[Clonexx]

Manufacturer: Trademark
Retailer(s): http://www.5stardeal.com/deals/10Exp...ctCode=10-1600
Average Price: .06 Cents per chip
Material: Clay Composite
Member Review by: Clonexx

The 10g "Faux Clay" chips are an entry level chip designed to imitate higher end chips without the price tag that goes along with them. They succeed in some ways and fall short in others. They are available in 9 different colors and are plain chips with no edge spots. They are listed as Clay Composite chips, and are injection molded.

Price

Pricing is around .06 cents a chip. You can pick up a set of 500 with the standard case and cards/dice for around $45.

Feel

The chips have a pretty unique feel to them. They do not feel like any of the clay, ceramic or nexgen chips I have. Instead, they have a feel that is all their own. This is not an entirely bad thing, it gives them a certain degree of originality in this department. I would try to describe them as a cross between plastic and clay. The entire face of the chip is textured and feels much like the texture over many Paulson and ASM inlays. (Just as a general comparison for the feel/texture). They start out feeling a bit slippery, but with some handling they become more tactile and easy to shuffle.

Stacking

I have had no problems getting 40+ chip stacks with these on a level, stable surface. The stacks are stable at 40 chips as long as you don't bump the surface too hard. For normal stacking, what I would consider 20 chip stacks, they stack with little to no problems at all.

Sound

The chips sound great. After doing many tests and playing with all the different chips I have here, I can say they are on par with the most of the big boys of the clay industry. They are higher in pitch than Paulsons, but lower in pitch than ASM Horseheads. When splashing a pot (bad poker player, no splashin' the pot!) they sound good, and are on par with most of their big brothers. They also have that great clay chip sound while shuffling.

Looks

The looks department is where the chip falls off a little. They are plain, very subdued laid back colors. The mold is very simple with six 3d style dice around the edge, each showing a different number. The texture is immediately visible, and is pleasing to the eye. The deep ring around the center of each chip has an injection mold spot in it. There is no getting around it, and it is very noticeable to the eye. If you like very simple, no edge spot and no graphic chips, these are decent in the looks department except for the injection spot. If you like flashier, more colorful chips, then these may be a disappointment for you.

Security/Originality

Due to the extremely cheap price and high availability, these are very low security chips. It would not be hard for someone to buy 500 "$100" chips and bring them into your game for a very cheap price and a very high payoff. If you run the type of game where you need secure chips, you can not use these. However, if you run a more laid back game with people you know well, then these chips would do just fine.

Durability

As seen in Ten's bake off, these chips are nigh indestructible. When he baked them in an oven at 350 degrees, they came out unscathed. I have done drop tests, toss tests, tried to break them with my hands..nothing has hurt them so far. You can scratch them using a hard/metal object, but that is true of almost any chip out there. You can not harm them with your hands, and I feel they would hold up to a huge amount of abuse. These chips are basically built like a tank.

Reviewers Comments

I have used these chips on a number of occasions, and they worked very well. I have always had players give me positive comments on them. Since I have 4 different chip sets here, they do not see much use anymore, but I still break them out once in a while to use just as a change of pace. When compared to it's cousin, the super diamond, I would put these ahead on sound alone. Personally I feel they are a great deal for the money, and anyone who does not want to spend much on their chips would do well to order a few and see if you like them. In my opinion, their quality to price ratio is very hard to beat.

Chip Pictures

Here are some of the different colors available:




And here is a pic of what the injection mold looks like, it's at the top of the inner ring:




Here is a photo of one of our member's (Knish) Faux Clays, with labels applied: