I love both decks, really, and I prefer the SS Lions for the fact that there are gaff cards available in addition to gaff decks. But the clincher for me is that the Crown Decks are still in print and cost only a fraction of what the SS Lions fetch in the open market. A working magician's gotta have a deck that's not a budget-buster for performing with. I paid around $20 a pack for my first SS Lions, and I'm told they're much more expensive now - anywhere from $25-40 on eBay, depending on who's selling and from where. Crowns are $6 a pack, even less when bought in bulk or during a sale, and they keep printing more. I also like the "different-but-familiar" feel of the Arrco faces - they aren't Bicycles, but people still recognize them, so they're a nice change of pace.