[Wedge Rock]

Palm vs. ABC Coasters

Manufacturer: Unknown
Retailer: Palm Imports and ABC Gifts and Awards
Price: Palm Imports: $4.75 each or $4 each for orders of 10 or more (CT member price); ABC: $8.95 each/$24.95 for 4
Material: Ceramic
Member Review by: Wedge Rock

I run my tournaments with multiple tables designated by colors. Since I always answer the question, "Which is the red table?" I thought that getting some custom coasters/dealer buttons would solve the problem. I found that both Palm Imports and ABC Gift and Awards offered custom printed ceramic coasters. For the most part, we don't use dedicated dealers in my games, so the primary purpose was a table color marker. But I liked the idea of adding functionality by doubling these coasters as dealer buttons.

I asked OnTheButton if he could make a quick mock up of my idea for the button artwork (using the WPT logo designed by austin5string ), and he put it together in no time. Palm Imports requested the artwork be submitted in .eps format. I later contacted ABC Gift and Awards and they said the format was fine. I emailed them the same file to both companies.

Price

Palm Imports offers pricing for CT members: $4.75 each or $4 each if you order more than ten coasters; ABC's prices are for the general public: $8.95 each or $24.95 for a set of four. There is no requirement from either company that each coaster contain the same design. For my purposes, I wanted the same basic design, but a different table color printed on each button. Palm had no problem making three different designs for me. Although I only received one design from ABC, I've seen other orders for these coasters, and varying designs is no problem. You can order these products be emailing Joe at Palm Imports or Gene at ABC Gifts and Awards. Both are chiptalk.net sponsors.

Customer Service

Palm Imports:

Within an hour of emailing the .eps file to Joe at Palm Imports, he emailed me a digital photo of the finished coasters. They were then shipped to me using Priority Mail. I had them in my hands two days later. That's tough to beat.

ABC Gifts and Awards:

I've dealt with Gene at ABC Gifts and Awards in the past and received unbelievable customer service. This transaction was no exception. I emailed the artwork on Friday and I had the button in my hand Tuesday morning (it was shipped to a P.O. Box, so it probably arrived Monday).

Measurements

Palm Imports:

Palm imports coaster weighs in at 2.8 ounces. The coaster is 3 3/4" in diameter while the printed area on the front of the coaster is about 3 7/16th inches. The coaster seems to be uniformly flat at 3/16ths of an inch thick.


Standard 2" button placed on top on top of the Palm coaster


Bridge size cards on the left of the coaster, poker size on the right:

ABC Gifts and Awards:

ABC's coaster is nearly an ounce heavier at 3.7 ounces. The coaster is 3 7/16ths inches in diameter while the printed area on this coaster is about 3 1/4 inches. The coaster bulges up in the middle; it max thickness is about 3/8ths of an inch. The coaster is not a consistent thickness all the way around the edge, however. The top edge of the coaster is about 5/16ths of an inch while the bottom edge of the coaster is closer to 3/16ths of an inch. Upon close inspection, this discrepancy can be detected, mostly because of the height of the black rolling edge. But at first blush, the difference was indistinguishable.


Standard 2" button placed on top on top of the ABC coaster


Bridge size cards on the left of the coaster, poker size on the right:


Both coasters shown with a standard 2" button in the middle. The Palm coaster is on the left, the ABC coaster is onthe right

Looks

Palm Imports:

Face The Palm coaster is a consistent bone color throughout. I didn't notice that this bone color affected the colors of the printing on the face. I thought the colors looked fine on the Palm coaster until I compared it with the ABC coaster. After a side-by-side, the Palm graphics appear slightly cloudy. Standing alone, however, it looks fine. The coaster has a matte finish. My design isn't particularly complex, but the print appears crisp. I did notice a small stray blue "hair" in the printing. It didn't smudge or clean off, so I assume it was a printing error. It is hardly noticeable, but being that it's not present on the other two Palm coasters, I assume it was a printing error.


