Apex/Black Aurora Poker Chip Cases (4 Viewers)

Which APEX Poker Chip Case capacity do you want us to make first?


  • Total voters
    54
  • Poll closed .
I’m intrigued, wondering what you tried.
Nothing too high tech. First tried just simply rubbing the area back and forth perpendicular across the indent. Then I wet the area lightly and used a hair dryer on a low setting as I continued to massage the area with my hands. The indent is totally gone now.
 
Pretty sure if you just cut out one post a week, designs would be done and you'd be in the selling phase by now.

Maybe call these the TLDR poker chip cases?


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(Just busting your chops, @Mario Garza ...)

Ya mama. :sneaky:

Nah, I know what you mean. As I'm typing my responses, I'm like, "They probably think I really like to hear myself talk." :LOL: :laugh:

@BGinGA, @allforcharity, @RowdyRawhide, @Poker Zombie, @WedgeRock, @Advocate, @72o

I think the solution to the feet/depression-in-the-playing-surface problem is just to not leave any heavy item, APEX poker chip cases included, on the table for long lengths of time. I'm even considering writing a user manual and including this in the warnings.

I suggest that you just build the thing the best way you can think of, and put it out as a finished product.

To my mind, you have really engineered and over- engineered this thing, and we are lucky to have it, as an alternative to the garbage birdcages i have seen.

You cant please everyone. Don't let all the armchair engineers and nitpickers side track you.

Don't give them updates. Go dark and return with a pre-order.

"Build it and they will come".

I appreciate this advice. Made me realize this thread isn't going anywhere and that I need to focus on getting this thing done and that's what I did this past week. So, thanks, @Advocate!

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Progress:

Spent most of last week dealing with getting the 3D prints done. $300 and five 3D printing companies later, the Prototype A is done and in the mail. The parts are set to arrive on Friday. To be perfectly honest, I'm not terribly thrilled with the results. I'm hoping to fix, patch, sand, or do whatever else I need to in order to make them presentable. That's what you get with 3D printing, though. A perfect model would have cost thousands, so it is what it is. But, the point is...we're moving forward.

Ordering the acrylic for the lid today, but as of now, I'm working OT at my 9-5 all weekend, so I doubt I'll have time to fabricate the lid. I'll get to it ASAP.

On the brighter side, when I wasn't working on the prototypes, I was rendering like a madman. The following images are for the portfolio that I'll be showing to vendors and prospective casino clients.

With regard to impressing potential buyers, I'm confident that the prototype will show the functionality, that a beautiful lid will offset any imperfections in the 3D prints, and that the renderings in the portfolio will do the rest. Still need to render the various other APEX models, like the compartmented base and the smaller sizes.

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@BGinGA, @allforcharity, @RowdyRawhide, @Poker Zombie, @WedgeRock, @Advocate, @72o

I think the solution to the feet/depression-in-the-playing-surface problem is just to not leave any heavy item, APEX poker chip cases included, on the table for long lengths of time. I'm even considering writing a user manual and including this in the warnings.
You don't need to tag us all.....we are watching the thread already. It's your design do as you please. I don't typically leave stuff sitting on my poker table anyway, but who knows what can happen after a night of pounding bourbon and donking off hundreds of dollars till 3 in the morning. Then have to wake and help get the kids around and off to 7am ball game. Then sitting there in the 4th inning and think "Oh Fuck, I left my chip carrier sitting in the table last night because I was too fucked up to put it back on the head high shelf I store it on, despite the explicit instructions from the manufacturer to NOT do so, because that was in the front of my mind at the same time for fucks sake"

By the way I would like to invite most people to try and lift a 1000 ct chip carrier off of a shoulder to head high shelf.....with rubber feet mind you cuz you won't be dragging it off very easily (and if your not using rubber for the feet you might as well not be using anything). Granted only some of us display chips in that fashion but it is a real life scenario.....for some of us
 
@Mario Garza Take my money now. Just show me where to sign.
Same here

Thanks, guys. Can't wait to get you guys an order link.

You don't need to tag us all.....we are watching the thread already. It's your design do as you please. I don't typically leave stuff sitting on my poker table anyway, but who knows what can happen after a night of pounding bourbon and donking off hundreds of dollars till 3 in the morning. Then have to wake and help get the kids around and off to 7am ball game. Then sitting there in the 4th inning and think "Oh Fuck, I left my chip carrier sitting in the table last night because I was too fucked up to put it back on the head high shelf I store it on, despite the explicit instructions from the manufacturer to NOT do so, because that was in the front of my mind at the same time for fucks sake"

By the way I would like to invite most people to try and lift a 1000 ct chip carrier off of a shoulder to head high shelf.....with rubber feet mind you cuz you won't be dragging it off very easily (and if your not using rubber for the feet you might as well not be using anything). Granted only some of us display chips in that fashion but it is a real life scenario.....for some of us

The feet are removable. The foot holes are as small as can possibly be without defeating the purpose of it having feet. Not sure what else to say.

