Is Gemaco Still In Business? (3 Viewers)

[Bikshu]

The red box is the same as my 1st set up of superflex cards came in many years ago. I believe that's just the way they are packaged in that particular design/color.

So then they likely weren't used setups after all. They are just "new old stock" from way back when, which apparently came in different packaging than the poker sized Superflex cards for whatever reason. That's very interesting!!! Thank you for letting me know.

 

[TheBigTater]

I wouldn't worry about the generic looking card boxes, these look just like the boxes that were used to ship to cardrooms/casinos. The only ones I've ever seen come in the clear cases were those sold to the retail market (cardrooms don't care that much about the card brand package marketing). Search for the threads with the Grand Victoria casino cards that were sold some time back. I remember mine came in the generic green boxes. And @Tommy sold quite a few Gemaco setups in the past and I remember those all came in the generic card boxes.

However I would recommend that you contact them immediately about the missing/unfulfilled setup. One of the things Kardwell has been know for in the past is bait & switching of product they don't really have in stock. Also their communication was horrible, getting them to refund money use to be a real chore. I would stay on top of them about either getting a refund or fulfilling the order they sold you. Hopefully Kardwell is turning things around with support.

Glad you got some to try, the Superflex cards are much better than the GemPro for sure.

 

[mike32]

I agree with other posters the boxes and paper wrapping are totally normal. I have a feeling Kardwell will make good on your money. I think they are trying to turn over a new leaf. Keep us posted!

 

[Bikshu]

I wouldn't worry about the generic looking card boxes, these look just like the boxes that were used to ship to cardrooms/casinos. The only ones I've ever seen come in the clear cases were those sold to the retail market (cardrooms don't care that much about the card brand package marketing). Search for the threads with the Grand Victoria casino cards that were sold some time back. I remember mine came in the generic green boxes. And @Tommy sold quite a few Gemaco setups in the past and I remember those all came in the generic card boxes.

However I would recommend that you contact them immediately about the missing/unfulfilled setup. One of the things Kardwell has been know for in the past is bait & switching of product they don't really have in stock. Also their communication was horrible, getting them to refund money use to be a real chore. I would stay on top of them about either getting a refund or fulfilling the order they sold you. Hopefully Kardwell is turning things around with support.

Glad you got some to try, the Superflex cards are much better than the GemPro for sure.

I agree with other posters the boxes and paper wrapping are totally normal. I have a feeling Kardwell will make good on your money. I think they are trying to turn over a new leaf. Keep us posted!

That's a great point about casinos not caring about the packaging at all. It had never even occurred to me that these setups might have originally been intended for casino/cardroom use and so they wouldn't have the "fancy" plastic packaging. Thank you everyone for the assurance that these were legit new cards!

And yes I absolutely do plain to contact Kardwell about the missing setup very shortly. I have already gathered documentation about the original order including confirmation emails and screen prints of their own webpage showing that the item is still listed as "Pending" and thus the order was only partially fulfilled. I will reach out to them with this information tomorrow to see what they say.

 

[KingHigh]

These popped up in my Facebook marketplace for 3 packs for $5. Kinda weird looking but I might buy em just because they look old and collectible, what do you think?

 

[JMC9389]

Paper.

 

[PossomOfCards]

OK, well at least part of my Kardwell order arrived today. I'll break down my thoughts on everything to make this a bit easier to digest.

The Good:

I originally placed my Kardwell order on Friday 10/25/2024 and received it on Wednesday 10/30/2024 via USPS. In my mind that's relatively impressive in terms of Kardwell's turn around time in getting the order packaged and shipped out. I received one setup of Gemaco Superflex bridge cards with a border and standard index, and one setup of Gemaco Gem Pro bridge cards with super index.

The Bad:

I did not receive - and I have absolutely no idea why not - one setup of Gemaco "Intricacy" bridge cards with super index. Kardwell's website currently lists this set with a status of "Pending" which I'm assuming means they probably went to go find them and discovered that they were out of stock. But since we have strong reason to believe that new Gemaco cards aren't even available to the consumer market any longer, I have no clue if - or when - Kardwell expects to ever get them back in stock. My guess is that they literally can't ever get them in stock. Which is fine I suppose, but in that case Kardwell had better eventually communicate this to me and then either refund me $13.88 or offer me a credit towards another purchase. I plan to contact them about this if I don't hear anything from them by this upcoming Friday 11/01/2024.

The WTF Is This Normal?!:

Neither setup came in any type of shrink wrap or cellophane. In fact, neither of the setup boxes even say Gemaco on them! The Superflex came in a generic red cardboard box and the Gem Pro came in a generic green cardboard box. I have absolutely no idea if that is normal or not, but it sure doesn't seem normal to me. I mean I had been expecting packaging that looks like the picture in my OP at the very top of this thread: a clear plastic box inside a black cardboard outer layer that says Gemaco on it. But nope... these came in plain unmarked cardboard boxes as shown in the photo below. And I should probably also add that none of the 4 decks inside these 2 setups had any shrink wrap or cellophane either. Instead, all 4 decks just had little white paper bands wrapped around them (not shown in the photo below as I had already removed them). So I think the question has to be asked: is this normal for Gemaco cards? Or did Kardwell sell me used setups which they never disclosed were used? It sure as hell feels like that's what happened!

