Very curious where you rank RT Plastics and ICON in that list..... and china clays, for that matter. Also, don't BJ chips come in two distinctly different versions - with totally different handling/feel characteristics? Curious as to which ones you ranked (and where you'd rank the other type).
I'm not very familiar with RT plastics or ICON chips (in fact, not sure if I've ever handled ICON chips aside from possibly seeing one at a time at a convention.)
From what I recall, the RT plastics were pretty similar to Abbiatti and Matsui.
With regards to the V7 vs S2 (I think those are the main types of bud jones chips? I tend to forget the names of the two, since I'm not a big fan of them) chips, I didn't really notice a major difference between the two. I know that the fans of the chips (paging jbutler?) can tell between the two, but in a blind test, I don't think I could. At least, not currently. If I shuffled them for hours prior to the test, then possibly?
It's funny, with China Clays, I'm a minor fan. I do like them, but they vary much more than the other chips to me. I can go from thinking they're great, to just meh.
Caveat:
The B&G chips I played with were mostly used. There was the occasional newer one mixed in, but not enough for even a stack of them. I REALLY enjoyed them. They had a great buttery feel and shuffled and handled well. Cutting out stacks was great. Raking pots was even better.
BJ chips, it seems that most local casinos are using V7s. Ranging from mint to casino used. The plus side is that they don't really wear, so stacks remain pretty consistant. Casino used tends to make them feel a little softer (imo) maybe because of the gunk that gets built up on them? (ok, gross.) I think the S2s felt a little softer, and maybe a bit more like the B&G chips, but I also think the S2 chips I used were more well used, so maybe that contributed to it.
RT/Abbiatti If I held just a few of these chips, I most likely wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but when I get a stack of them, they just don't feel as 'nice' to me. I don't really know why. Could be just an unfamiliar feel to them?
Matsui. If I have just one chip, I think it feels amazing. If I have enough to shuffle, I get frustrated. Where did that lovely feel go? I really don't like the beveled edge option on Matsuis. I have a playable set of 44mm chips that I will most likely a) never use and b) never sell. The reason? a) I don't like the feel of them , so b) I would never buy another set of Matsuis. But I want to keep them around because they look great, and then I can pick them up and remember why I don't want to order any, lol!
China Clays I have Dunes (chiproom) and a large
CPS setup. The Dunes are a love/hate thing. There are actually times when I prefer the cheaper Dunes chips for feel. Not sure why. Just when shuffling them (I've mixed a set of them) I sometimes find I prefer the cheap version. With the
CPS chips, I generally like the feel. They feel 'harder' to me than most plastic chips, but not as hard as dice chips. They handle a bit more like a
BCC chip than a plastic chip. I would probably place them right around the RT/Abbiatti chips in the 'want to play with' category. Top of that lineup would be Paulsons. Some ASM molds ,
BCC and B&G would be in the next tier. BJ , China Clays and some ASM molds in the next tier. Followed by RT/Abbiatti well used Paulson/
BCC and ASM molds in the next tier, and last would be Matsuis and generic plastics (nexgens, etc.)
However, given a good game, I'd play with dice chips where every color is the same value.
Mike