[X-Files]

Manufacturer: ASM (Atlantic standard Molding)
Retailer(s): Pokerchips.com, Kardwell.com
Average Price: .72 a chip
Material: Clay composite
Member Review by: X-Files

These chips are the most inexpensive and easily customizable clay chip on the market. There are restrictions to this customization but you can probably create a chip like no one else has ever seen. These chips come in 5 different molds (Horse Head, American, Cards & Dice, Roman Border and Circle Square). Each mold has its own restrictions along with the restriction of only having one color and size of edge spot. These chips can be purchased only through phone orders at Pokerchips.com (Minimum 300 chips) or Internet and Phone orders at Kardwell.com (Minimum 1000 chips for custom orders). (I am sure every one knows this but there are no "real" clay chips. They are all a composition of materials heavier and more durable than clay.)

Price

Below you will find the current prices. These were taken from the Pokerchips.com and Kardwell.com web sites in March 2005. Please check their respective sites for current pricing.

Pokerchips.com prices with list of molds available for each style.

Custom clay with printed center and edge spots [Roman Border, Cards & Dice, American and Horse Head] .95 a chip
Custom clay with printed center [Roman Border, Cards & Dice, American and Horse Head] .75 a chip
Clay spotted and hot stamped (up to 3 initials) [American and Cards & Dice] .65 a chip
Clay spotted and hot stamped (values only) [American and Cards & Dice] .75 a chip
Clay spotted and hot stamped (initials & vales) [American and Cards & Dice] .80 a chip
Clay spotted [Circle Square, Roman Border] .50 a chip Solid color clay [Circle Square, Roman Border] .35 a chip
Solid color clay hot stamped (up to 3 initials) [American] .50 a chip
Solid color clay hot stamped (values only) [American] .60 a chip
Solid color clay hot stamped (initials & values) [American] .65 a chip

You will also have to add $50 per order for custom color printed centers.

Here are the chip prices at Kardwell.com. For the custom chips you will need to call to place an order.

Custom clay with printed center and edge spots [American and Horse Head] .95 a chip
Pre-denominated Horse Head Poker Chips .95 a chip Custom Clay spotted and hot stamped [American]

Feel

These chips have a top notch feel. They compare well to real casino chips (Paulson) and other clay home use chips (Blue Chip, T.R. King). The edges are sharp out of the box, but will wear with use. They are easy to shuffle. These chips weigh 8.5 to 9 grams, which is in line with real casino chips. There is cross-hatching on the surface of these chips which give them some texture and grip.

Stacking

These chips stack well and are not easily toppled. I have tried to see how high I could stack them and I could do about 200 or so. I am not a very good or patient stacker and I doubt anyone would need to stack them that high.

Sound

The sound of these chips is very good. Way better than the 11.5 gram chips and close to real casino chips and all other clay home use chips. In comparison to the real casino chips the ASM chip has a higher pitched sound on a hard surface. In comparison to other home use clay chips I would have to say that they are a little more solid sounding.

Looks

These chips look great. The colors choices are good and they go all the way through the chip. The 15 base colors (Purple, Mandarin Red, Imperial Blue, Blue, Green, White (more off-white), Orange, Chocolate, Yellow (more of a mustard color), Pink, Black, Light Green, Lavender, Red and Gray) have brass flakes in them to give the chips some added weight. These brass flakes are noticeable on the chips edge but not the face. I do not think these flakes take away anything from the chip. The base colors can also be used as edge spots. There are 6 Day-Glo colors (Day-Glo Peach, Arc Yellow, Day-Glo Green, Day-Glo Pink, Day-Glo Yellow and Day-Glo Orange (more of a burnt orange color)) that can be used as edge spots. Pokerchips.com recommends not using the Day-Glo colors as base colors because they can break easier. There are no brass flakes in the Day-Glo edge spot colors. There are 5 different molds to choose from. The Horse Head has a series of horse heads running around the chip. The American mold has a series of A’s separated by three dashes around the chip. The Cards & Dice mold has an alternating card and dice theme around the chip. The Roman mold has a basket weave around the chip. The Circle Square mold has a series of squares within circles around the chip. The Horse Head, American, Cards & Dice and the Roman chips can have a custom designed center graphic that is imbedded into the chip. A picture example of each mold can be found at the end of this review.

Security/Originality

The security for these chips is great. You choose the base colors, edge colors, center graphic or hot stamping and you have a set that can not be easily duplicated. This also makes the chips you purchase as original as you want. If you are worried about cheaters then this is your chip. Since these chips are so customizable in such low quantities I would have to say this is the one of the most secure chips you can get for such a great price.

Durability

These chips are very durable and should wear well with normal use. Because of their construction the colors run completely through these chips. Some have said these chips are easier to break than other home use chips. I personally have not had a chip break and I have a one and a two year old that have got into them.

Reviewers Comments

Personally I love these chips and I own a set of them (Clay spotted [Roman Border] .50 a chip). I had played poker with the 11.5 gram dice chips and I knew they were just not right. So I started the quest to find my own set and ended up at Pokerchips.com This was only after getting samples of just about everything I could. The funny thing is I did not even order samples from Pokerchips.com. I knew their price was right and I knew from all of the reviews from other boards and board members that this was the chip that I wanted. I have not regretted my decision one bit. These are great chips and have great customization possibilities even though they have restrictions (e.g. One color and size of edge spot). One thing to remember is that it takes a long time to get these chips once they are ordered. Pokerchips.com quotes delivery time to be 12 to 16 weeks and Kardwell.com quotes delivery time of 4 to 6 weeks, but expect to wait longer because of the current interest in poker. So if you are going this route please be patient. Take this review with a grain of salt and remember to always get samples if you are not sure.

Chip Pictures