The Cards Themselves:

Thankfully all of the cards in each of the 4 decks do seem to be present and accounted for and in good condition as far as I'm concerned. I will admit that I didn't inspect the cards with a microscope to make sure that there weren't any imperfections like some of y'all seem to LOL. But I really don't care all that much if they are totally perfect or not... because truthfully I'm not even sure that I'll ever felt these Gemaco setups anyway. I really just got them to feel the legendary Gemaco card stock that everyone raves about, and to see for myself how they stack up against some of my favorite cards. And the condition of these cards seems to be "new enough" that I was still able to do those comparisons, so we'll call it mission accomplished.

I spent a while tonight shuffling the Superflex & Gem Pro decks and comparing them to all of the usual suspects in my collection like Angel in the green box, Bicycle Prestige, Broken Arrow, Cartamundi, Da Vinci, Dal Negro, Desjgn, Faded Spade, Fournier, Guild, Kem, Modiano Platinum, and Piatnik. Overall I really do like the Superflex! I think they stack up pretty darn well against my all-time favorites which are Desjgn on the Dal Negro stock. They have just about the same level of "snappiness" or "flex" as those Desjgn cards do, which I absolutely love. And they must have a traditional cut because they top-down faro beautifully... just like Desjgn decks do.

The one aspect that caught me off guard - and the reason that Desjgn remains my reigning overall champion - is the lack of texture on the Gemaco Superflex. Granted they certainly have more texture than Angel Playing Cards... but a pane of glass has more texture than Angels LOL. The Superflex also definitely have more texture than the Gem Pros... those Pros were so darn smooth that I'm just not really a huge fan. I think the closest I could find to the Superflex in terms of texture was my Cartamundi Casino Plastic cards (the setup in a gray box marked "CCP")... and I consider those Cartamundi to be among the smoothest cards that I've ever tried. Now that smoothness isn't an absolutely awful thing mind you. But I personally tend to like a bit more texture or "grit" on my cards (texture along the lines of Desjgn, Faded Spade, and Fournier). I just think it makes them easier and more satisfying to shuffle, easier to pitch, easier to pick up, easier to hold, etc. But for any of you folks who prefer a smoother card surface, I can now completely understand why you might consider these Gemaco Superflex to be the bee's knees. The only problem is that now I really wonder what the brand new Gemaco cards being sold only to casinos feel like in comparison to these. You think we can persuade Gemaco to sell to us in a group buy? LOL!


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Besides the texture/smoothness is there any big difference between Gem pro and superflex? I know Monte Carlo seems to be a superflex run as well, and they might be a tad thinner. I've found some reviews and the main superflex seem like a worthwhile purchase, plus borderless backs

but i don't really want to buy a set of gem pros and supers, as I'm already getting a pretty big order. No one makes borderless plastic cards so that's pretty high on the "want" list, but can't find any info on gem pros.

I like the back design of gem pros, but they don't come in borderless like superflex. If the pros are something to skip and not die if they sell out that's fine. But i can bite the bullet if it's something really unique i should try, i know i can always shuffle a few times and see if anyone on PCF would want them if I'm not into them.

 

[pokerplayingpisces]

Besides the texture/smoothness is there any big difference between Gem pro and superflex? I know Monte Carlo seems to be a superflex run as well, and they might be a tad thinner. I've found some reviews and the main superflex seem like a worthwhile purchase, plus borderless backs

but i don't really want to buy a set of gem pros and supers, as I'm already getting a pretty big order. No one makes borderless plastic cards so that's pretty high on the "want" list, but can't find any info on gem pros.

I like the back design of gem pros, but they don't come in borderless like superflex. If the pros are something to skip and not die if they sell out that's fine. But i can bite the bullet if it's something really unique i should try, i know i can always shuffle a few times and see if anyone on PCF would want them if I'm not into them.

IMHO the Pros feel stiffer and might be slightly thicker. Otherwise, they are very similar to the Superflex. Great cards!

 

[PossomOfCards]

IMHO the Pros feel stiffer and might be slightly thicker. Otherwise, they are very similar to the Superflex. Great cards!

Sweet thanks, even without the Gem or superflex my Kardwell cart is like 70 bucks. All different sets/brands, would love to save on shipping so i didn't have to buy them later or risk them selling out. I'd most likely have to pick one or the other this order if i was stuck on getting both, though hearing that means both are fine choices! Just the no border plastic is a big seller for me, i don't like the copag full bleed very much. Reminds me too much of bees, and while i think they are cool the pattern is way too dense on both copag and bees to really feel nice to play with. Very busy to look at when there's more than 5 cards sitting near each other.