I am brand new to this hobby and a few weeks ago had no idea what a Paulson or china clay even was. I read "get samples" on every post here, so I did and can confirm it is great advice. Hopefully this will help someone else who is new.
These are my completely unrefined noob opinions. I haven't yet acquired the taste for Paulsons, though from what I read I am bound to.
TLDR: Get samples. I love the Apache Bank. Claysmith (showdown, mint, milano) are not for me.
What I received:
Paulsons: good condition Indiana Grand, beat up Majestic Star
China Clay: Royal, Bank, Majestic, Milano, Dunes, Pharaoh, Greek Key
Sluggos: Monte Carlo, Casino Royal, Mint, Showdown
Ceramic: Tiki King, Nile Club
Other random plastics and ceramics I didn't recognize
My favorite: The Bank. I got the pink 50 in my sample and it is bright! I love the simplicity of the design with no words or dollar sign. A 50 could play as T50, $50, or 50c depending on the need. Honestly, if I got to pick one set for free, had to use it, and couldn't resell this is what I would choose. The purple $500 and progressive edge spots really put this set over the top for me. Before handling samples, I thought I wanted Royals, but in a stack of 39mm, the 43mm chip is HUGE. To me it doesn't even feel like a poker chip.
Paulsons: They're nice, obviously. I find the inlay on the Indiana Grand too slick for my taste.
China Clays:
Tier 1: Royal, Majestic, Bank
Tier 2: Dunes, Pharaohs
Tier 3: Milanos, muted colors and rounded edges
Sluggos:
The good: I really like how the Monte Carlo looks and feels. For the price, I would probably rate this as the best value for the newcomer on a tight budget. I wish it were lighter though. The Casino Royale is similarly nice. They both have good smooth, square edges.
The bad: Claysmith Showdown and Mint. The edge flashing is a complete deal breaker for me.
Ceramic:
Ceramics aren't to my taste. I like chips to be soft, sticky, and quiet. Ceramics miss on all 3 for me.
The Tiki King is nice. The edge pattern is cool, but I wish it would continue onto the face of the chip.
The Nile Club reminds me of a Necco wafer. Not a knock, just an observation.
Random plastic:
I don't know what it is, but the Desert Palms feels like unslugged plastic. I like it for a cheap option.
I've done several experiments where I throw a few chips into a big loose pocket mix them and try to identify them without looking.
The sulggos are easily identified by weight. Sometimes on my first pass I will suspect one of the china clays is a Paulson.
But then when I get to the Paulson it's clear "oh no, that's the Paulson." So they do feel different, but to someone who has never held one before, not that different from china clay.
I hope this post isn't too long. Apologies in advance if I've violated any protocol. Thanks for reading!
These are my completely unrefined noob opinions. I haven't yet acquired the taste for Paulsons, though from what I read I am bound to.
TLDR: Get samples. I love the Apache Bank. Claysmith (showdown, mint, milano) are not for me.
What I received:
Paulsons: good condition Indiana Grand, beat up Majestic Star
China Clay: Royal, Bank, Majestic, Milano, Dunes, Pharaoh, Greek Key
Sluggos: Monte Carlo, Casino Royal, Mint, Showdown
Ceramic: Tiki King, Nile Club
Other random plastics and ceramics I didn't recognize
My favorite: The Bank. I got the pink 50 in my sample and it is bright! I love the simplicity of the design with no words or dollar sign. A 50 could play as T50, $50, or 50c depending on the need. Honestly, if I got to pick one set for free, had to use it, and couldn't resell this is what I would choose. The purple $500 and progressive edge spots really put this set over the top for me. Before handling samples, I thought I wanted Royals, but in a stack of 39mm, the 43mm chip is HUGE. To me it doesn't even feel like a poker chip.
Paulsons: They're nice, obviously. I find the inlay on the Indiana Grand too slick for my taste.
China Clays:
Tier 1: Royal, Majestic, Bank
Tier 2: Dunes, Pharaohs
Tier 3: Milanos, muted colors and rounded edges
Sluggos:
The good: I really like how the Monte Carlo looks and feels. For the price, I would probably rate this as the best value for the newcomer on a tight budget. I wish it were lighter though. The Casino Royale is similarly nice. They both have good smooth, square edges.
The bad: Claysmith Showdown and Mint. The edge flashing is a complete deal breaker for me.
Ceramic:
Ceramics aren't to my taste. I like chips to be soft, sticky, and quiet. Ceramics miss on all 3 for me.
The Tiki King is nice. The edge pattern is cool, but I wish it would continue onto the face of the chip.
The Nile Club reminds me of a Necco wafer. Not a knock, just an observation.
Random plastic:
I don't know what it is, but the Desert Palms feels like unslugged plastic. I like it for a cheap option.
I've done several experiments where I throw a few chips into a big loose pocket mix them and try to identify them without looking.
The sulggos are easily identified by weight. Sometimes on my first pass I will suspect one of the china clays is a Paulson.
But then when I get to the Paulson it's clear "oh no, that's the Paulson." So they do feel different, but to someone who has never held one before, not that different from china clay.
I hope this post isn't too long. Apologies in advance if I've violated any protocol. Thanks for reading!