Besides, according to the experiences that folks in this thread--and I certainly believe them--if you leave any case loaded with 1000 chips on your table, there's going to be an indentation.

Maybe I'll include a flow chart in a booklet or something. "If you don't like feet, remove the feet. If you do like the feet, leave them in. If you don't like indentations on your playing surface, don't leave heavy stuff on it. If you like indentations on your playing surface, but prefer a big, rectangular one to four smaller, foot-sized ones, remove the feet and leave the APEX on your poker table. If you like your indentations to be foot-sized, leave the feet in and leave the APEX on your poker table. If you don't like indentations on your table, but fear that you might drink too much to remember to clean up your stuff, please consider designating a sober equipment-putter-awayer." I don't know, man. :banghead:

I guess the only way to really make everyone happy is to offer another base with no feet, which I'm more than willing to do, provided the demand is high enough or we make enough to be able to afford the very expensive tooling to offer this option.

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Alright! Sorry it's been quiet lately, but between family, work, overtime, and getting a couple of very large and time-consuming orders, it's been hectic! Here's a peek at our progress. The prototype came in, but I have not had time to measure the dimensions for the lid--like, down to the 10th of a millimeter, like I like to do. I've decided to skip this step and just order a larger sheet of acrylic to fabricate the lid, rather than try to pinch pennies on size and shipping. Problem is we're going to Vegas this weekend (leaving tonight), so I'll have to wait until Saturday or so to order it, which means it'll be here early next week.

The good news! The mold flow analyses came back and--drum roll--I pretty much nailed it, I'm very happy to say!!! There's a tiny part that came back as a "mandatory change," but honestly, it's such an insignificant change, that I'm elated with the results. I couldn't have asked for anything more and I thank God. There are some adjustments that I want to make to the CAD model to make it better and stronger, but if we were to proceed to day, it would be good enough for what we're doing. I just want it to be bulletproof.

For now, here are some pics of the (ugly) 3D printed prototype. Enjoy! Have a good weekend, everyone! If you're in Vegas and wanna play some poker, PM me.

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We're gettin' there.
 
I had to get a few of the "other guys'" cases this week to tide me over until your's hit the market. I can't wait to see how the finished product turns out.
 
UPDATE: Ordered the acrylic sheet on Saturday, while we were in Vegas. No shipping info yet. They require 2 days to make a custom cut, and then 2 more days to process, iirc. Lost the feet and screws at some point, so I ordered more from McMaster. Got 'em at home. Have yet to find time to install them.

(Aside: Wife's oldest little brother's first kid (baby girl) was born on Wednesday night. Both of our first niece, so that's pretty fun. Been taking up a bit of our time, too, naturally. We got to spend some time with her before we left, and we've been over there twice since we got back.)

I expect the next update will contain pics of the assembled APEX 1000 complete with acrylic lid.

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MISC. CHIT-CHAT:

How did Vegas go? I was tempted to rally the troops @horseshoez and @TKO to head over from Orange County and meet up.

Would've given me an excuse to break away and get a little live poker in. I never seem to find time when it's just me and her. We actually still like hanging out even after 21 years together. It's weird. :LOL: :laugh:

Vegas trip was ok. Wife and I went to/gambled at Park MGM for the first time. That was a cool little casino. Halfway decent VP pay tables and they had a single 0 video roulette machine that supported my degen'ing $5 VP (JoB) in the high limit room all evening Saturday. Didn't hit a $20,000 RF like I wanted, but broke even for the night. Lotta 20-something kids there. Could be obnoxious at times. I also liked that they had a snack/drink shop right there on the side of the casino floor. Better than waiting for a cocktail waitress to bring you a 4oz Coke.

Did most of our playing at Red Rock and CP--love the Triple Wheel VP at RR cuz it always treats me good and their BJ machines are fairer than on the strip--CP, wife just likes the atmosphere and their multi-hand DDB VP. Caesars, I like that they have the food court right there by all the games I like to play. I get a $5 20oz soda from Earl of Sandwich--which is ridiculous--and make it a point to stick it to Caesars and get as many refills as possible from the fountain before I quit the place for the night. I pride myself on how low I can get the avg. cost per refill. If I can get 5 refills, I'm happy, cuz it puts the cost per cup at around 83.33¢. If we're not going to be there for at least a couple of hours, I don't bother with the drink, cuz it would be -EV. :cool

Also went to Cosmo for a bit, just to see what's what. (Last time we were there, I'm pretty sure I caught a glimpse of Corey Taylor from Slipknot/Stone Sour walking the floor. My son flipped out at the news.) Lurked Bellagio and Palazzo a little, but didn't play. MGM Grand VP beat me up a little, so I quit there early. Got an eyeful or two of the chick with the weird hair that dances in the blackjack pit at Rio. I don't know her name, so I call her Tong Po. She's become the center of a running gag between me and the wife. (At my expense, not Tong Po's.)

Food (what's a vegas trip report without a food section?):

Tried Senor Frog's across from Palazzo on the strip. Expensive for what you get, service wasn't particularly good, but the shrimp fettuccine was.

