update for you folks!
I had a sample run in both the light and the dark. both looked great, but the darker one faded quite quickly in a UV test (even though the company I used swore they were UV resistant products). After talking with the company more, they were able to come up with a much better product, but the colors are not exactly the same as the originals from years past. testing ran smoothly and I should be able to start fulfilling orders TOMORROW! the only reason I didn't start last week is due to trying to find the least expensive and most reliable way to ship to our friends in Canada.
Pricing should be similar if not less expensive for these, so...
come and see this thread again soon. i'll likely be posting pics of the product tonight to show the difference between old and new (I think I still have one or two of the old ones laying around for comparison's sake).