Beginner Chip Quality Question/Recommendation (1 Viewer)

gorila

gorila

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Hi everyone,
Beginner here. I want to buy a new chip set but feel lost after browsing this forum for a bit.
I bought a set of "ultimate poker chips" around 1.5 years ago, and I'm pretty satisfied with them, but I'm now looking for something a bit better.

ultimate.png

I searched a bit online before finding this forum and I found these cheap "Outlaw" chips on discountpokershop which looked nice; but I'm afraid they'll be of exactly the same quality as the ultimate ones due to the low price tag... Does anyone know if this is true?
After finding PCF I went to apache, but I have no idea what the difference between a $0.18 Casino Royale and a $0.45 Majestic is, for example. They all look really nice.
I'm also unfamiliar with the terms China Clay, Ceramic, etc, so I'd appreciate it if someone could offer a brief explanation of what they are/how they compare.

I'm looking to buy around 500 chips, and my budget is $200-300 - I'm open to any recommendations.

Thanks for all the help.
 
gorila said:
I'm looking to buy around 500 chips, and my budget is $200-300 - I'm open to any recommendations.
Click to expand...
I remember those days. My recommendation is to wait and keep saving your money. The next step up from where you currently are (slugged plastic) is ceramics, and a 500 piece set from www.brpropoker.com is close to $400. I know how the itch is with wanting better chips, but the Outlaws you are thinking about are not any different than what you currently have. They are both injection molded plastic with a metal slug in the middle to add weight. They would not be an upgrade over your current chips, they would just be a lateral move.
 
tabletalker7 said:
I remember those days. My recommendation is to wait and keep saving your money. The next step up from where you currently are (slugged plastic) is ceramics, and a 500 piece set from www.brpropoker.com is close to $400. I know how the itch is with wanting better chips, but the Outlaws you are thinking about are not any different than what you currently have. They are both injection molded plastic with a metal slug in the middle to add weight. They would not be an upgrade over your current chips, they would just be a lateral move.
Click to expand...
Thank you. What about these Pharaoh chips from Apache? Surely they're better than the outlaw ones? And they fit my budget nicely
 
gorila said:
Thank you. What about these Pharaoh chips from Apache? Surely they're better than the outlaw ones? And they fit my budget nicely
Click to expand...
Those are china clay chips. Some people swear by them as the affordable alternative. Some people loathe their existence. My recommendation: GET SAMPLES! With china clay or ceramics, always get samples. With those Pharaohs, just order a small handful. The ceramics I told you about earlier, brpropoker sells sample sets cheap. Get them in your hands and see for yourself which is better for you. Only you know which ones are best for you.
 
Search the forum for ‘Cards Mold’…cards mold ceramics may be a good fit for your budget and would be considered an upgrade. They come from China, thus, take forever to arrive…but I wouldn’t be surprised if cards mold sets start popping up in the classifieds more often, now that some large orders have arrived stateside.
 
I’d take a look at the Majestics, Royals and The Bank chips sold by Apache.

I have handled the latter two, and thought they were the best approximations of casino clays I’ve touched. Majestics and Royals can be mixed together, but one is 39mm and the other is 43mm, if you want some bigger chips to use as high denoms.

And the Majestics/Royals can be easily customized if you don’t like the stock designs. This can be done either by ordering them as blanks, or using Apache’s label design options.

The Bank series are, I believe, the same material, just a different design (with flexibility for use in non-poker games). I think these have decent colors and they have spot progressions, plus an acceptable label design. The site does not seem to offer this (faux) mold with customized labels, but if you reach out to Apache maybe they would do that. Just speculating there.

None of these compare with Paulsons, but remembering when I was in your same position, I wish I’d gotten this advice.

https://www.apachepokerchips.com/product/majestic-poker-chips/

https://www.apachepokerchips.com/product/royal-poker-chips/

https://www.apachepokerchips.com/product/bank-18xx-board-games-poker-chips/
 
Last edited:
Welcome! My father and grandparents grew up just outside of Porto. I'd also consider ceramic chips from @SUN-FLY Poker Chips that you can make totally custom for you. They may cost a bit more than the stock slugged plastic chips and China Clays, but the quality is significantly better than the price increase accounts for, in my opinion.
 
