Alternatives to Versa 500 deluxe and Slowplay 500 cases? (1 Viewer)

Squakmix

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I've had my chips in a birdcage for the last couple of weeks, and I think during that time some of my chips in the bottom racks became warped. We had an insane heat wave that brought temperatures in the house above 100 degrees recently, and it's possible that that contributed to it. I have been using Chipco racks filled as tightly as they can get with crisp/mint new chips so I thought that I wouldn't have any issues, but I'm certain that more of my HSI 1s are warped now compared to when I purchased them.

I want to protect my purchase and avoid storage options involving stacked racks for now, and that has got me looking at briefcase style aluminum cases. My chips need to fit within a deep drawer alongside some other gaming related stuff, so pelican cases are not really an option unless I find a new storage spot for my chips. I bought a case from Amazon capable of storing 650 chips, but I've found that the columns within the case aren't sized to store rack-divisible quantities (something like 130 chips fit in each column of the case) so my set looks all mixed up in it, and I don't trust the handle and locks very much and would like the peace of mind of a quality case to hold everything.

Unfortunately, the two most popular options in this category are seemingly impossible to track down. The Versa Deluxe 500 case doesn't appear to be manufactured anymore, and the 1000 chip case is overkill for me. The Slowplay 500 cases are also completely gone, with no estimates as to when stock will return.

Are there any other high quality options in this space that I'm not considering? Or will I just need to settle for buying random aluminum cases on Amazon until I finally track down one that's actually sized to fit racks of chips evenly? Thanks
 
I too worried about long-term storage of clays in racks. Most here say it’s not a problem, but I feel better avoiding it.
I agree, over 100 degrees in the house is a real problem and could certainly contribute to warping, even without weight on the chips.

For long term storage, I went with putting the chips in Warneke boxes and labels to identify. It’s easy enough on game day to flip the box into racks.

But with any solution, the heat is the real enemy here.
66FA59D0-5C61-4F7E-AC71-82552BFD0187.jpeg
 
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Thanks for the advice @Colquhoun , I considered doing the same thing with my chips. My main reasons for avoiding the Werneke box route is that I'd still be stacking chips on top of each other (albeit with the added support of the cardboard), the chips would be harder to pull out to show to friends or play with them, and since I only have one smallish set of chips there's something nice about the idea of keeping them all together as a single unit. I would rather not have smaller boxes of chips floating around in that drawer that could be potentially lost, crushed, popped open, etc.

Another option I'm considering is to get something like this https://www.amazon.com/Versa-Games-600pc-Deluxe-Carrier/dp/B07XYGD2XR/ and use the apache racks with top covers. I'm not sure if this case is large enough to accommodate apache chip racks though. Cheers
 
Thanks for the advice @Colquhoun , I considered doing the same thing with my chips. My main reasons for avoiding the Werneke box route is that I'd still be stacking chips on top of each other (albeit with the added support of the cardboard), the chips would be harder to pull out to show to friends or play with them, and since I only have one smallish set of chips there's something nice about the idea of keeping them all together as a single unit. I would rather not have smaller boxes of chips floating around in that drawer that could be potentially lost, crushed, popped open, etc.

Another option I'm considering is to get something like this https://www.amazon.com/Versa-Games-600pc-Deluxe-Carrier/dp/B07XYGD2XR/ and use the apache racks with top covers. I'm not sure if this case is large enough to accommodate apache chip racks though. Cheers
I have that Versa birdcage case, it’s nice. Not sure about space, I’ve only use Chipco racks in it.
 
I have that Versa birdcage case, it’s nice. Not sure about space, I’ve only use Chipco racks in it.
That's awesome to hear that you like it. If you have any apache racks to test it with, I'd love to hear whether they fit in that case. If not no worries. Do you find it difficult to take out the chips in the bottom rack within the case?
 
The 4x25 plastic boxes work great, and you can see the chips. There is no pressure on the chips because the boxes support the other boxes.

I seems unlikely to me that 100 degrees would cause warping. I'm not saying that wasn't the cause, but here in Texas, we don't consider it hot until it's 100. It might depend on the chips, but I'd think most poker chips could tolerate that. I'd be curious if others have similar experiences.
 
The 4x25 plastic boxes work great, and you can see the chips. There is no pressure on the chips because the boxes support the other boxes.

I seems unlikely to me that 100 degrees would cause warping. I'm not saying that wasn't the cause, but here in Texas, we don't consider it hot until it's 100. It might depend on the chips, but I'd think most poker chips could tolerate that. I'd be curious if others have similar experiences.
I live in the Pacific Northwest and we don't have AC at all, so I think the inside of my house got hotter than houses in most hot places usually get. It was 110 degrees here about a week ago and I wouldn't be surprised if the inside of my house actually got hotter than that. I had to stay in the basement all day because it was a good 15 degrees cooler.

