[mikeyinsd]

Manufacturer: UNKNOWN
Retailer(s): www.pjccmall.com
Average Price: $29.95+Shipping
Material: Aluminum
Member Review by: Mikeyinsd

I was looking for a case that wasn’t too heavy. When I saw this one with
wheels and a telescopic handle, I thought that it could be the one. When I saw
the price I couldn’t resist. Enough space for 1000 chips, It had to be quieter and
more secure than lugging around my acrylic birdcage carrier.

Capacity

When you unlatch the front doors you’ll see 4 sliding chip trays that comfortably hold
52 regular sized chips per stack (5 stacks of 52 per tray). The space
from the bottom of the top shelf to the roof of the case is 3-3/4”. The space
between the shelves from bottom to top is 2-3/4”. Each shelf has an external
dimension of 8-1/8”W x 7-1/8L x 1-1/4”H. Internal dimensions are 7-7/8”W x
6-7/8”L x 1”H.

Features

Case: This is the same material found on most aluminum chip cases.
Outer dimensions of this case are 9-1/4W x 11-3/4L x 14-3/4”H with handle and
wheels attached. Without handle and wheels – 9-1/4W x 9-3/4L x 13-7/8”H.
The case has a top handle made of chromed plastic and a lockable latch with 2 x
1-1/8” hinges on each door. It came with 2 sets of stamped sheet metal keys.
Inside: Black felt covers the entire inside of this case. The trays were also covered
in black felt inside and out. Plastic track sliders are riveted to each tray.
Wheels: Rubber inline-skate type wheels with a 2” diameter x 7/8”Wide. They
are connected to the aluminum extendable handle with a plastic sub-frame that
supports the handle.
Extendable handle: Aluminum expandable handle with plastic grip, release and
collapse button, and plastic case attachment hardware--fully extendable to
31-7/8” high.

Construction

There is nothing special about the construction of this case. It is
comparable in quality to regular inexpensive chip cases. Things I noticed were a
lack of attention to detail on riveted parts (The locking latch mechanism wasn’t
aligned properly). The chip trays DO NOT remove. The handle at the top of the
case, when utilized, flexes the top of the case but is more than ample to hold
1000 chips. Care should be utilized when using this handle to prolong the life of
the product. When closing the doors you have to align them manually before
being able to latch them shut. The bottom tray handle interferes with the closing
of the doors (you have to turn the handle upwards to close the doors).
The inner trays look like they’re made of 1/8” hardboard. They appeared to be
flimsy but held up fine under the weight of my 9g super diamonds. I even put in
my 14g A/K Tricolors in there with no problems. The trays have a metal swivel
handle attached with rivets. The trays of this case could have been made a little
longer as the doors clears the trays by 1-1/4” (from front of the tray handle to
inner part of door). The trays when fully extended tilt downward slightly.
I could not find a single screw on this case. Everything is put together with
rivets. I could only assume that the top handle of the case is screwed together
but could not confirm because of felt liner.

Durability

Although able to hold 1000 14g chips, I don’t know how long those trays
will hold them. This is what concerns me most. When the doors are open I can
flex the case from side to side. This is almost eliminated with the doors closed.
Wheels turn well and, being made of rubber, provide a squeek-free method of
transporting your chips across any surface without scratching or marking your
floor. The extendable handle more than handles the load of the case and when
extended provides enough height to pull the chip case without bending
over.

Reviewers Comments

The biggest problem with this case is the chip trays. 1. They’re not
strong enough. 2. They aren’t removable. 3. The slides are weak when fully
extended. 4. There’s too much space between chip trays. 5. The drawer pull
gets in the way of closing the doors fully (see below bottom drawer pull).
This case is more secure than my acrylic birdcage and keeps my chips out of
sight. The extendable handle makes it easier for transport to your friend’s
weekly poker game and the felt lined trays keep the chips quiet when you hit
bumps (unlike the acrylic birdcage).
My plans for this case will be to construct sliding shelves that would accommodate
removable acrylic chip trays. I would also space the shelves to accommodate
another shelf (total of 5 shelves) to increase chip quantity to 1500 chips (300
chips x 5 shelves) vs. 1000 chips (250 chips x 4 trays). This will do 2 things: 1.
Eliminate chips from falling out because of top to bottom spacing and 2.
Strengthen the overall case by giving the case a sub-frame.
Overall I would give this product a 3 out of 5 because of the possibilities and
price point.

Item Pictures

side view front view
back view

handle extended handle removed
handle by itself

opened front doors bottom drawer pull
plastic slides

5 rows of 50 chips each hinges for front doors

top case handle front latch