before stamping and there is no paper backing as you get on the Konad plates, and herein lies their biggest issue.......they are super sharp!!!  I mean seriously scary to handle.  Luckily I already knew about this before I bought them so I handle them with care, keeping my fingers from the edges, but if you were not aware of this, you could very easily cut yourself, and probably pretty deep too (I have seen a few pics online of BM cuts already, ouch!).

If you get these plates, please do be very careful when handling them.  I would hate anyone to get hurt. When removing the plastic layer I found it best to lay the plate on a paper towel, press in the middle of the plate to keep it firm as you scratch near the edge with your nail, after a few strokes it will begin to come away.  Keep scratching until there is enough to peel it back.  This way you don't put your fingers near the sharp edges. This worked for me, easily and safely.

The lines etched on the plates seem a bit thicker than konad, so a few designs lack detail, but the huge majority are really good.  Though there are a few bizarre ones, chilli peppers anyone ;o) LOL.  
To those that don't know, there is a chilli pepper design that really looks like a scrotum, no honestly, it actually does.....

They don't appear to be etched quite as deeply as Konad plates, but I had a quick try with one design and it seemed to be okay as long as you don't scrape too firmly, otherwise you will remove the polish from the larger more solid designs.  They don't always seem to scrape cleanly either, sometimes leaving too much polish on the surface of the metal, meaning you have to scrape again.  Some practice soon gets it right though, so all good there.
Also the full nail designs and tip designs are small, smaller than Konad, and I already struggle with Konad full nail designs on one of my thumbs, so I will have to adapt these to suit.  Shame as there are some nice full nail ones, if only they were made just a tad bigger.....

 Here are two pics showing the difference in size of the BM full nail compared to Konad full nail, plus the BM tips compared to Konad tips.......Both stamped using Konad Special polish in Black and stamped onto white paper. Luckily they both had a full nail and tip design that was the same on both brands, made the comparison much more accurate. Sizes for both can be seen also, using mm's.

 Full Nail Houndstooth


 See how the BM plate doesn't finish the design as cleanly as the Konad. BM seems to cut off the design whereas Konad ends it more neatlyPlus the design is smaller, more so on the width, which could cause problems as I struggled with the width of the Konad plates on one of  my thumbs, the BM will not fit my thumb at all now, so some inventive use of patterns will have to be done.  Either turn design sideways and try to match pattern (not easy) or just use a partial design on thumbs in a creative way, or just scrap the full nail altogether and use them as tip designs.


Tips Checkerboard


These have the same neat finish to the pattern but the size is quite different on these ones, 
much more obvious than the full nail ones.  
It may still fit my thumb, but only just, whereas Konad tips give you plenty of room to play.


So, do I think they are a good deal?   Yes
Would I buy them again?  Yes
Do I think they are as good quality as Konad?  No

Okay, so they are a bit on the sharp side, but if you know this beforehand, you can be extra careful and not touch the edges.
The full nail designs are too small, but you can adapt them with some thought.
The designs are good, some cute ones too and more choice is always a good thing.
Above all, they are great value for money, 21 plates for $18, $22 (£15) shipped to the UK, you can't really complain about that, great deal and lots of fun.

I will be having a go at some more designs using these plates soon, so keep watch.  To recap, my French Kiss design posted yesterday can be seen here. In the meantime you can get your own set from Amazon.com marketplace.

24 comments:

Tassa said...

Great post! :) Bravo, girl!
I can't wait to get my BM plates! :)

Laura said...

Thanks for this review. I've been really interested to try these but had heard mixed reviews and didn't know how much the postage to the UK was. Did you have to pay any tax?

Polish and Powder said...

Tassa: glad you liked it. A detailed review and comparison was needed as I hesitated for ages about getting them and seeing a review like this would have helped me loads.

Laura: I have tried to be very honest about them and will continue to do so as I use them for new designs and posts :O)

no taxes or import fees. Shipping was only $4 for standard, but it was fast anyway. You don't pay anything in the EU if the order is under a certain price....it was around £18 limit, it may have changed....

Saori said...

Thank a lot for this review and comparison :) I bought mine yesterday !!!! I expect these plates are not as good quality as Koand but for the price, there no surprise he ?
With you post I am sure I have done a good choice so thank you very much ^^

Susie said...

What an awesome review. I couldn't think of anything to add to it at all. :)
I'm glad I bought mine even though they do have a few flaws. :)
Many of us are BM-ING all over the place. :)
Thanks kiddo,
Susie

Polish and Powder said...

Saori: You'll love them when you get them, the designs are real fun. as long as you are prepared for the down points you will be more than happy with them, have fun, they are a real bargain :)

Susie: thanks Babes, They are fab plates, I do hope that comes across. I just wanted to be honest about the downside too. But for the price they are so worth it, lots of fun. you can never have enough designs :)

Susie said...

Oh yes the UPSIDE came across. :)
Susie

Polish and Powder said...

Susie: Good, didn't want people to think I was slamming them, just being truthful :o) I ADORE the lipstick design, all the other fab ones were just a bonus, gonna take me ages to look at them all and try them out :)

Sarah said...

I was looking at these on Amazon and I have to ask (since the design pics are kind of small) is one of the images of the CN Tower?! lol

Polish and Powder said...

Sarah: rofl I had to look up what the CN Tower looked like ;o) You know, I think it is! It looks very much like it to me!!!!

Tilly said...

I think I HAVE to get these plates!
Loved your french kiss mani - so cute!

Deez Nailz - Canadas most fabulous hand model said...

what! there is an image on there that looks like a dude's junk = you have to do a quick example for us, I NEED to see that!hahahahahaahaha

I have looked at the plates themselves but I can't see it.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Polish and Powder said...

Deez Nails:LOL, if you look on the fist et of 7 plates on amazon, it is on the lower right plate. It doesn't look so good there, but on the actual plate it looks very funny :o)

Carinae: don't let age stop you, fun is not just for the young !! Honestly, I am not a young girl, not by any means and I love Konading. Give it a whirl. you can always start with subtle designs on just the ring finger ;o)

Sarah said...

haha sorry, maybe I should have mentioned what it was. :P
I watched it fade into the Toronto skyline when I first moved to the US. It's a fond memory of home. <3

♥sormui♥ said...

thx for the review!
be4 this i had NO clue who monster bundle was cuz im a konad newbie!
Thx!!

Polish and Powder said...

sarah: aw that's sweet :o)

Sormui: glad I could be of help :o)

KONADomania said...

Great review!mine are already on their way home:D your review was a lot of help to me:)thanks:*

Polish and Powder said...

KONADomania: glad it helped babes :o) xxx

Leeblee said...

Thanks for this review, I think I need to buy these NOW :D

Polish and Powder said...

Leah: you are very welcome, hope you enjoy them if you go for it :o)

Unknown said...

ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT REVIEW. Thank you so much for this!! :)

Andariel said...

put some foil under your plates... tada no sharp edges :)

sonogirlable said...

hi.. i did buy the bundle monster back in may 2011 and i am having a lot of difficulty getting the prints to transfer to my stamper. I did remove the blue plastic covers off of the plates. I am using regular nail polishes and not konad. Do you have any recommendations for me? Thanks for your help:)

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