Acrylic Chip Carriers vs Metal Case (1 Viewer)

[readmelikeabook]

Okay so a recent order of mine comes with a 1000 pc acrylic chip carrier. I think it will get the job done and i like the idea of being able to easily move racks of chips around but i’m wondering if anybody suggests a hard shell or metal case for any reason.

Which do you prefer and why?

Also:
-Are pretty much all acrylic chip carriers created equal or are there some real shite brands to stay away from. Mine is coming from BR Pro Poker so i’m sure it will be fine.

-I have some 24 plaques and big dealer buttons coming that might not have a happy home inside the acrylic. What’s your workaround?

 

[Teach42]

Birdcage for in home display. I've used it to take chips to a friend's house for a game, but it was a huge stress and I wouldn't recommend it. If you take your chips on the road, get a hard shell case.

As for your last question about what to do about the extras... I'm trying to figure that out as well! I've got some extras on the shelf that don't fit in, and don't have a good way to store them...

 

[Beakertwang]

The plastic birdcage will be fine, unless you’re transporting your chips a bunch. The Apache cases from Harbor Freight are pretty popular around here, and are a great value.

 

[ekricket]

Okay so a recent order of mine comes with a 1000 pc acrylic chip carrier. I think it will get the job done and i like the idea of being able to easily move racks of chips around but i’m wondering if anybody suggests a hard shell or metal case for any reason.

Which do you prefer and why?

Also:
-Are pretty much all acrylic chip carriers created equal or are there some real shite brands to stay away from. Mine is coming from BR Pro Poker so i’m sure it will be fine.

-I have some 24 plaques and big dealer buttons coming that might not have a happy home inside the acrylic. What’s your workaround?

You might get some custom storage for your extra stuff here

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/forums/3d-printed-poker-products.106/

 

[Himewad]

If just storing the chips at your house, the birdcage will be fine. If you transport your chips often, you'll want a hard case. If you go with the Apache 3800 or 4800, or the Nanuk 910, you can customize the foam to fit your plaques and dealer buttons as you see fit.

 

[upNdown]

I think the metal cases are great, though I prefer older vintage leather ones. They take up very little space and are easy to grab and go (if you’re going somewhere)

 

[mtl mile end]

As everyone is saying, giant acrylic bird cages are more for storage/moving chips from room to room, etc. The aluminum cases that dice chips often come in are complete crap in my experience.

Depending on the number of chips and how far they're moving, the Apache brand cases from Harbor Freight seem universally recommended - they are a more affordable version of a Pelican brand case. They can be shipped/used for baggage flight carry.

If you are moving 600 chips or less across town, I'd recommend an acrylic carrier. These used to be under $15 and varied from sturdy, to seemingly made of plastic slightly thicker than Saran wrap. The new price point is around $25 - I hope these are now all sturdy and solid. Widely available and sold by site vendor @Apache

Vintage cases that look like briefcases are another option for 300-500 chips. I love the old cases that used to come with home Paulson chips. They're retro 70's looking and generally solid. Available in the classifieds and recently a bunch were available on site vendor @Spinettis Gaming.

One thing that I do when transporting a small number of chips to a single table tourney is to put starting stacks in an old fashioned carousel with the right number of slots for the game (8-10). I put the carousel into a shopping bag with an acrylic rack (or two) of chips for re-buys and bounty chips. It works fine for cross town journeys.

 

[pltrgyst]

There are differing quality acrylic carriers. One of the differentiating factors discussed in the past was the number of screws securing the handle to the base -- 2 or 3.

With a little searching, you should be able to find those discussions (unless they were back in the Dark (CT) Ages, in which case (npi) someone else may have saved them.

 

[philhut]

In my younger days I dealt a lot of games all over the GTA in Ontario after I was hurt at work riding at Woodbine racetrack and was out on workers compensation then back in school retraining into healthcare. I had a massive Paulson Pharaoh set that basically paid for everything I did through poker, which was actually pretty fun and super sketchy at the same time. Long story short the chips made me a fortune, sold them when I needed some cash for another project then of course remorse. But it was a fun ride while it lasted, I believe someone on here flew up and bought them from me.

Those chips were hauled between my place at the time, up and down elevators and in/out of the car, vans etc and other than not having things stacked on top or sitting loose that it would tip over the thing was much more durable than I ever would have thought. I stacked 6 racks on each side for 1200 chips total and never a problem even once. Aside from a few scuffs on the acrylic i'd say those cases hold up fairly well. You just can't drop them or pile them like hockey gear like you can other cases. I wouldn't let fear or something breaking prevent you from buying these. My only issue is shelf space as the birdcages are tall and storage for more than one is a hastle.