Illinois reviewed - Chicago area use

So I finally took my Illinois out for a spin in Chicago, which as everyone knows is one of the toughest cities for out-of-state IDs. I hit four different spots—bars, liquor stores, even a pretty strict club—and every single time it came back clean. That's 4 for 4, which honestly feels like a real endorsement of this particular batch. Wanted to break down the details for anyone else thinking of using an Illinois in the metro area.

First up, microprint accuracy. I pulled out a loupe to check the line work around the state capitol building and the border pattern. Most of the tiny text is surprisingly legible for a novelty piece—you can read the "Illinois" repeated along the edges if you squint. That said, I noticed a couple of the smallest letters in the microprint row are a tiny bit fuzzy when you really zoom in, like slight ink spread. But at eye level or even under a bouncer's glance, it's more than enough. No one's pulling out a magnifying glass at a bar in Chicago.

UV light response is where this thing really shines—literally. Under a blacklight, the Illinois state seal pops up in that familiar blue and gold, and the brightness is spot on. Not too dim, not so blinding that it screams fake. The fireworks pattern along the bottom also shows up nicely with a warm greenish-gold hue. I've seen real Illinois IDs side by side, and the color saturation is close—maybe a hair more yellow on the stars, but nothing that stands out unless you're holding a real one right next to it. The overlay stays consistent across the whole card, no dead spots.

OVI color-shifting on the "Land of Lincoln" text is smooth. It shifts from a coppery gold to a bright green depending on the angle. The transition isn't quite as sharp as a genuine DMV-issued one—there's a tiny bit of grain in the shimmer—but it's convincing enough when it's being tilted under a light. I've had bouncers angle it back and forth and nothing raised flags. The shift range matches the real deal's typical gold-to-green spectrum.

Card material feel is solid. It's got that slight flexibility and matte finish that genuine Illinois Teslin IDs have. If I had to nitpick, maybe it's a hair thicker than a real one—like a few extra mils—but nothing that stands out when it's in a wallet or handed over. The surface texture doesn't have that weird slickness some fakes have, and the edge lamination is clean with no peeling. Overall, it feels right in the hand.

Given all that, plus the 4 for 4 track record in a tough market, I'd give this an 8.5/10 overall. It's not perfect—no novelty ever is—but for practical use in or near the city, it's doing everything it needs to. Just make sure your copy has the microprint and UV dialed in like this one does, and you should be good.

The angle shift test is what separates good holograms from great ones. Glad yours passed.

IL has improved a lot over the past year. The template quality has caught up.

Which scanner were they using? IDVisor or something custom?