As a new chipper myself, I got some metal slug inserts as my first set as well, they did the job but didnt feel fantastic. Then I got a tournament majestic set, it was a solid step up from the previous ones I had. However, a year later I am on the paulson train as well, and while the upgrade is 100% noticable between paulsons and china clays like pharaoh's and majestics, it isnt a canyon and unless you are really interested/have a playerbase that is a bit more on the expensive side, I wouldnt go above china clays/ceramics

However, I have fallen down the rabbit hole and now working on my first paulson set
 
tabletalker7 said:
My recommendation: GET SAMPLES!
Click to expand...
I wish I could, ths issue is that shipping to Portugal will probably be quite expensive, and there is a significant chance the chips will get stuck in customs. I have a friend who lives in the US who's coming to visit in 1 month, so I'll ask him to bring the chips (the full set, not the sample).
dkellerd said:
Search the forum for ‘Cards Mold’…cards mold ceramics may be a good fit for your budget and would be considered an upgrade. They come from China, thus, take forever to arrive…but I wouldn’t be surprised if cards mold sets start popping up in the classifieds more often, now that some large orders have arrived stateside.
Click to expand...
I'll take a look, thanks. How do cards mold compare to china clay?
Taghkanic said:
I’d take a look at the Majestics, Royals and The Bank chips sold by Apache.
Click to expand...
I have, I was thinking of buying the Pharaoh ones, which I assume are the same quality as the ones you mentioned. I prefer their design though.
JMC9389 said:
Welcome! My father and grandparents grew up just outside of Porto. I'd also consider ceramic chips from @SUN-FLY Poker Chips that you can make totally custom for you. They may cost a bit more than the stock slugged plastic chips and China Clays, but the quality is significantly better than the price increase accounts for, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Those look a bit too expensive for me though...
PsychoFeather said:
As a new chipper myself, I got some metal slug inserts as my first set as well, they did the job but didnt feel fantastic. Then I got a tournament majestic set, it was a solid step up from the previous ones I had. However, a year later I am on the paulson train as well, and while the upgrade is 100% noticable between paulsons and china clays like pharaoh's and majestics, it isnt a canyon and unless you are really interested/have a playerbase that is a bit more on the expensive side, I wouldnt go above china clays/ceramics

However, I have fallen down the rabbit hole and now working on my first paulson set
Click to expand...
That's helpful, thanks. I think I'll go with the cina clays for now, these chips are for an occasional small stakes home game with my friends - definitely not an expensive playerbase. Do you know how the china clay compare to the cards mold ones dkellerd mentioned? They look nice as well.
 
Like most people, I started with slugged plastic chips. After owning multiple sets of real clay chips from various manufacturers over the years, some ceramics and china clays as well, I am now mainly interested in slugged plastic chips. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
tabletalker7 said:
Those are china clay chips. Some people swear by them as the affordable alternative. Some people loathe their existence. My recommendation: GET SAMPLES! With china clay or ceramics, always get samples. With those Pharaohs, just order a small handful. The ceramics I told you about earlier, brpropoker sells sample sets cheap. Get them in your hands and see for yourself which is better for you. Only you know which ones are best for you.
Click to expand...
Good advice but it’s not that simple.
When I first got into it, I ordered samples including China clays, ceramics, and Paulsons. I shared them with my friends, and we pretty much agreed that the Chiba clays were the best. I didn’t end up ordering the China clays, because I was persuaded (fomo?) by what I read here, and eventually went the Paulson route.
But what’s important here (at least to me) is that the Paulson samples I had - the ones me and my friends didn’t like as much as the China clays, were CDMs - they were mint leaded THCs, the GOAT Paulson chip, and maybe the GOAT of all chips. So I’ll conclude a few things.
1) inexperienced hands aren’t great at evaluating different kinds of chip samples
2) #1 probably doesn’t matter if you’re just looking to buy one chipset to use at your home games forever - if you’re happy with it, probably nothing else matters
3) if you’re going to get in to chip collecting, realize that over time, you’ll learn and your tastes will change. So nitial sample evaluations are next to meaningless.
 
mipevi said:
Like most people, I started with slugged plastic chips. After owning multiple sets of real clay chips from various manufacturers over the years, some ceramics and china clays as well, I am now mainly interested in slugged plastic chips. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Click to expand...
Do you mean high end Plastic B&G BJ etc ?
:unsure::unsure:

P.S I love them too ; good for rotation
 
Dear neighbour.