Slight blue "hair" printed on the Palm Imports "Red Table" coaster, not present on other Palm coasters, and not present on the ABC coaster (printed using the same image file)

Rolling Edge The rolling edge is the same as the bottom of this coaster -- neither surface is printed. Using a white background like my design, the unprinted rolling edge is noticeable, but not unsightly. However, it might look a little awkward with a colored background. The bone-colored "ring" from the rolling edge overlapping the top slightly gives it an unfinished look. Again, not unsightly using a white background, but might be more noticeable with a colored background. Unlike the ABC coaster, the "rim" appears to be uniform – meaning the printed design is centered on the face of the coaster.


Palm rolling edge

Bottom The bottom of the coaster has three "feet" which barely stick out from the bottom of the coaster. Sliding this on felt is no problem. Actually, the little feet ensure that less surface area touch the felt, so they probably help with sliding.


Picture of the Palm coaster with "feet"

ABC Gifts and Awards:

Face The ABC coaster is best described as a coffee mug. The colors printed on the face are not distorted by the base color of the coaster. The colors seem brighter and more vivid on this coaster. The coaster has a glossy finish over the top and rolling edge, with an unfinished feel to the bottom (again, think coffee mug, with the part that the cup sits on being unfinished). Again, the printing of my rather plain design is very crisp.


Side by side comarison of the faces. The Palm coaster is on the left, the ABC coaster is onthe right

Rolling Edge The rolling edge is black which overlaps onto the front of the coaster, giving the appearance of a Craps puck. With a black background design (in other examples I have seen), the ring is not noticeable at all (it just looks like the black background continues and wraps around the sides of the coaster) . I don't know what is involved in the process of making these coasters, but because all the ABC coasters have a black ring, I assume its not printed (if it were printed, you could have it in any color, right?). But the black rim, covered with the same glossy finish, wrapping around the side of the coaster give it a finished look on all visible sides. The black "rim" the creeps onto the face of the coaster is slightly thinner on one face edge (about 5 o'clock) and slightly thicker on the opposite face edge (about 11 o'clock ). This is barely noticeable unless you are looking for it and is likely either a result of the uneven edge thickness or a slightly off-center printing on the face, or both.


ABC rolling edge

Bottom The bottom of the coaster is flat (as opposed to the tiny "feet" of the Palm coaster), perhaps even a bit concave. While it doesn't have the glossy coat that the printed surface has, it is not rough by any stretch. There is no concern that this button will snag felt (would you expect a coffee cup to snag your felt?). The ABC coasters come with a thin cork disc which can be attached to the bottom of the coaster. The cork disc would be useful if these were actually being used as coasters, but would probably have a negative affect on sliding across felt. The cork surface can be used for storage in between coasters without actually attaching it to the coaster.


Picture of the ABC coaster with cork backing

Feel

Both coasters are quite a bit larger than the standard 2" dealer button. The Palm coaster is flatter, thinner, wider and lighter. If Palm Imports didn't advertise this as a ceramic, I would've thought it was plastic. The printed face of the coaster has a slight texture to it.

The bulging, thicker, slightly smaller, and heavier ABC coaster feels more fragile, but I don't mean to leave you with the impression that it's delicate. I go back to the ceramic coffee cup analogy. You can use a coffee cup everyday, but you don't want to drop it too often. This coaster has much more of a ceramic feel to it. You can feel the coaster get progressively thicker as you run your finger over the face, culminating in a pronounced, but not pointed apex, slightly down and to the right of center.

Durability Tests

Smudge Test: Timing worked out perfect for this test. I wanted to simulate the sweaty hands of an intense poker game. Luckily for me, it's been hot and humid lately. After getting my hands moist from heat and humidity, I rubbed across the colored graphics on the face of each coaster. While I didn't notice the graphics smudge on the Palm coaster, I could feel the texture on my thumb as I repeatedly rubbed it. Near the end of my "rub area", where I lifted my thumb, I noticed a slight discoloration after about ten rubs. I think this was the textured surface picking up dirt and grime. Over time, especially with a white background like my design has, I imagine this will get more noticeable. There was absolutely no affect on the glossy finish of the ABC coaster.


