Best Size Pelican Case for chip racks (1 Viewer)

MaxB

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I've read that people are using the 1450 and the 1520. Hard to tell how many chips/racks they each hold. I currently have a 1000 chip aluminum case where I put some racks in the middle (where the card spaces are), so it holds almost 1300 chips. I swear that the case is ready to break and explode chips everywhere :) Since I have more chips than will fit, I wanted to break the set into two (cash and tourney). Cash is over 800 chips and tourney is a little over 700. Wondering if either of those Pelican cases are good for 800+ chips in racks or if one of them can hold all of the chips? I only have a couple racks which I had to cut to fit in the current case, so I need to buy some as well (looks like I don't need Paulson brand racks to fit Paulson's in)

Thx
Chris
 
The 1520 I have easily holds 1000, and could be configured to hold 1500.
 
The 1520 I have easily holds 1000, and could be configured to hold 1500.

Are you using racks or just stacking? I think I am going to pick it up to hold both sets instead of dealing with two seperate cases.
 
As reviewed in another thread... I could easily fit 800 chips into this case, but have elected for 600 and a bunch of accessories.


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I use 4x25 plastic boxes, but you could use racks. I custom cut the pick 'n pluck foam for 1000 chips in 10 boxes. There is plenty of room in the box for more if I wanted to cut for more. I don't remember who, but someone had a 1520 I think with 2000 chips. I think there is room, but it would be very heavy. Mind fully loaded probably weighs about 45 lbs. or so.

What I did before cutting was measure the boxes in the configuration I was going to use. I can fit 1000 in mine sitting two different ways.

Oh, for accessories, I bought a lid organizer for it as well. Instead of using the screws, which seemed more permanent, I used velcrose on the inside of the lid and the back of the organizer. I can take it out and put the foam top back in if needed.

The lid organizer holds 14 decks of bridge size cards, card protectors, 2 timers, extra batteries, and several dealer buttons.
 
I'll mention another solution that might work for you. I've also purchased 3 (shooting) range bags by Bulldog. Each will hold 800 chips in the 4x25 boxes and the same accessories as the Pelican lid organizer. Though racks would fit, I'm not sure those bags would work well for racks (5x20). They work quite well with the 4x25 boxes though. They wouldn't allow you to hold both sets in the same case, but it's not hard to carry a range bag with 800 chips and accessories in one hand. They are less expensive, and don't protect the chips as well, but I think the offer better protection than some things I've seen. But if you really want all the chips in the same case, the Pelican is a great way to go.
 
Thanks....I think I am going to order a 1500 or a 1520 to fit them all. They look way sturdier than the birdcage cases
 
Thanks....I think I am going to order a 1500 or a 1520 to fit them all. They look way sturdier than the birdcage cases

Unless you get the version with wheels, it will be HEAVY... Even mine (with 600 chips) is pretty hefty to lug around. You could fit a 1000 chips into the one I have, but I wouldn't want to carry it for long distances.
 
I've got almost 1300 in an aluminum case now, and it's a good workout :)
 
The 1500 is much smaller than the 1510, and the 1510 has wheels. The 1500 is a great case (all Pelican cases are great!), but over time, those wheels are going to make your life a lot easier if you do much transporting.

I do think they are much sturdier than a birdcage, but I think well-built birdcages are pretty sturdy and a good solution for a lot of people. They just don't let you carry all the extras. The birdcages are great for showing off the chips, but that meant nothing to me personally. My biggest objection to the birdcages wasn't the case itself, it was the fact that I like the 4x25 boxes better than the 5x20 racks. Since the birdcage is lighter than a Pelican, if all you need is 1000 chips (or 600), a dealer button, and up to 4 decks of cards, they would work quite well. Once you need to carry more equipment, it doesn't work as well. Those are some of the reasons I prefer the Pelican.

TFCJ, I seriously considered the 1560 too! I really liked it, but went with the 1520 for two reasons. One is that it will qualify as on-board luggage and the other is that it was big enough to cart 1500-1600 if I needed to. But the 1560 would hold a lot more -- a whole lot more. I may still get one, though I'm concerned about the weight when fully loaded. I have a 1600 and a 1700 chip sets, and I'd love one case to carry them all. My biggest issue is how much it all weighs. I'd love to know how you like this case as I still consider it a viable option for me. I was thinking of getting another 1510, or getting going ahead and getting a 1560. I'd get the lid organizer. I love the lid organizer in the 1510, and the 1560 LO will hold even more.
 
