Sorry to necro this thread but I think it's a good thread.
It really is personal preference. Full disclosure, I prefer Paulson and CPC.
But here's the differences that I have found between them (CPC/ceramic):
Cost: CPC is going to be more expensive. Period. By a lot.
Weight: CPC is a bit more heavy. Which plays into the feel, read on.
Feel: CPC feel like authentic casino chips. Because they are. Ther are made using pretty much the same stuff that most casinos use for their chips.
Some casinos also use ceramics, but....
Ceramics feel and sound like plastic chips (to me). They are a little lighter, feel more slick (slippery) and consequently are harder to stack because they like to slide off each other and fall over. (I personally hate that part of ceramics.)
Look: CPC look like they way you expect casino chips to look, again, because they are.
Ceramic chips are white, and then printed to be whatever color you like. This allows for some advanced customizing. Even on the chip edges.
The edge spots on CPC are actually different sections of colored material compressed together whereas the edge spots on ceramics are printed on.
The unique way that the spots are compressed together makes each chip slightly different... a chip fingerprint if you will. Personally, I love the slight variations from chip to chip.
Sound:
Ceramics sound cheap to me. They make "plink, plink" noises while handling them.
CPC give the classic tink sounds.
Wear: CPC seem to wear more gracefuly than Ceramics. Where as the edges will round out on clays over time, the printing of the chip will wear out exposing the white ceramic underneath. However, this is in regards to casino use, not home use. So this may to apply.
Care: Ceramic are easy to care for. If they get dirty... from people grabbing them with their filthy, greasy hands. Just wipe them off. Hell, use a Clorox wipe or something.
CPC material is porous. This means grime and dirt can get stuck on/in the chip (aka hooker juice). This is more difficult to clean. You would need to scrub with a (tooth)brush or use an ultra sonic cleaner.
And, although not necessary, CPC chips look their best when oiled.
Custom chips:
Want custom chips? CPC has a wait list like a year or more. BR Pro wait is measured in a couple weeks.
Like all the others have said, get samples of both. Then you can know for sure.
You can even put up a want ad in the classified section. Offer some money for 5 of each chip. There's plenty of friendy people here who would be happy to help.
You can also get the best of both worlds by buying both!
You can get a cash set with one and a tourney set made from the other.