I'm in Spain, and it's a pain to buy good chips here too. If you're friend will come in a month, I think is a good option China Clay from Apache, they look great. I only bought sample of ceramic and real clay (CPC and Paulson), and in my opinion a set of ceramic chips from BrProPoker is better option, better quality and great artwork.

Anyway, you won't go wrong with any of them.
 
Welcome to the forum! I don't have any recommendations for you (other than get samples to find out what appeals to you personally), but here are some posts that might help you learn about the differences between plastic chips, china clays, ceramics, and so forth.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Good luck on your chipping journey!
 
gorila said:
I wish I could, ths issue is that shipping to Portugal will probably be quite expensive, and there is a significant chance the chips will get stuck in customs. I have a friend who lives in the US who's coming to visit in 1 month, so I'll ask him to bring the chips (the full set, not the sample).

I'll take a look, thanks. How do cards mold compare to china clay?

I have, I was thinking of buying the Pharaoh ones, which I assume are the same quality as the ones you mentioned. I prefer their design though.

Thank you! Those look a bit too expensive for me though...

That's helpful, thanks. I think I'll go with the cina clays for now, these chips are for an occasional small stakes home game with my friends - definitely not an expensive playerbase. Do you know how the china clay compare to the cards mold ones dkellerd mentioned? They look nice as well.
Click to expand...
Havent tried those, however, they look really clean
 
Thank you all for the helpful posts.
After browsing around a bit more I'm now undecided between the royal china clays from apache, and the dia de los muertos ceramics from brpropoker.
I like the design on the DDLM ones better, and they're more expensive (more expensive = higher quality hopefully?). However, the DDLM look very flat; I really like those molded symbols on the edge of the china clays ones which make them look more 3d and professional.
 
gorila said:
Thank you all for the helpful posts.
After browsing around a bit more I'm now undecided between the royal china clays from apache, and the dia de los muertos ceramics from brpropoker.
I like the design on the DDLM ones better, and they're more expensive (more expensive = higher quality hopefully?). However, the DDLM look very flat; I really like those molded symbols on the edge of the china clays ones which make them look more 3d and professional.
Click to expand...
For whatever it’s worth, regarding the more professional comment - there are plenty of casinos worldwide that use ceramics, like the DDLMs. I’ve never heard of any using china clays. But it’s your game - get what you like.
 
gorila said:
Thank you all for the helpful posts.
After browsing around a bit more I'm now undecided between the royal china clays from apache, and the dia de los muertos ceramics from brpropoker.
I like the design on the DDLM ones better, and they're more expensive (more expensive = higher quality hopefully?). However, the DDLM look very flat; I really like those molded symbols on the edge of the china clays ones which make them look more 3d and professional.
Click to expand...
This is a personal choice of course, but I'll mention my thoughts because we seem to have similar tastes. I purchased the DDLM's earlier this year and have since sold them and purchased Royals - I loved the DDLM colors, and customization options through BR poker, but came to discover I much prefer China Clays to ceramics. The more textured quality of the Royals was a big plus (compared with the mold & stickered inlays on the Royals, the DDLM felt too smooth for me). Also, the designs on the Royals mirror some chip designs found on Aria and Bellagio chips, which I love. Having cleaned then hand-oiled my Royal chips, the colors shine vividly on them, and I'm happy with my decision to switch. Again, it's a personal choice, either way I recommend you def. get samples of both.
 
