Clay Milano chip insert defect or normal?

[MrMr]

I just got 575 Milano Clay poker chips.
These are very nice chips, I really like the look, feel, and sound they have.
On many of these chips the inlay, especially on the edge, is not a nice line. I know there should be some randomness to the inlay, but on a bunch of them on the edge the inlay spreads across the edge in a weird way. See pictures.





I don’t like the way it looks at all. I contacted ClaySmith and this is what they replied:
“Unlike the ceramic and injection molded chip, they are a softer chip. Each chip is uniquely different in appearance. This is one way to tell that it is a true clay chip, and is a desirable quality. This is why the casinos in Vegas use them.”

I went through all my chips and here is how many had this problem:
$1 chip - 45 of 125 = 36%
$5 chip - 41 of 150 = 27%
$10 chip - 47 of 100 = 47%
$25 chip - 27 of 100 = 27%
$50 chip - 7 of 50 = 14%
$100 chip - 9 of 50 = 18%

This is my first clay set of poker chip. Is this look on the inlay edge normal for clay chip? I don’t like the look of the edge on those chips at all. Do I have to high of expectations?

Thanks for the help.

-- Mat

[abby99]

First of all, welcome to ChipTalk!

I've seen lots of clay chips, but the smudged look is new to me. Irregular lines and stray bits of clay are common, but this is the first time I've seen smudges that seem to be nearly transparent.

By the way, the colored areas on the sides of the chips are referred to as edge spots or inserts. An inlay is the comparable to the label on your chips, except that inlays are pressed into the chip when it is molded and not applied to the surface of the finished chip.

[ttttubby]

1st that is not the inlay. Those are edge spots.

2nd its part of life. Or should I say. Part of the injection mold process. You could try to buy extras to replace the ones you don't like but it's part of the reason they're so cheap.

[MrMr]

Oops, thanks for correcting my terminology.
I’m new to the terms and just got mixed up.
Some of those edge spots are nearly transparent, it looks like I could just scrap those ones off.

Those edge spots really bug me. So if this is fairly normal, thanks for the suggestion I guess I will just buy a bunch extra and remove those chips from my set.

I do really like these chips. Other than the edge spot problem they look, feel, and sound fantastic.

Thanks for the help.
-- Mat

[jbutler16]

Originally Posted by MrMr

Those edge spots really bug me. So if this is fairly normal, thanks for the suggestion I guess I will just buy a bunch extra and remove those chips from my set.

i have owned a decent number of china clays and have seen a ton and this type of variation is not standard imo. i haven't dealt with the milanos specifically, so maybe some other owners can speak up. i'd speak to the seller and provide pictures. if these came from josh at apache you shouldn't have any trouble getting in contact with him and he can speak more knowledgeably about how standard this type of thing is with milanos. he's always taken care of everyone here at chiptalk and my experiences with him were each very positive.

[JM]

Something was definitely wrong with the injection process when these were made. And don't let them fool you, these are injection molded chips. They are softer than ABS plastic, but still they are injection molded. I would not accept the sloppy looking chips, they are definitely defective IMO. My sample set of Milanos has very uniform and straight inserts.

[TXGoodfella]

I'd dare to say these look like Milano-knockoffs, lol, thats what the world is coming to. The sloppy inserts don't look like any of the others Milanos I've seen. I'd complain, as you may have been slipped seconds or something. Are the dots/spots on the chip faces color rub off or are "in" the chip?

[JM]

Hmm interesting notion, could be knockoffs I suppose. They are made in China and we know the Chinese don't respect intellectual property rights for anything so its entirely possible.

[TXGoodfella]

Very true JM. Perhaps Claysmith could've changed their Chinese supplier to save some coin, and their current production isn't up to scratch. Could be, could be.

[pobodiesnerfect]

I have a 1000ct tourney set of Milanos, and not one chip bares any semblance to this defective bunch. The face of some of those chips look really awful. And maybe it's just because they're new and chalky, but the color of some of those $10's just doesn't look right.

I'd absolutely ship them back and ask for either a refund or a full replacement. Where did you purchase the chips, by the way?