After reading several horror stories about cases/carriers breaking and spilling their precious contents, I began to search for a secure case. I not only wanted a carrier that was safe but one that would also show off my chips. The first case I tried was the 1000 chip “Birdcage” clear case. This carrier met my requirements for keeping my chips visible but I had concerns about the screws holding the handle to the base. If the plastic holding these screws in place becomes brittle over time, all of the chips in the case will drop straight out of the bottom. After reading some positive comments in threads here regarding the 600 Chip Fill Carrier, I decided to purchase one.
The price for this carrier ranges from $35.55 to $39.50 plus shipping and handling (in my case shipping was $11.15 for FedEx ground). The carrier does not come with any chip trays. If you do not have trays for your chips, plan to purchase six to complete this carrier. I purchase 10 trays on eBay for $15 shipped.
The Chip Fill Carrier holds 6 standard chip trays (5 row of 20 chips each) for a total capacity of 600 chips. There is a small amount of space between the top of the trays and the carrier. This space is enough to accommodate dealer/blind buttons and cut cards but not enough for a deck of cards even if cards like Kem or Copag are removed from their boxes. The space around the chip trays is just enough to allow you to grab the trays to remove them. The rivets which hold the carrier’s feet in place help to minimize how much the trays can shift in transport. This combined with the weight of the chips keeps the chip trays stable in the carrier. Since the space around the chip racks is kept to a minimum, the chips will remain in their trays even if the carrier is tipped on its side or is turned upside down. I would not recommend doing this too often though since the trays do shift and could potentially scratch the acrylic. You could use a piece of foam to fill the space above the chips if you are concerned about the trays shifting when the carrier tips over. The case is 7.125 inches high with the handles down and it is 8.75 inches high with the handles up. It is 8.875 inches wide and 6.75 inches deep. The shipping weight is 3 pounds.
The top and sides of this carrier are made of clear acrylic. The bottom of the carrier is made of white acrylic. The frame is made of extruded aluminum with reinforced corners. The feet are made of hard rubber. The hinges are good quality. All of the components are held together by rivets. The two halves of the carrier mate up nicely with a tongue in groove type of connection. Overall, this case looks great. It not only provides a safe way to transport chips it serves as a nice means to display them as well.
This carrier provides minimum security. The latches do have locks, but their quality leaves a lot to be desired. The locks will prevent the latches from opening accidentally, but not much more since anyone with a paper clip and a little time could defeat them. When I first received the case the locks turned very hard to the point of slightly bending the key. A small amount of oil (I used 3-in-1 oil) helped to make the locks work more smoothly. I have also found that if you press down on the end of the latch while turning the key, it takes less force to move the lock mechanism. If you require more security, a padlock could be used to lock the handles together. I would recommend gluing some cloth to the back of the padlock to prevent it from scratching the clear acrylic. When a padlock is used, the acrylic would then be the weakest point of the case. It would not stop a motivated thief, but it would be enough to stop someone from sneaking some chips when you weren’t looking.
I haven’t had this case for very long and therefore cannot say how well it will stand the test of time. The quality of the construction is very good. The rivets do not appear to be in any danger of coming loose. The latches and locks are not as robust as I would like though. While using the case the handles are held together which holds the two halves of the case together. Therefore the main purpose of the latches is to keep the carrier closed when not being used. They are sufficient for this purpose. For the case to fail while in use one or more of the following would have to occur:Several of the rivets would have to give way.A hinge pin would have to break or come loose.One of the pins which attach the handles to the body of the case would have to break.None of these seems to be in any danger of occurring. I have confidence that my chips are safe when using this carrier.
I am very satisfied with this carrier. The construction is more than adequate to keep my chips safe during transport. When not transporting my chips, the carrier serves as a display case with a touch of class when compared to other acrylic carriers that I have seen. Since I only require minimal security for my chips, the carrier serves all of my needs admirably.
