Levels of ceramics? (1 Viewer)

NotABot

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So I got my ceramic samples today and I’m pretty sold on them. They seem like a nice set until I can got for the top end one day. I got samples from ABC. Like I said they were great. My question is does company matter? Basically is a ceramic a ceramic and anything I find online is the same quality? I get the customization option and may go that way too. I guess I think of scrolls compared to say the Valentino set?
 
I'm interested in what others have to say, but I'd stick with ABC/BR Pro, or maybe Sunfly.

I have limited experience with ceramics, but the ABC and Sunfly chips I've handled have been very nice, but the "off-brand" ceramics have been just OK, the most notable issues being spinners.
 
I'd probably heir on the side of saying no to "a ceramic is a ceramic". I've owned quite a few sets, some from different makers, and they've all had their differences with some being noticeably worse. I have ceramics on the ABC blank, Protech Blank, and some off brand Chinese blank for the Aria Tribute chips I had. I can say now that the Aria chip were way more prone to damage, ie: chipped edges, scratches on the face, image fading, and that was with light play. The ABC ceramics I have are mostly excellent. My set of lucky dragons are actually quite slippery which is a touch annoying, but my Tiki Kings and Muertos are solid. I also have a Muertos Cash set that is on the protech blank, and it has a great textural feel and they grip super well. They stack great and have almost no slippage. I think you should stick in the realm of BrPro and Sunfly as mentioned above. ABC charges a .15 cent up-charge for the secret menu upgrade to protech black chips, and if you can shell the extra cash I like the upgrade in feel.
 
Just gonna say there is more to a ceramic chip than just the chip itself. The process is key and that includes the equipment, materials and knowledge of production. This, of course isn’t limited to ceramic production. If you have somebody who doesn’t give a shit making your chips, even with the best materials the result will look terrible. Ie: Red Ott’s standards.:confused
 
For me, I own Chipcos and have samples for ABC, Sunfly, and others (Scroll, Nile Club). For my money

Chipco > ABC > Sunfly hybrid > Sunfly > others

That's just me, though. Everyone will have a different opinion. Get samples of the ones you are interested in and decide for yourself , as you will appreciate different characteristics of the chips than others.
 
Sweet thanks guys. So anyone got an awesome set for a .25/.50 game that they want to sell at like give-away prices to a newbie chip fanatic???
 
Sweet thanks guys. So anyone got an awesome set for a .25/.50 game that they want to sell at like give-away prices to a newbie chip fanatic???
I dont use my lucky dragon set much these days and would sell it at a substantial discount of what it cost me on BrPro Poker. Slightly odd breakdown because I ordered it as a newbie chipper but it'll run a .25/.50 without issues. That's what I primarily used it for.
 
I own multiple ceramic sets, both from the company formally known as GOCC and ABC. Both of these companies are light years ahead of the scroll mold (my buddy has these) in both print quality, handling and texture. Not only does the quality of the blank matter, but the equipment used for printing. I can say that ABC is the place to go - I have samples of my Windy Crest Cash set on an ABC blank and the print quality is better than the full set I got from GOCC in the small text. I highly recommend the ChipCo blank at the $.15 up charge.
 
For me, I own Chipcos and have samples for ABC, Sunfly, and others (Scroll, Nile Club). For my money

Chipco > ABC > Sunfly hybrid > Sunfly > others

That's just me, though. Everyone will have a different opinion.
^That's pretty close to my personal evaluation, although I wouldn't group or compare ceramic hybrids with standard ceramics....plus the hybrid chips vary a lot pending the selected mold/recess diameter options, so most blanket statements regarding hybrids really don't apply equally to all of the available choices.

I own (or have owned) standard ceramics made by Chipco, PGI, ABC, Nevada Jacks, and Sun-Fly, regularly play with GameOn ceramics (plus own samples), and have samples of both Chinese and cheap Chinese ceramic chips. Chipco, Nevada Jacks, and PGI are no longer in business (although Chipco ceramic blanks are available from ABC). The recent Aria clones are what I'd consider Chinese ceramics (brittle, sub-par print qualtiy), and Nile Club are what I'd consider cheap Chinese ceramics (very fragile, dimensional inconsistencies, spinners, etc.).

My ranking of current (and past) 39mm ceramic blank performance (per blank):
Chipco/GameOn > ABC/PGI > Sun-Fly/Nevada Jacks > Chinese > cheap Chinese

My ranking of current (and past) ceramic dye-sub print quality (per company):
GameOn/ABC > Sun-Fly/PGI > PGI/Nevada Jacks/Chipco > Chinese > cheap Chinese (PGI print quality varied quite a bit -- sometimes excellent, sometimes mediocre. Some Chipco-produced chips had serious ink bleeding issues with some colors, particularly reds).

Combining those two rankings, your best quality choices for 39mm ceramics are ABC-printed Chipco blanks and GameOn chips (and both come with hefty price tags), with ABC blanks and Sun-Fly offering great value for the money. I recommend avoiding all Chinese-produced options, as the print quality and chip durability/quality just aren't present with their offerings to date.
 
Definitely stick to name brand, a company that you can get samples from. I've had a few 'no name' ceramic sets that were pretty awful. One was semi warped.
 
For me, I own Chipcos and have samples for ABC, Sunfly, and others (Scroll, Nile Club). For my money

Chipco > ABC > Sunfly hybrid > Sunfly > others

That's just me, though. Everyone will have a different opinion. Get samples of the ones you are interested in and decide for yourself , as you will appreciate different characteristics of the chips than others.

I would agree with this assessment. The old Chipcos are my favorite ceramic by a long shot. There is something about their "clack" that I just love.
 
As a newbie here, just reading this thread gives tons of info. Thanks to OP for asking and for all those who responded with great info! :)
 

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