Speedball Super Value Block Printing Starter Kit – Includes Ink, Brayer, Lino Handle and Cutters, Speedy-Carve

This is everything you need to get started in linocutting without committing to a huge investment. I just wanted to see if this was even a hobby I would like, and felt that for this price, it was worth trying. I was able to get 4 linocuts out of the single included sheet of lino and try a variety of techniques. That being said, this isnt going to be your forever set of tools. This is enough to get you confident, and start thinking about investing in more durable, comfortable tools. However, this kit did the job I bought it for; to give me a low-risk chance to try a new skill. Side note: The blades dull quickly, which is unsurprising considering their cost and the nature of the material theyre cutting. To prolong the life of this starter set tool, Id recommend getting a stropping kit to keep the blades honed.

This set comes with a holder, 3 gouges (small v, large v and a large u), black ink and one speedy carve block. It is the bare bones essentials to get started with block printing. Now that I have been using it for a while I am kicking myself for not getting the deluxe set instead. It includes 4 extra tubes of ink, a bench hook and a linoleum block on top of everything in this value set. A single tube of speedball ink is about 12 dollars so that’s over 70$ worth of extra materials for a few more dollars. If I could go back in time I would’ve gotten the deluxe set to begin with!

I’m going to have to get more, and might as well toss all the old ones.

This kit is good for an introduction into block printing. The only thing that I will say is that the rolling tray, to roll the ink smoothly onto the brayer, in my kit was a little snug. I could use it but I had to be a little too careful about it. I would still definitely suggest buying this if you want to get your feet wet with block prints but I would also just suggest getting something nonporous (glass, plexi-glass, or smooth Styrofoam; I actually used one of those plain square dry erase boards, and it wasnt too messy to clean up) that doesnt have sides to roll the ink on. In my opinion its just easier if you dont have to worry about walls.

The block itself was soft, I think other reviews complaining it was too hard may have not stored it properly? I found it easy to carve into and definitely a great start for beginners. The only thing I would recommend is buying a tray to roll out the ink into as it does not come with one.

I bought this kit over some no name ones because I figured the quality would likely be better, but now that Ive used it Im not sure that is true. As others have observed, it came in an unpadded envelope, meaning the contents were completely squashed by the time it arrived at my house. It is a miracle the ink didnt burst open, but I got lucky. I was also lucky in that, unlike some other reviewers experiences, my set was complete. I have not used the brayer, and realized that I probably wont (Im instead painting my linoleum cuts with acrylic paint). So, I cant speak to the quality of that. If you do buy this kit in spite of my review, at least do yourself a favor and buy extra blocks at the same time -- it only comes with 1 (although it can be flipped over to use both sides). If the Speedball name is supposed to imply the cutting tools are easily swapped out on the handle, its a serious misnomer. For the first few hours of use it was a struggle every single time to screw/unscrew/pry/jiggle/shake/twist/swear profusely and try to find the sweet spot to get the blades in and out, until it finally froze up completely and the blade that was in there appears to be permanently stuck. Despite all the drawbacks Im not completely sorry I bought this kit, because I wasnt sure I would use an expensive set of tools enough to justify the investment. However, after struggling with this for a few days, but still enjoying the creative process, Ive decided it makes sense to upgrade to an intermediate level set where at least every blade comes permanently attached to its own handle.