Illinois - still worth it? - thoughts?

IL is one of the better ones right now. I use mine daily

Just got my Illinois in hand and wanted to drop my thoughts since I was going back and forth on whether this state was still worth getting. Short answer? Yeah, I think so. My buddy has a legit temp—he lost his hard card and hasn't gotten the replacement yet—and side by side, these things are scary close. I spent a solid twenty minutes comparing them under different lights just to be thorough.

Starting with the microprint. The real IL has that tiny text running along the bottom of the photo and in the state seal on the back. On mine, I hit it with a cheap loupe and the letters are crisp—no bleeding or fuzziness that'd scream fake under a bouncer's light. The "ILLINOIS" script inside the seal is especially clean, which is a common tell on weaker attempts. Font weight and kerning match up almost perfectly with my friend's. If there's any difference, it's so minor you'd need a microscope and a real card to spot it.

UV response is another big one for Illinois. The real card has a faint purple glow with the state outline and "Land of Lincoln" visible under blacklight. Mine lights up the same shade—not too bright, not too dim, just that muted lavender that looks authentic. The text appears clear without any ghosting. I tested it with a small UV flashlight I picked up for cheap, and the brightness level matches my friend's exactly. No bleeding, no weird greenish tones that some batches have had in the past.

OVI is where a lot of fakes fall apart, but this one holds up. The "ILLINOIS" lettering and the circle around the seal change color smoothly from gold to green when you tilt it. The shift isn't abrupt or patchy—it's gradual, just like you'd see on a real DL. I rotated it back and forth alongside my friend's card and honestly couldn't tell them apart. The metallic sheen is the same, and it catches the light the same way.

The card material itself feels right. It's not too flimsy or too rigid. It has that slight polycarbonate snap when you flex it, not the crinkly PVC feel you get from cheaper states. Thickness is spot on, and the edges are smooth without any rough spots from cutting. The matte finish on the front matches the real one—no glossy residue that'd be a dead giveaway. Lamination lines are invisible. I'd say the overall build quality is impressive for this state.

Considering everything, I'd give this Illinois a solid 9 out of 10. It loses a point only because nothing is ever truly 100% perfect, but for practical use it's more than adequate. If you're on the fence, I'd say it's still worth it. Just make sure you compare it to a recent real one if you can, because the state has made small tweaks over the years. But based on my experience, this is a solid pickup.

They updated it a few weeks ago to match the new design