New Solid CPC vs. Starburst (1 Viewer)

[davesilver88]

As you may know I’m new at this and don’t own a custom set. My style is a solid (mold, no spots). And I wanted to see opinions of vets of whether or not they’d prefer to buy new solids CPC or the second market Starbursts.

CPC - new, you can choose the mold / color, you can choose the hot stamp. And to my surprise this would be cheaper.

Starbursts - used, but you can get the THC or RHC. Would take time to complete a “set,” which I perceive as a pro because it would be a fun process. However, I’m noticing these typically would be more expensive (rarely not).

Would also be interested to see what you think is best for yourself vs a noob like me. Would you prefer solids from CPC or gathering used starbursts?

 

[Eriks]

You will get different answers on this one, and they will mostly have to do with personal preference. So you should probably try to get some samples of both to find out your preference.

- Similar price points
- Paulson feel/sound mostly considered superior to CPC
- Complete customization available with CPC both colors and stamp, wheras with Paulson you’re limited to what you can find.
- Better colors with Paulson but since you’re limited to what you can find, the best colors will be more difficult to find/more expensive
- Both will be a process/project of sorts. Paulson project: finding every denom you need. CPC project: designing stamp, choosing mold/colors and wait for production.

 

[davesilver88]

You will get different answers on this one, and they will mostly have to do with personal preference. So you should probably try to get some samples of both to find out your preference.

- Similar price points
- Paulson feel/sound mostly considered superior to CPC
- Complete customization available with CPC both colors and stamp, wheras with Paulson you’re limited to what you can find.
- Better colors with Paulson but since you’re limited to what you can find, the best colors will be more difficult to find/more expensive
- Both will be a process/project of sorts. Paulson project: finding every denom you need. CPC project: designing stamp, choosing mold/colors and wait for production.

Thanks for your input.

You make a good point, the price point isnt wildly off. I was a little disappointed when I figured out Starbursts wouldn’t be any cheaper (and probably more expensive) than a brand new CPC set, but it’s not by much (relative). As a newb I was expecting used chips to be less than new.

And yes, before I buy a large amount of chips I’ll be sampling!

 

[upNdown]

CPC chips are great. But comparing them to starbursts - there’s almost no comparison in my mind. Paulson starbursts are almost always leaded THCs and usually in great condition. As a result, they’re a pure joy to handle. Like, better than almost everything else. I’m guessing you don’t have samples. Because I think if you did, you wouldn’t be asking this question. They just feel and sound amazing.

 

[dkellerd]

Also…you could consider non-starburst hotstamps as well or inlaid solids. I know there was a Cherokee RHC set that is a killer deal if it’s still available.

 

[Eriks]

CPC chips are great. But comparing them to starbursts - there’s almost no comparison in my mind. Paulson starbursts are almost always leaded THCs and usually in great condition. As a result, they’re a pure joy to handle. Like, better than almost everything else. I’m guessing you don’t have samples. Because I think if you did, you wouldn’t be asking this question. They just feel and sound amazing.

I definitely agree. Also getting starburst or other Paulsons you still have the option to customize. But it will be a bigger (and more expensive) project as it involves milling/murdering and buying someone elses hot stamping services. @Josh Kifer for example.

 

[Sprouty]

Personalized hot stamps wins it for me and I have owned both.

In my opinion Paulsons are always going to feel better but the customization of CPCs can't be matched. So it's customization over feel for me but everyone is different. I definitely recommend getting your hands on a barrel of both before making a decision.

 

[SteveEH]

IMO nothing will beat your own custom CPCs. Have you got your theme figured out, and is a custom hot stamp set an endgame set for you? If not, may as well get paulsons as an interim set until you figure things out.

Get samples as feel may be more important to your own custom theme.

 

[Josh Kifer]

Lol. CPC all the way. Starbursts?! Not even a match.

 

[ekricket]

You can make overstamped starbursts out of used Paulsons, any color you want. You can do CPC starbursts too!