Smudge on Palm coaster

Cleaner Test: Well, now that we have an area to clean, we can try out the cleaner test. I used a cotton rag, mild detergent (Dawn Special Care -- it's what my wife had under the sink) and warm water, and wiped the graphic on the face of each coaster. There was no smudging at all. I applied a fair amount of pressure and got the same results: no smudging. The dirt/grime area on the Palm coaster did come clean rather easily, however, indicating that the Palm coasters can be cleaned, if need be. There was no soil build up on the ABC coaster to determine if it could be cleaned, but I presume that it could be.

Soak Test: I left both coaster in water for about eight hours. Then I let them air dry (in an air-conditioned home) for about ten hours. Neither coaster showed any damage from soaking and drying out. Neither material is porous.


Both coasters submerged in water. The Palm coaster is on the left, the ABC coaster is onthe right

Drop test: From table height (about 30 inches), I released each coaster onto a concrete basement floor covered with tile.

I actually dropped the Palm coaster three times. It clacked when it hit the floor, but because of the plastic-y feel of the material and the light-weight coaster, I have no doubt this coaster could sustain more drops, from higher heights on harder surfaces.

I only dropped the ABC coaster once, but it survived. It clinked when it hit the floor, but there was no noticeable damage done to the coaster, and there was no mark on the point of impact. I talked to Gene from ABC about the durability of his coasters. He did not recommend dropping it on tile or concrete. He did a test drop using a spare button (I don't know what height) and his advice was simply, "Don't try dropping it on cement!"

Reviewers Comments

I asked my wife (admittedly uninformed, but I wanted a "layman's" opinion) which one she liked best and she picked the ABC coaster. I asked her why and she said, "it doesn't look so much like a coaster – its rounded on the top. I also like the high gloss finish."

Some had mentioned possibly using these as card covers. Both coasters are probably too large to serve this purpose. Most casino card rooms would probably frown on a card cover that would nearly cover the pocket cards. In a home game, you might not find as many objections.

Bottom Line

I like them both for different reasons... The ABC coaster is a bit smaller. It has more weight and heft. Thought it survived the drop test, it probably has a shorter life span. You shouldn't have any problems under normal conditions, though.

If you intended to use these as dealer buttons, the more plasticy Palm is the logical choice, based on its durability.

Frankly, the size of either makes them impractical to use as a dealer button. They are also quite bulky as a card guard. They both work well as a table marker for a MTT when you are busy getting people signed in and don't have time to keep identifying which table is which.

These are two completely different products, and therefore, your decision to purchase shouldn't be made on any one factor standing alone.

The Palm coaster is slightly larger and lighter. It is more uniform and exact. It held up well to the durability tests and it will serve its intended purpose well (to denote the tables by color). Though it feels too large and thin to be a dealer button, it will get the job done. It is a more durable choice than the ABC coaster (dropping it on concrete probably won't crack it, but a rough concrete surface may gouge the finish), and its pricing makes it attractive.

The ABC coaster is less exacting, though its imperfections are still within tolerable limits. The colors appear more vivid on the face of this coaster (perhaps because the same image file is printed on a slightly smaller area, thus compacting the image somewhat). The coaster is slightly smaller, yet about 33% heavier. While its coffee cup-like feel makes it seem more fragile, this might be a positive point, as it may keep a fidgety player from playing with it too much when used as a dealer button. If it is dropped, however, it should withstand that free fall (the first one, at least).

Either way you go, these coasters add personality and individuality to your game. They both hold up well to smudging and cleaning. Neither coaster is porous and both can tolerate excessive exposure to moisture. Both are durable enough for normal play, though the ABC coaster might not survive excessive abuse.