Custom ceramics (1 Viewer)

[CdnBeerLover]

I could be mistaken, but I think the somebody who bought that equipment was ABC

I believe PGI bought it from Chipco, and then ABC got it when they bought the assets of PGI when they closed.

 

[tabletalker7]

Yes, I used to do a lot of work with BR Pro. That's where I got started in the custom business. I had a lot of designs and customers at the time and he had the best price at the time. It worked out great for both of us. We talked about setting up a bunch of template designs for his business and I'd get commission from each template set he sold. He got out of the business shortly after that (sold to ABC) and I mostly left it too.

I have done my little business with BR Pro after ABC bought it - you shouldn't have left. Gene and Kristil are great man. Outstanding work for the price.

 

[allforcharity]

ABC / BRPro should be your first choice for traditional custom ceramics, IMHO, at least for North American-based orders.

 

[RoadRash]

I have done my little business with BR Pro after ABC bought it - you shouldn't have left. Gene and Kristil are great man. Outstanding work for the price.

I didn't leave the chip business because ABC bought BR Pro. It was just that business was dying at the time and I had other things going on. I would have been happy to work with ABC. They don't want to work with me. I've contacted them close to half a dozen times in the past couple of years and I get the same response from Gene. He tells me to use someone else. I agree they do good work. I used them as my quality-tier product when I pitched to clients. If they had the budget for it, I chose ABC every time. I knew their quality and was very happy with it until one project soured it all. They did a run of chips for me that I was going to use as business cards and the chips did not look like the art I supplied at all. I contacted them about it and said I couldn't use these as my business cards the way they were. I expected them to say "We'll make it right." Instead, Gene told me to stick with Sun-Fly and wouldn't take another order from me.

It is what it is. I don't do that work anymore. I just had an old client get in touch about a re-order and thought I'd try to find something stateside. I found a site called Combat Bet and contacted them. It turned out to be another ABC DBA and Gene told me to find someone else again. He obviously knows my name and doesn't want to work with me. I'm happy to tell my client that I can't fulfill the re-order. I don't make any money on this kind of work anymore, so It's no big deal to me. I just figured I could help out an old client (friend), but that person knows I quit doing this stuff. He won't be heartbroken when I tell him I couldn't get it done.

 

[SteveHNo96]

ABC and Sun-Fly are top tier ceramics. I have bought a total of 1100 chips from ABC and 800 from Sun-Fly, both will last you for years to come.

Personally I think ceramics get a bad rap because of what happened with Chipco at casinos and how the design will wear off over time if you use it as much as they use it in a casino. You at home will never use it that often, so ceramic away! Don't get me wrong, I love a good Paulson or CPC as much as the next guy but clay chips have that habit of breaking and china clays are notoriously easy to break. One guy on YouTube put Nevada Jack ceramics in a blender and blew a hole in the blender, with the chips showing some minor wear.

ABC is a great choice for orders to the United States, the guy's in Antioch, CA and I gotta tell you right now his chips will last you forever. They're much more durable and allow for years of usage. I don't own his flagship Nevada Jacks (I find the Saloons too boring and the Skulls too gory) but I love the DDLM's, the Wicked Spades and the Golden Dragon designs. (and note: The Wicked Spades are no longer my fave from ABC, they're now second)

Sun-Fly's chips feel lighter, sometimes I'm afraid they'll break when I hold them, turns out they're really durable for that and the ceramic hybrids provide the best of both worlds because you can put a label on them and they'll look like a clay chip while having the durability of ceramics.

I haven't seen Matsui chips but I'm going to get some samples of those and see how they handle (what texture are Matsui's anyways?)

Either option is fine but for custom in a short time frame, I'd go with ABC, only because the shipping costs are very high from Sun-fly. I did a custom 43mm DDLM set from them and all my friends love them.

 

[Kid_Eastwood]

Personally I think ceramics get a bad rap because of what happened with Chipco at casinos and how the design will wear off over time if you use it as much as they use it in a casino. You at home will never use it that often, so ceramic away!

Except if you are @BELGRADE ! I was amazed to see the wear on his Star chips.

Personnally I host around once a month, so they are perfect for my need.

 

[SteveHNo96]

Except if you are @BELGRADE ! I was amazed to see the wear on his Star chips.

Personnally I host around once a month, so they are perfect for my need.

Okay, if you're someone who uses their chips as much as @BELGRADE then you might have some risk but if you have a casual game weekly, then you shouldn't have an issue.