Also went to some bar & grill sort of place in the LINQ Promenade--don't know the name. Kinda cramped, servers were a little snobby and/or apathetic, but the 20oz Ribeye was pretty good. For $40, it better be.

Wife got a 45-oz pina colada in a football-shaped plastic job from one of those places on the Promenade. Complained it tasted more like a milkshake than a mixed drink.

The buffet at Silverton is a staple for our family. Can't beat it. 10 bucks apiece and pretty good food most days. Try the fish tacos near the dessert bar.

The Feast buffet at RR was a little disappointing. Skip it and just go to Fatburger in the food court, if you wanna save some money and get a better meal.

And, of course, we made time for All-Americans at Earl of Sandwich in PH.

Anyway, I digress. Thanks for asking. :)

I had to get a few of the "other guys'" cases this week to tide me over until your's hit the market. I can't wait to see how the finished product turns out.

Man, I hate missing the boat.

As the name of our club indicates, over committed. I’m already committed to this beauty when it comes out!

Right on. :tup:
 
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Shame these are not ready yet.
Perfect opportunity to serve the new Jacks chips owners..... :banghead:

:bag: #stillmissingtheboat

Boners will ensue once they are ready and delivered. You heard it from me first.

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@Mario Garza , make sure you ship @horseshoez ' order with a bottle of lotion.

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Can't wait for these... def gonna get me a couple.
Mario I just realized you're in Bakersfield... that's my hometown!! I'm definitely ordering a bunch!! Drillers baby

I'll hold you to it, fellow Driller.

I actually went to BHS all 4 years. That's cool! How did you get out? :LOL: :laugh:

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Update: Along every journey, there are delays. Bumps in the road. And we've hit one. Let my 17 year-old son use the gaming laptop that I use for CAD modeling and, all of a sudden, it's stricken with some illness that makes it unusably slow. I've been working on it when I've been able to find time, but both of my kids had birthdays/parties/trips over the past couple of weeks. Combine that with the usual life stuff, working and working overtime to pay off a personal loan in order to free up money for the APEX, as well as a 48-deck playing card order, several very big poker chip orders, huge potential clients that I'm on the verge of winning over...there's more, but you get the idea. I'm either fixing the laptop within the next couple of days OR just buying a new one that's on sale at Amazon, which will be APG's and APG's alone, and finishing this project!!! I'm sorry this is taking so long, guys. Rest assured, I am working on this. Always.

Oh, almost forgot to mention: I was in the process of beefing up the construction of the case, when the laptop took a dump. Although I realize the proto was made of 3D-printed ABS plastic, the 2.75mm wall thickness just didn't feel like enough. Thickening those to the maximum 3.5mm should feel much better. Also, needed to thicken the rib supports and the pegs needed an overhaul. I'm working on what I can with my (still-competent, but too slow for intensive CAD modeling) 2014 MacBook Pro, but it's click and wait...click and wait... I'll keep you guys posted when something significant happens.

We are still on the road toward world domination. We've just...hit some road work.
 
:bag: #stillmissingtheboat



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Update: Along every journey, there are delays. Bumps in the road. And we've hit one. Let my 17 year-old son use the gaming laptop that I use for CAD modeling and, all of a sudden, it's stricken with some illness that makes it unusably slow. I've been working on it when I've been able to find time, but both of my kids had birthdays/parties/trips over the past couple of weeks. Combine that with the usual life stuff, working and working overtime to pay off a personal loan in order to free up money for the APEX, as well as a 48-deck playing card order, several very big poker chip orders, huge potential clients that I'm on the verge of winning over...there's more, but you get the idea. I'm either fixing the laptop within the next couple of days OR just buying a new one that's on sale at Amazon, which will be APG's and APG's alone, and finishing this project!!! I'm sorry this is taking so long, guys. Rest assured, I am working on this. Always.

Oh, almost forgot to mention: I was in the process of beefing up the construction of the case, when the laptop took a dump. Although I realize the proto was made of 3D-printed ABS plastic, the 2.75mm wall thickness just didn't feel like enough. Thickening those to the maximum 3.5mm should feel much better. Also, needed to thicken the rib supports and the pegs needed an overhaul. I'm working on what I can with my (still-competent, but too slow for intensive CAD modeling) 2014 MacBook Pro, but it's click and wait...click and wait... I'll keep you guys posted when something significant happens.

We are still on the road toward world domination. We've just...hit some road work.

Good thing you did months of CAD work to all of a sudden start “feeling” stuff was too thin.

And the peg overhaul, I think that’s long overdue. The current pegs are an obvious no fit as is.
 
@Mario Garza These are looking sexy... very well done!

Any idea of pricing yet? Or still too soon?

I’ve wanted to give a tentative price for quite some time, but I think SOME people would hold it against me if it ended up being, like, $1 more. Sorry, man.

I want
I need
NOW

I feel you. No one wants ‘em out more than me. Got a fresh copy of Windows reinstalled. Finishing the laptop up today, hopefully, if all my work permits.
 

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