JLPicard said:
This is a personal choice of course, but I'll mention my thoughts because we seem to have similar tastes. I purchased the DDLM's earlier this year and have since sold them and purchased Royals - I loved the DDLM colors, and customization options through BR poker, but came to discover I much prefer China Clays to ceramics. The more textured quality of the Royals was a big plus (compared with the mold & stickered inlays on the Royals, the DDLM felt too smooth for me). Also, the designs on the Royals mirror some chip designs found on Aria and Bellagio chips, which I love. Having cleaned then hand-oiled my Royal chips, the colors shine vividly on them, and I'm happy with my decision to switch. Again, it's a personal choice, either way I recommend you def. get samples of both.
Click to expand...
Damn just when I thought I had already decided I wanted the DDLM... Guess I'll think about it for a few more days. Thanks for the feedback though.
As I already said samples are unfortunately not an option right now because 1. shipping to Portugal is very expensive (and might not go through customs) and 2. my u.s. friend comes in one month and who knows when he'll come again. So I gotta go all in on some chips very soon.
 
Welcome! I'm new to the chip game myself after years of searching. The sample suggestion is priceless. I got different samples from various places, got suggestions from friends I play home games with, and even consulted people on this forum. In the end it depends on your budget and what you are after.
That being said I'm waiting for my order from BR Pro to come in. Being patient and ensuring you get what you want is key.
The customer service from vendors and people here is priceless.
 
The “get samples” mantra around here is so prevalent only because so many of us have bought sets, only to find something better….then sell those for something even BETTER.

If you can’t do samples, you may get lucky and find the perfect set.
Or, you’ll become a true chipper and NEVER be satisfied! :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:
 
gorila said:
Hi everyone,
Beginner here. I want to buy a new chip set but feel lost after browsing this forum for a bit.
I bought a set of "ultimate poker chips" around 1.5 years ago, and I'm pretty satisfied with them, but I'm now looking for something a bit better.

View attachment 798946
I searched a bit online before finding this forum and I found these cheap "Outlaw" chips on discountpokershop which looked nice; but I'm afraid they'll be of exactly the same quality as the ultimate ones due to the low price tag... Does anyone know if this is true?
After finding PCF I went to apache, but I have no idea what the difference between a $0.18 Casino Royale and a $0.45 Majestic is, for example. They all look really nice.
I'm also unfamiliar with the terms China Clay, Ceramic, etc, so I'd appreciate it if someone could offer a brief explanation of what they are/how they compare.

I'm looking to buy around 500 chips, and my budget is $200-300 - I'm open to any recommendations.

Thanks for all the help.
Click to expand...
My advice to you is find a budget you can live with, and stick to that budget. Get the best chips you can for that money. Otherwise, there is always something better, and you will end up spending thousands of dollars. So I would suggest increasing your budget by maybe $100-$200, and get a really nice set that you will be happy with.
 
You could always order a 1000 set of Cards/Mold 39mm from Alibaba for $280 at $0.28/chip prices these days if you can hitch on to a GB for them.

Again, get samples and see if you like how they feel. I don't think at this price, you will find more value and for custom chips too..

I'm a ceramics snob I'd say. I dont like them or plastics, but I sampled these Cards/Mold and snap bought a set.

I'm presently working on ordering 2 more sets (about 2300 chips)
 
I have the Pharaohs, and they are my only set I currently use. They are a step up from the slugged plastic chips you have now. I had the original ones sold by The Chip Room and they are slightly different than the current ones being sold by Apache. The original felt more "clay-like" and stacked better, but they flake and break easier. I have been adding on with new chips from Apache.

There is no difference among Pharaohs, Dunes, Majestics, and Royals, other than the artwork and colors. I have sample sets and stacks from all of them. If you like the look of the Pharaohs just get them and forget about samples from the others. One thing I recommend is to run them lightly over fine grit sandpaper to make them less slippery. Just a few passes on each side makes a noticeable difference and does not damage the chip.

There is nothing wrong with ceramics, but they do feel and sound much different from china clays. If your budget is only for the china clays then get them. I doubt you will be disappointed. You only have to go down this rabbit hole if you allow yourself to.
 
While I'm not in the TRK/Leaded THC territory at this stage of my collecting. I do have some really nice RHC and THC's, as well as Ceramics. The ceramics are by far my players favourites.

The next step is ceramics, then paulsons.

You may think your budget is $200-300. But pretty soon you'll be spending more than that per rack. :)
 

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