China clay chips: Phoenix Brand (2 Viewers)

[nhong77]

Hi all. I was thinking of buying some China clay chips, Phoenix brand, and wanted to get some thoughts/ feedback on them. Do the colors wear out and fade over time? How durable are these chips, will they get dented and will they crack easily? Are they really 100% clay as the marketing suggest? What I find interesting is the vibrant colors and the light weight. Will these chips hold any value over the years or are they just cheap chips to be discarded after usage? Thanks in advance, I appreciate all comments!

 

[Pippa]

Get sample from Straight poker supply
Or go to Tina hybrid chips ()
If you want clay start with ASM/CPC or RHC Paulson ( used of course)
Everything depends on your budget

 

[croatan]

I have to say that I'm impressed with them for the money.

I bought 750 of them at first to use as my craps set. I've since replaced them with Paulsons, but that's just because they make me happier. Most people won't know the difference. And, while I haven't handled every single one avilable on the market, these feel about as close to casino-used Paulsons to me as any of the china clays get.

Some denominations/colors smell more than others, but a dawn bath and then some mineral oil afterward help a lot and make them look pretty decent. I really probably should have just stopped there and saved myself like $20k

 

[bigblind]

Get samples

 

[Kid_Eastwood]

The early China Clay had durability issues where they really felt apart. Even without use at all.

I think this problem has been solved with the latest series.

As other suggested, get samples before buying a big set.

 

[croatan]

Hi all. I was thinking of buying some China clay chips, Phoenix brand, and wanted to get some thoughts/ feedback on them. Do the colors wear out and fade over time? How durable are these chips, will they get dented and will they crack easily? Are they really 100% clay as the marketing suggest? What I find interesting is the vibrant colors and the light weight. Will these chips hold any value over the years or are they just cheap chips to be discarded after usage? Thanks in advance, I appreciate all comments!

Oh and to directly answer some of your questions: they are not real clay but seem fairly durable, weigh the same as most casino chips, and as to the vibrancy of the colors: when they come originally, they're relatively dull, but cleaning and oiling helps a ton. Even then, I wouldn't consider most of these terribly bright or vibrant chips--most have a little more of a vintage look to me. Here's a pic that's fairly accurate after oiling. For 40ish cents a chip delivered in a couple days, they're absolutely fine.

 

[upNdown]

Will these chips hold any value over the years or are they just cheap chips to be discarded after usage?

Bad news is that china clays lose value the minute you buy them, because nobody is going to pay full price for used china clays. Good news is that they're generally accepted as a viable low end option here on PCF so you can probably always sell them here for something. Maybe half what you paid?
But be careful where you buy them. I just looked at the poker store.com an they sell them for 88 cents apiece and that price is insane. In 2026, new china clays should be selling for around 50 cents apiece. I don't know much about many online china clay vendors, but I will 100% vouch for apache poker chips and they are a member here @Apache
Check them out.

 

[owlbee]

Bad news is that china clays lose value the minute you buy them, because nobody is going to pay full price for used china clays. Good news is that they're generally accepted as a viable low end option here on PCF so you can probably always sell them here for something. Maybe half what you paid?
But be careful where you buy them. I just looked at the poker store.com an they sell them for 88 cents apiece and that price is insane. In 2026, new china clays should be selling for around 50 cents apiece. I don't know much about many online china clay vendors, but I will 100% vouch for apache poker chips and they are a member here @Apache
Check them out.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but thepokerstore has them for $290 for 500 chips, which comes out to 58c per chip. 54c per chip if you're getting 1000. thepokerstore has free shipping, whereas apache does not. But I think things get complicated because the OP is in Canada.

 

[upNdown]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but thepokerstore has them for $290 for 500 chips, which comes out to 58c per chip. 54c per chip if you're getting 1000. thepokerstore has free shipping, whereas apache does not. But I think things get complicated because the OP is in Canada.

Cool. Sorry, I only saw their price per 25.

 

[MC_CPA]

I asked for an expert opinion on these before I got my tiger set. Their comments were:

"Beveled edge, large injection point (ground-smooth) under the label on one side, roughly 10g weight, relatively slick (compared to real clays or hybrid ceramics), silver-tint plastic laminate on the label, thin layer of injected material forming the 'edgespots' (seen by breaking off a cross-section) -- all typical of "china clay" chips.

My last quote from a Chinese factory was 9c/chip for blanks plus 1c/chip for labels -- for a custom mold design and custom labels with a minimum 20k order size. Sea shipping to the US (at the time) bumped the price up to around 20c/chip.

It's a decent chip for a quarter, but pales in comparison to much better options when priced at 50c or above."

 

[nhong77]

Thanks for the fantastic feedback everyone! Now I’m convinced I have to forego the china clay and spend the $5,000 - $7,000, that I cant afford on real Paulson chips… although marriage could be a stake…

 

[Felt_Lizard]

although marriage could be a stake…

Player....marriage is over-rated.

CHIP UP.

 

[ChippinUp]

Player....marriage is over-rated.

CHIP UP.

ChippinUp baby!!!