ASM Poker Chips (pokerchips.com) Review

[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

[tripod22]

ASM Poker Chips - Solid w/ Inlay
Purchased from: www.pokerchips.com
Price Paid: 90¢ each

These are a very nice, high quality, custom clay chip. While they no longer seem to be the most affordable clay available (I think Blue Chip currently holds that honor), they are still reasonably priced, especially for smaller orders. A wider variety of inserts (edge spots) are now available for additional fees and can be found on the vendor's website.

Pros:

• True compression molded clay chip (realizing that no chips are pure clay)
• Fully customizable with inlays and insert options
• High quality of workmanship. Of my 530 chip order, I found moderate imperfections on about 9 chips, all were replaced with perfect chips.
• Your own unique, true casino-quality chip!
• 300 chip minimum order and no additional art fees.
  

Cons:

• Looong wait time for manufacturing. Mine came in quickly at 3 months, others have had to wait upwards of 6 months, so plan accordingly.
• You're going to want more as soon as your done inspecting your first set.

[vrecksler]

ASM Poker Chips (pokerchips.com)
Purchased from: http://www.pokerchips.com
Price Paid: 47¢ each (no inlays)

For people who enjoy traditional clay, ASM's are definitely worth a look. The prices have gone up since I purchased mine, but so have the options and overall they are still among the more affordable custom clay options out there. The sound and feel are very good, the quality is apparent as soon as you begin handling them, and it really does improve the poker experience to be using a quality poker chip.


Pros:

• Price: Stick to the basics and you can get a great chip at a great price
• Recessed Inlay (on the Horsehead mold): Just enough of a recess to apply thin labels without sacrificing stackability or playability
• Quality: They look, feel, and sound great yet they still hold up to even the rowdiest of games
• Variety: More and more edgespots are becoming available to CTers, as well as new molds, making it easier to create the chip you want
• Customer Service: Nothing but good things to say about the women who handle the customer side of things

Cons:

• Price: They can get pricey if you take advantage of some of the edgespot options (most of the really cool ones that is)
• Waiting Time: It is unavoidable that custom clay chips take time, and given the immense popularity of ASM's this is even more true, be prepared to be patient

[HebbNH]

ASM Poker Chips
Purchased from: www.pokerchips.com
Price Paid: 92¢ each (note that prices have risen since I purchased these, my same order today would cost about $1.02 each)

These are high-quality clay chips with many options for customization. They sound and feel great, and look even better. The more elaborate edgespot configurations are a bit pricey, but overall these chips are a very good value.

Pros:

• Customization: 21 colors, 7 edgespot configurations, and 6 molds to choose from (depending on edgespot/inlay choices), plus you can design your own inlay.
• Quality: Weight, feel, and looks are all top-notch. Very low defect rate in my order, which was easily covered by the extras included.
• Toughness: It's difficult to hurt these chips, you have to actively attempt to damage one (or be rather careless) before a chip will break.
• Price: The less elaborate options available can be had for a very reasonable price, and price breaks are available at certain quantities. Additionally, there is no fee for artwork or full color printing on inlays.
• Service: Emails were always answered promptly, and the ladies were always helpful and friendly on the phone.

Cons:

• Price: Dual-color edgespots are now $1.45/chip for small orders, and single-color spots are $1.25/chip.
• Wait: ASM's website states that the average wait is 10 to 12 weeks for custom orders. My wait time was exactly 20 weeks. Be prepared to wait a while for these.
• As soon as you receive your order, you'll immediately want to get more!

[JediHog]

ASM Poker Chips (pokerchips.com)
Purchased from: Poker Chips OnLine Home Page
Price Paid: 40-52¢ each (plain solid and plain 312 spotted)

Real clay poker chips are hard to come by for an affordable price. If you're looking to get a set of chips that allows you to customize, get the ASM's. You will enjoy many years of great poker with these chips.


Pros:
Price: You won't find a 'true clay' chip cheaper than the ASM's. A+ on the price.
Quality: Look and feel are fantastic. Some don't like the brass flakes in the chip (added weight) but I think it's one of the cool aspects of the chip. The sound is fantastic too.
Variety: If you want custom chips with custom edgespots, this is the place to get them. But you can also get the 'plain jane' chips (which is not readily available at other clay chip places)
Customer Service: You won't find better customer service than the folks at pokerchips.com

Cons:
Colors: Aren't as vibrant as the paulsons or blue chips
Waiting Time: If you go the route of custom chips, be prepared to wait a long time.

Bottom line. It's the best chip for your money.