 

[davesilver88]

CPC chips are great. But comparing them to starbursts - there’s almost no comparison in my mind. Paulson starbursts are almost always leaded THCs and usually in great condition. As a result, they’re a pure joy to handle. Like, better than almost everything else. I’m guessing you don’t have samples. Because I think if you did, you wouldn’t be asking this question. They just feel and sound amazing.

No samples, not yet. Good advice, as I do more research I’ll pick up a 1/2 stack of each.

 

[davesilver88]

Also…you could consider non-starburst hotstamps as well or inlaid solids. I know there was a Cherokee RHC set that is a killer deal if it’s still available.

I’ll have to look those up. However, personally I like hot stamps much better than inlay for a custom set. If I were to get inlays, I probably would get a Rounders set.

 

[davesilver88]

View attachment 1033625

Personalized hot stamps wins it for me and I have owned both.

In my opinion Paulsons are always going to feel better but the customization of CPCs can't be matched. So it's customization over feel for me but everyone is different. I definitely recommend getting your hands on a barrel of both before making a decision.

I’ve seen these around the website and they’re very nice! Could be near exact what I end up doing for my own.

And perhaps I’ll ask Josh or someone else to hot stamp them, would be a good way to spread out the cost overtime. That’s assuming Josh or someone would do it, I’m still very new to PCF and probably need a lot more time before that.

 

[davesilver88]

You can make overstamped starbursts out of used Paulsons, any color you want. You can do CPC starbursts too!

View attachment 1033695View attachment 1033696

Hm I didn’t think of that. I was only thinking the Starbursts because they seem to be a popular, high quality chip that fits my style (solid, hot stamped). I don’t think I’d buy new CPC chips just to hot stamp the starburst logo on them, at that point I would reach out to the hot stamp vets for my own customization (if not just have CPC hot stamp them)

 

[allforcharity]

Custom CPC hot stamps > Starbursts for the customization alone.

Even Starburst prices have gotten out of control. I would be embarrassed to sell them for some of the prices I've seen.

 

[ekricket]

Hm I didn’t think of that. I was only thinking the Starbursts because they seem to be a popular, high quality chip that fits my style (solid, hot stamped). I don’t think I’d buy new CPC chips just to hot stamp the starburst logo on them, at that point I would reach out to the hot stamp vets for my own customization (if not just have CPC hot stamp them)

I wouldn’t do that either. Waste of new chips.

But I’d consider buying something like this and stamping starbursts on them so they are a consistent set.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/hhr-294-chip-set-price-drop.96472/

 

[Johnblue]

I love solids too. I love hotstamps also.

i built my first set out of new paulson roulette mold non denominated stamps at an average cost of less than 50c a chip
at first it was a good set that i could use for tourneys and cash games. (now it sits in the closet waiting to get milled)
i got my feet wet for cheap, real paulson clay and it did the trick for a while. i later went back and doubled the size.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/roulette-mold-big-tourney-set-finished.75734/

i have a similar cash set of randomly stamped THC chips, with random non denominated roulette hotstamps.

starbursts are the king, and are a bit more expensive in this regard, but if all you need is color, theres a ton of THC roulette solids floating around (these are the #1 murder candidate) for a bit cheaper.

another consideration, theres tons of paulson RHC hotstamp tournament sets floating around, pretty cheap? keep an eye on "the chiproom" here, a few time a year, i think even very recently he had sets like this for sale. he even had a cool stampoed red NCV chip for 50c per.

CPC chips are amazing, and its a dream of mine to one day make a custom spotted cpc hotstamped set.

i would say, if you dont have a set of clay chips, i would probably snag some paulson solids first, they are getting harder and harder to find. 10 years ago they were plentiful and cheap, now you are lucky to find enough in one lot for a workhorse chip.

anytime i see 300 of the same color selling at once i give it a serious consideration, because you need that to start a set, recently i just bought a lot of 400 butterscotch, because, hey, its pretty easy to build a set, when the main denom is taken care of.

custom CPC stamps are epic. you could go nuts and have really awesome unique solid colors right away. but you will still always feel like u need some paulsons. i kinda feel like i need a cpc set, but the urgency is nowhere near the same.

every time you build a keeper set of paulsons, you feel like you beat the game, like you did something epic.

another major thing is that paulson starbursts hold their value, you could always flip them back pretty easy, custom cpcs are a bit harder to sell, especially custom solids.