There might be other factors at play, but I bought a particular birdcage with Chipco racks (here: https://brpropoker.com/collections/...0-chip-acrylic-carrier?variant=31345247191129) on the advice of another member here for long-term storage, and made sure each rack was filled to the max with minty chips and even. I stored that on a shelf above my other gaming supplies.
 
That's awesome to hear that you like it. If you have any apache racks to test it with, I'd love to hear whether they fit in that case. If not no worries. Do you find it difficult to take out the chips in the bottom rack within the case?
The bottom racks are not that difficult to get out, you may just need to separate them slightly so you can get your fingers in there. That video by @Eloe2000 shows it very nicely.
 
I have the Versa birdcage case. I am a fan.

I have one of these as well. Nice case. It's a little troublesome getting those bottom racks out sometimes, but totally doable. The case it nice and worth it IMO. This something more for transportation.
 
The Versa 500 Deluxe is my favorite case for 39mm chips that I don't care about displaying. It's sold out everywhere but I'm assuming that's just a supply chain issue that'll get fixed at some point.

For chips on display I use Matsu/Apache racks and put them in a 400 chip birdcage.
 
The Versa 500 Deluxe is my favorite case for 39mm chips that I don't care about displaying. It's sold out everywhere but I'm assuming that's just a supply chain issue that'll get fixed at some point.

For chips on display I use Matsu/Apache racks and put them in a 400 chip birdcage.
I hope it's just a supply chain issue. From looking around and reading discussions on it, it seems like the general consensus is that it's rare to find new 500 Deluxes for sale, and has been for a few years. My perception is that they stopped producing them in 2019 or 2020 but hopefully it's just pandemic related supply issues.

Maybe my existing birdcage would work with apache racks. Thanks for your input!
 
I hope it's just a supply chain issue. From looking around and reading discussions on it, it seems like the general consensus is that it's rare to find new 500 Deluxes for sale, and has been for a few years. My perception is that they stopped producing them in 2019 or 2020 but hopefully it's just pandemic related supply issues.

Maybe my existing birdcage would work with apache racks. Thanks for your input!
I bought 4 in late 2020 without a problem.
 
I hope it's just a supply chain issue. From looking around and reading discussions on it, it seems like the general consensus is that it's rare to find new 500 Deluxes for sale, and has been for a few years. My perception is that they stopped producing them in 2019 or 2020 but hopefully it's just pandemic related supply issues.

Maybe my existing birdcage would work with apache racks. Thanks for your input!
I also bought 3 last year and even one in February I believe. They come and go in stock on both eBay and Amazon.
 
That's great to hear! I'll probably keep an eye open for one in that case and hold off on purchasing other options. I want to return this generic aluminum case I got from amazon and need another storage solution in the meantime, but I have some cardboard Werneke boxes I could use as a stopgap for a couple of months while I search for a Versa case. Thanks for your help everyone!

Edit: anyone have an opinion on whether the Versa 500 cases are preferable over the Slowplay 500 cases?
 
My portable chip cases are also portable boat anchors. I just can't make do with small cases to bring the things that I want with me where I want to go.....yes I have 2, soon 3 of these big reds. Big red tool box with 2600 chip capacity
pro
- No one will be stealing and running away fast with your chip case at games or events.
- lockable with up to 3 padlocks
- Only $50 Canadian
- stores 1800 chips in the bottom and up to 800 more in the top tray
- allows you to bring all the chips/cards etc... you will likely ever need to a game all in one case
- does not easily slide around or tip over in the trunk of your car
- great exercise for you or your friends and family that help you bring the game on the go
con
- some people may say it is too heavy
- some people don't like fire engine red
- some people don't have a "need" for a larger than 500 chip case



*** no guarantee's for hot/humid climates regarding rust/corrosion or heat damage to chips, I am in Canada and these chips are generally stored in a humidity controlled cold room so no fear of them having heat warp or weight issues from being 2-3 racks high in these cases. ***
 
That's a super clever solution @philhut! You're right that chip sets can get extremely heavy, and toolboxes seem like an economical approach to getting something robust enough to reliably support their weight. It'd be cool to see a tool/garage/car themed set in these boxes :D
 
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Is this the same case that some company was selling a bunch on eBay last year for like $30 plus $10 shipping?
maybe, I bought the 4 that I have that were 40 plus 10 shipping. Now it's just 60 shipped.

I need 2 for my cards mold bullshit chips, and it'll be nice to have one on deck for whatever I do next.
 
Is this the same case that some company was selling a bunch on eBay last year for like $30 plus $10 shipping?
Yeah they are! That was a killer deal. I actually think I was offering $25 and getting it accepted. I bought 3 of them from that same seller haha.
 
I had the same question and found out from someone in the Amazon Q/A for the 600 chip case that Matsui/Apache racks are too tall for this case. Apparently they won't all fit with their covers on, which is a shame because this seems like an awesome case. My Versa 500 arrived and I absolutely love it, here's some pr0n:
PXL_20210718_012708444.jpg
 

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