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I've thought about the 1500 but it doesn't seem to be big enough for both sets yet too big for the single set....at least I think that after looking at the internal dimensions

Though if one of my single sets increases, the 1500 is the right choice
 
Optimally, I wanted 2 inches of foam surrounding my babies, but will end up with about 1.5 inches on the sides... I plan to stack two racks, then use an empty rack on top so no chips are exposed.

Wheels were a requirement. I haven't received the case yet, but will post pics of the setup when completed.
 
Thanks -- I really do want to know about the 1560! I'm sure you will be very happy with it. I agree wheels are important. If you leave the foam in the top, your chips will be surrounded by foam. I thought 1" of foam and the case would provide enough protection. 1.5-2" should make them very safe.
 
Catalyzeme, I've never used a Pelican for that, but I have experience taking poker chips on carry-on. This was in the pre-911 days. I took them to my father-in-law's. Anyway, the security people said they had to open the bag. I had boxes side-by-side. They thought I had 8 sticks of dynamite. I'm not sure whether they were relieved of disappointed.
 
Catalyzeme, I've never used a Pelican for that, but I have experience taking poker chips on carry-on. This was in the pre-911 days. I took them to my father-in-law's. Anyway, the security people said they had to open the bag. I had boxes side-by-side. They thought I had 8 sticks of dynamite. I'm not sure whether they were relieved of disappointed.

Just FYI, you can also get pulled if your luggage contains and packages of spark plugs. Easier to bring them in the carry-on so you can show what they are easily.
 
pulled the trigger on a 1520 ......... $65 on eBay with the foam. Also going to order chip racks as I have only a couple old ones that suck
 
Ok, the 1520 arrived as well as 20 racks for the chips. The case came with the bottom and top piece of foam as well as a main center piece with a rectangular cut out. I shaved a few inches out to fit more racks, so here's the result :)

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So there are 15 racks that fit well. The top row sticks out quite a bit however they snuggle into the top foam when the case is closed. After I took the pics, I removed the bottom layer of foam and that lowered them about half the height of the rack, so they are still snug.

I have room for about an additional 60 chips before needing to add a rack. Also these racks hold 21 chips in each row.....and the rows that have worn chips, its a loose 21 (almost 22).

Case ended up being $65 + shipping
 
Hmmmm, I was going to get a regular case. Never though of this. I actually have a spare one. I'll give it a try :)
 
That's a nice case, and nicely arranged, but I don't think it's a 1520. The 1520 has wheels and the handle on the top, not the side. Still, that's a great solution.
 
The 1560 had wheels. ...
all of the 1520s I saw did not have wheels
 
I partially wished I had gone with wheels as this seems to have a bit of weight when full of chips.....maybe after a few weeks of lifting I can enter an arm wrestling tourney :)
 
Just to carry on this conversation, would a 1510 (with wheels) transport 1000 chips? enough space for three decks of cards and plaques?
 
Zippity, in short, YES! Below is a pick of mine. I cut the foam to hold 1000 chips. I got the lid organizer, which can hold 8-14 decks of cards (more bridge size than poker size), timers, dealer buttons, card protectors, and more.

http://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/case-for-transporting-chips.4085/#post-20084

I've thought of getting another foam insert and cutting for 1500-1600 chips, so it could easily hold more.
 
Thanks TexRex. Appreciate the input. I was thinking the 1510 might be too large, but with all the accessories I plan to add to it, I feel that I should get one with wheels and the 1510 seems to be the most appropriate to protect my chips.

Really appreciate all this!

Jon.
 
Alternatively, has anyone utilized the Barska BH11866 Loaded Gear HD-600? It seems more size appropriate...
 
Optimally, I wanted 2 inches of foam surrounding my babies, but will end up with about 1.5 inches on the sides... I plan to stack two racks, then use an empty rack on top so no chips are exposed.

Wheels were a requirement. I haven't received the case yet, but will post pics of the setup when completed.
Do you have pics? I just got a used 1560 and ordered new foam so need to figure out how I want to configure. Bonus is that the old foam is cut out and will probably work to some degree just need to figure it out. The new foam was $45 so well worth it.
 

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