 

[AlbinoDragon]

The problem with starbursts or other generically marked chips is they don't have denominations on them. There have been two separate threads in the last week that give opinions about this:

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/opinions-wanted-custom-chips-with-out-denominations.97656/

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/denomination-or-not.97748/

...and those cover what my concerns would be re. fielding a starburst set, either Paulson or CPC. If you like the idea of the simplicity of the starburst and as a hot-stamp, you might want to think about the arguments above, both pro and con, before diving too deep.

If you are going to go CPC, maybe consider a simple hot-stamp deign for them that's a bit more personalized and not just a copy of the starburst?? You are going through the effort for a "custom" set. At least customize it a little bit.

 

[davesilver88]

I wouldn’t do that either. Waste of new chips.

But I’d consider buying something like this and stamping starbursts on them so they are a consistent set.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/hhr-294-chip-set-price-drop.96472/

I think this is exactly what I would prefer! Finding some used, solid CPC’s that someone is willing to sell! Thanks for sharing

 

[davesilver88]

The problem with starbursts or other generically marked chips is they don't have denominations on them. There have been two separate threads in the last week that give opinions about this:

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/opinions-wanted-custom-chips-with-out-denominations.97656/

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/denomination-or-not.97748/

...and those cover what my concerns would be re. fielding a starburst set, either Paulson or CPC. If you like the idea of the simplicity of the starburst and as a hot-stamp, you might want to think about the arguments above, both pro and con, before diving too deep.

If you are going to go CPC, maybe consider a simple hot-stamp deign for them that's a bit more personalized and not just a copy of the starburst?? You are going through the effort for a "custom" set. At least customize it a little bit.

Yes I agree, and thanks for the input.

I only was thinking starbursts because they seem to be the most common, after market solid. If it turns out there are other clay solids out there, I would most certainly prefer that!

 

[davesilver88]

Custom CPC hot stamps > Starbursts for the customization alone.

Even Starburst prices have gotten out of control. I would be embarrassed to sell them for some of the prices I've seen.

What did they used to go for? I see them now in a range of $1 thru $3

 

[davesilver88]

I love solids too. I love hotstamps also.

i built my first set out of new paulson roulette mold non denominated stamps at an average cost of less than 50c a chip
at first it was a good set that i could use for tourneys and cash games. (now it sits in the closet waiting to get milled)
i got my feet wet for cheap, real paulson clay and it did the trick for a while. i later went back and doubled the size.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/roulette-mold-big-tourney-set-finished.75734/

i have a similar cash set of randomly stamped THC chips, with random non denominated roulette hotstamps.

starbursts are the king, and are a bit more expensive in this regard, but if all you need is color, theres a ton of THC roulette solids floating around (these are the #1 murder candidate) for a bit cheaper.

another consideration, theres tons of paulson RHC hotstamp tournament sets floating around, pretty cheap? keep an eye on "the chiproom" here, a few time a year, i think even very recently he had sets like this for sale. he even had a cool stampoed red NCV chip for 50c per.

CPC chips are amazing, and its a dream of mine to one day make a custom spotted cpc hotstamped set.

i would say, if you dont have a set of clay chips, i would probably snag some paulson solids first, they are getting harder and harder to find. 10 years ago they were plentiful and cheap, now you are lucky to find enough in one lot for a workhorse chip.

anytime i see 300 of the same color selling at once i give it a serious consideration, because you need that to start a set, recently i just bought a lot of 400 butterscotch, because, hey, its pretty easy to build a set, when the main denom is taken care of.

custom CPC stamps are epic. you could go nuts and have really awesome unique solid colors right away. but you will still always feel like u need some paulsons. i kinda feel like i need a cpc set, but the urgency is nowhere near the same.

every time you build a keeper set of paulsons, you feel like you beat the game, like you did something epic.

another major thing is that paulson starbursts hold their value, you could always flip them back pretty easy, custom cpcs are a bit harder to sell, especially custom solids.

