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Originally Posted by pokerJDub Hello all, I am new to this forum, as the little indicators around the corner read, I'm brand spanking new. I was facinated by all the poker chip facts and information that I'm able to receive through this online community, things that I may have never known before chiptalk. I am very interested in a little start up project of mine to make my own customized chips. I understand that this site provides more than enough for anyone to REALLY understand pokerchips. However, after a few days on chiptalk, looking at posts after posts, I have to admit that all the wonderful information is overwhelming me, and I am a chip newbie (unless there's another more technical term, I believe this describes best =)
Can someone give me some more general guidelines, as which material, manufacture, graphics capability, and what to look out for when I want to make my sets at a best price -not lowest, but most worth the money?
I'd really appreciate all comments, as I have seen on this site you people REALLY know what you're talkin' about, it's not just a slogan. |
Good to have you.
Basically you've got 4 kinds of chips:
Clay (real clay that is)
Ceramic (often called clay or clay composite - of which it is neither)
Composite (often called clay composite - which its not)
and you also have plastics...
All of the above are injection molded EXCEPT clay. Clay chips are compression molded and are quite literally hand made.
Be very careful with the term clay because it is tossed around and used mostly to manipulate people. There is only a hand full of authentic clay chips on the market and they are all produced by one of the following companies ASM (Pokerchips.com), Paulson, BlueChip Co or TR King. There are a couple others outside of the
US but 99% of clay chips are made by those four manufacturers. These are all casino quality chips and will cost you 50cents for plain unspotted chips on the low side and from there it only goes up but typically around $1-1.25 ea.
Ceramic chips are made almost exclusively by ChipCo and Nevada Jacks. BR Pro apparently has a good product as well and now there is a new Chinese manufacturer turning some heads. These will cost you about 79c to $1.25 for customs.
You will likely be told over and over again "Get Samples" - take this as gospel. Just know that no clay chip is alike and that ALL Chipcos are exactly alike. NJ ceramic chips are also all the same but not exactly the same as chipco ceramics. BR pro has their own thing going as well but generally speaking ceramic chips are ceramic chips.
The composite chips are as varied as clay if not more but I think you are looking for higher quality than any of these and with but a few exceptions none in the category are casino quality.
Straight out plastics are nary a real chip in my book though you do have bud jones style chips which are injection molded plastic just of a higher quality...
Anyway, you are looking for custom chips so here is the best thing to do.
Call Nevada Jacks, Homepokerchips.com, Pokerchips.com, and TR King and ask for samples; from there you will be able to narrow it down significantly. For the most part you can separate people into one of two categories Clay or Ceramic types, most people like one or the other. If you are a clay guy you will also have the option of getting inlayed, non inlayed or hot stamped chips. ASM hot stamps are a GREAT bargain as are TR King hot stamps. If you want inlayed chips ASM is going to get you the most bang for your buck if you ask me and they are also the best chip on the market anyway IMO.
If you don’t have to have custom chips then there are a lot to choose from but again I say, get samples before you buy anything because you will be absolutely stunned in the variation and NO chip looks anything in person the way it does in pictures!
cnc
