Texas ID Review - OldIronsidesFakes 2025 Edition
Thanks for the detailed review! I just got my hands on the Texas ID from OldIronsidesFakes' 2025 edition yesterday, so I figured I'd throw in my two cents since you asked about the feel. Let me break it down.
Card Material Feel & Bend Test
This was honestly the thing I was most worried about. Real Texas licenses have this distinctive polycarbonate-ish stiffness – not floppy, but not rigid like a credit card either. The OldIronsides version lands pretty close, tbh. Out of the envelope it's a tiny bit stiffer than a real one, but after carrying it in my wallet for a day it loosened up. For the bend test, if you hold it by the edges and gently flex, it gives that same slight resistance as a genuine Texas ID. Not much crease risk. Thickness is spot-on – I laid it next to my buddy's real one and you can't tell a difference by touch.
Microprint Accuracy
I pulled out my jeweler's loupe to check the microprint along the top border and inside the state outline. It's clean. The tiny text that says "TEXAS" in the guilloche pattern is crisp – no blurring or washed-out dots. I compared it side by side with a real license from 2023, and the microprint is there, same line thickness, same spacing. Only difference is on the real one the text is slightly deeper into the laminate, but that's honestly only visible with magnification.
UV Light Response
Under a 365nm blacklight the whole thing lights up. The big "TEXAS" graphic behind the photo is a bright royal blue – maybe a touch more saturated than the real one, which is a bit more muted. The state outline on the front fluoresces a pale yellow-green – color is close, but the real one has a slightly more pastel tone. The back's UV patterns – the tiny stars and border – come through clearly. No splotchiness or uneven glow. Brightness level is good – not overpowering, matches what you'd see under a club scanner.
OVI Color-Shifting Quality
The "LONE STAR" text on the front shifts from copper to green when you tilt it. The shift range is there, but the copper is a little too bright – more metallic than the real one's subdued bronze. Green side is spot on. Angle threshold is the same – you get the full shift at about 45 degrees. Under direct light it's convincing; under dim bar lighting you'd need to look close to call the difference.
Overall Score
So taking everything together – material feel's an 8, microprint a 9, UV an 8, and OVI a 7 – I'd give this edition a solid 8 out of 10. Honestly, the main weak point is that OVI copper shade, but for most real-world uses it flies. It's definitely better than the 2024 batch I saw from them. If you're on the fence, grab one.