Wow this is great, especially coming from someone who shares the same taste, thank you.

From my perspective, as long as the chip is clay, casino grade, solid, I’m keeping an open mind. Whether it be a Paulson solid, Starburst, CPC, or more I haven’t considered.

I definitely need to get samples, so I’ll be trying to rent a CPC sample set. And I guess I’ll buy a handful of Starburts from somewhere, and I’ll compare and see what I end up liking more.

 

[DZPoker]

What did they used to go for? I see them now in a range of $1 thru $3

I built my Starburst set over the course of the summer of 2020 through early this year. It’s probably 80% pure stamps and 20% overstamps. A LOT of them needed flattening and/or cleaning.

That being said, I paid as low as $65/rack for some of the more common colors and some of the overstamps…and don’t believe I ever paid over $130/rack. My average ended up right around $1/chip.

 

[DZPoker]

I should add…

And you don’t even want to know what some of the site old-timers paid!!!!!

 

[davesilver88]

I built my Starburst set over the course of the summer of 2020 through early this year. It’s probably 80% pure stamps and 20% overstamps. A LOT of them needed flattening and/or cleaning.

That being said, I paid as low as $75/rack for some of the more common colors and some of the overstamps…and don’t believe I ever paid over $130/rack. My average ended up right around $1/chip

I built my Starburst set over the course of the summer of 2020 through early this year. It’s probably 80% pure stamps and 20% overstamps. A LOT of them needed flattening and/or cleaning.

That being said, I paid as low as $75/rack for some of the more common colors and some of the overstamps…and don’t believe I ever paid over $130/rack. My average ended up right around $1/chip.

That’s really good to know, thanks for the info.

I guess I’ll just have to monitor what the Starbursts are going for now a days and make a decision when the time comes. If I can get a new CPC for $1.15 - $1.48 a chip, unless I really fall I love with the feel of Paulson Starbursts- it seems like CPC would be the same price or cheaper. I guess you sacrifice the prestige of the THC mold though.

 

[allforcharity]

What did they used to go for? I see them now in a range of $1 thru $3

When I sold them (I tend to lump Starbursts and other hot stamp solids together), I used a sliding scale based on condition. $0.75 for fair, $1 for good, $1.25 for Ex+. Extra bump of $0.25 if it was a "rare" colour (like Yellow, Blaze Orange, Metallic Gold, Indian Blue). Often sold in bulk for less. All relative, though.

These days, with most THC chips going for $4+, I can see rarer Starburst prices reaching $3. I don't like it, and I think it's crazy, but I can see it.

 

[OfficerLovejoy]

These days, with most THC chips going for $4+, I can see rarer Starburst prices reaching $3. I don't like it, and I think it's crazy, but I can see it.

Or $650 for a rack of arc yellow starbursts like a week ago:
Thread 'Black Friday Special! Arc Yellow (99 Chips) with (1) Union Plaza THC Rack - Ends 11/27' https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...with-1-union-plaza-thc-rack-ends-11-27.97476/

 

[allforcharity]

Or $650 for a rack of Arc yellow starbursts like a week ago:
Thread 'Black Friday Special! Arc Yellow (99 Chips) with (1) Union Plaza THC Rack - Ends 11/27' https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...with-1-union-plaza-thc-rack-ends-11-27.97476/

And I have 2 racks already milled and waiting for a label (only a handful were Starbursts to begin with so everybody can put down their pitchforks). Yes, I paid north of what I usually sold for, but not nearly as much as this. We're getting into shaped-inlay CDI98 price territory.

 

[Highli99]

Go CPC. And I say this as someone with a large number of Starburst.