Honestly, I like clay chips but they're way too fragile and easy to break and the China clays double down on that. Paulson's RHC is notorious for flea bites. Personally, I like ceramics and of Gene's designs, my favorites are:


1. Dia De Los Muertos (the only thing I don't like is the orange is slightly lighter than Gene's other products)
2. Wicked Spades (actually a great chip with a heavy metal motif)
3. Coop (the designs are snazzy)
4. Golden Dragon (this concept is neat)
5. Desert Sands
6. Nevada Jack Saloon
7. Black Betty (I like sexy girls but this one needs to be a little more sexy instead of just color swapped chips.)
8. Tiki Kings
9. Nevada Jack Skulls (Not a fan of the overly macabre skull design)
10. all the others, except:
Last: Lucky Dragon: I don't know why. I love Asian motifs but this one just looks amateurish compared to the other designs.

Game On Chip Company (New Chipco) makes 39mm and 45mm ceramics for the home market. Fully custom.

I really don't see the site doing anything right now as far as taking orders, tho.

 

[Kid_Eastwood]

@SteveHNo96 , I exactly think as you. I got rid of all my China Clays and RHC to only keep THC and ceramics (incl. hybrids).

@ABC Gifts and Awards textured ceramics are my preferred plain ceramic chips. I kept a NJ Skulls as tiny heads-up / 4-max travel set.

I also own @SUN-FLY Poker Chips PolyClay and PolyInno. I love both but slightly prefer the PolyInno.

And then I've 2 milled / relabel THC sets and a hotstamp THC set.

 

[BGinGA]

I like clay chips but they're way too fragile and easy to break and the China clays double down on that. Paulson's RHC is notorious for flea bites. Personally, I like ceramics

I've been regularly using chips of various types for over 15 years. In that time span, I've never had a single compressed clay chip break, although I've had several other chip types break or fracture. One china clay chip fractured into three pieces during normal play, and I've had three ceramic chips break during use (one in half, the other two with large edge chips that exposed the white unprinted material underneath).

Regarding shipped chips during all of those years, I've received exactly one broken compressed clay chip (in a padded envelope with other loose chips), two broken china clays, and five broken ceramic chips.

That clay chips are overly fragile is a complete and unsubstantiated myth.

 

[Tommy]

Except if you are @BELGRADE ! I was amazed to see the wear on his Star chips.

There is a new movie coming out called @BELGRADE 's Game.

 

[SteveHNo96]

I've been regularly using chips of various types for over 15 years. In that time span, I've never had a single compressed clay chip break, although I've had several other chip types break or fracture. One china clay chip fractured into three pieces during normal play, and I've had three ceramic chips break during use (one in half, the other two with large edge chips that exposed the white unprinted material underneath).

Regarding shipped chips during all of those years, I've received exactly one broken compressed clay chip (in a padded envelope with other loose chips), two broken china clays, and five broken ceramic chips.

That clay chips are overly fragile is a complete and unsubstantiated myth.

Were these cheap ceramics like the Scroll or Bank/ The Mint ceramic chips? Because I have heard many stories of those guys breaking under normal wear. It's why ABC/BRPro ceramics are the ones I like the most. I can literally feel the difference in quality with the Nevada Jack quality chip.

I have seen China clays break and a few people have informed me you could break a compressed clay by dropping it on a tile floor, so that's what I went based on. At the price of CPC's or ex-Paulsons, I dare not try that. I know Hobbyphiliac broke a China Clay with his fingers.

 

[GianThaMan]

Were these cheap ceramics like the Scroll or Bank/ The Mint ceramic chips? Because I have heard many stories of those guys breaking under normal wear. It's why ABC/BRPro ceramics are the ones I like the most. I can literally feel the difference in quality with the Nevada Jack quality chip.

I have seen China clays break and a few people have informed me you could break a compressed clay by dropping it on a tile floor, so that's what I went based on. At the price of CPC's or ex-Paulsons, I dare not try that. I know Hobbyphiliac broke a China Clay with his fingers.

China clays are not compressed clay, they're injection molded plastic with additives.

 

[SteveHNo96]

China clays are not compressed clay, they're injection molded plastic with additives.

I know that. Like I said, I have heard people say that a true chipper re-tiles the floor to keep from breaking good chips.

In most cases, you get what you pay for. Pay for a cheap ceramic like a Scroll chip and it will break. Pay for something higher quality, and it will hopefully last.

 

[BGinGA]

China clays are not compressed clay, they're injection molded plastic with additives.

And the silica- and chalk-based additives make them weaker, and prone to breakage and crumbling.

 

[BGinGA]

Any non-plastic chip will break or chip if dropped onto a hard surface. Being a harder material, ceramics are actually more likely to edge chip than clays.