Opinions on China Clays (1 Viewer)

Vintage1974

Vintage1974

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I don't wanna spend a boat load on poker chips, yet (haha) so I'm settling on the China Clays. The chips I select will be for tournament play only. I was going to pull the trigger on a 500 chip set of Desert Sands ceramic chips but they don't have a $5,000 chip (so not good for T10,000 tourneys). I also saw the ceramic coconut tree chips but I haven't seen any reviews on it. I found them HERE and at $.26 per chip, that's a good deal for a ceramic. So, here we are. The China Clays from Apache Poker Chips have received a lot of good reviews. I'm looking at Dunes, Majestic, and Pharaoh's. What does the community say about these? Seems like if I clean off the residue from the manufacturing process and then oil them up, they'll be great. Let me know your thoughts.
 
Vintage1974 said:
I don't wanna spend a boat load on poker chips, yet (haha) so I'm settling on the China Clays. The chips I select will be for tournament play only. I was going to pull the trigger on a 500 chip set of Desert Sands ceramic chips but they don't have a $5,000 chip (so not good for T10,000 tourneys). I also saw the ceramic coconut tree chips but I haven't seen any reviews on it. I found them HERE and at $.26 per chip, that's a good deal for a ceramic. So, here we are. The China Clays from Apache Poker Chips have received a lot of good reviews. I'm looking at Dunes, Majestic, and Pharaoh's. What does the community say about these? Seems like if I clean off the residue from the manufacturing process and then oil them up, they'll be great. Let me know your thoughts.
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You can't go wrong with any of those, but I'd say the Royals if it were me. They're the best of all the CCs Apache has.
 
Marhault said:
You can't go wrong with any of those, but I'd say the Royals if it were me. They're the best of all the CCs Apache has.
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Do you mean THESE? I didn't see these and now I have a 4th chip to agonize over LOL. I know it's not life and death but it is a lot of fun looking at poker chips. I'm an avid cigar smoker and have two humidors at home both filled with cigars. But I still love looking through all the cigar catalogs that get sent to my house. I think everyone here knows where I'm coming from :D
 
I would also go with ceramics over China Clay as long as you like the feel of them.

I haven’t played with the newer CC but the older chips fell apart after a few years. Maybe the newer formula is better, but we may not know for a few years to be sure.

The ceramics we know will hold up.

My first choice would be these and buying 500+ they cost 59c each.

https://www.brpropoker.com/store/p92/Dia_de_los_Muertos_Poker_Chips.html
 
Rhodeman77 said:
I would also go with ceramics over China Clay as long as you like the feel of them.

I haven’t played with the newer CC but the older chips fell apart after a few years. Maybe the newer formula is better, but we may not know for a few years to be sure.

The ceramics we know will hold up.

My first choice would be these and buying 500+ they cost 59c each.

https://www.brpropoker.com/store/p92/Dia_de_los_Muertos_Poker_Chips.html
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They haven't had QC issues like that in years. The only real brittle ones I ever had was like the original dunes production and only on certain colors and the Pharaoh's early runs. None of them "fall apart" anymore especially the majestics or royals. But the new runs of the dunes and Pharaoh's have zero issues with that as well.
 
I like all of the China Clays from Apache. For the tournament denominations I prefer the Pharaoh’s artwork but that’s just personal preference. Just get samples.

Also, since you are doing tournaments you can actually land a real casino Paulson tournament set for $250 (or a real WSOP set for $350) here:

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/presidents’-day-weekend-sale.51696/

China clays don’t hold there resale value well so see if you can find a set in the classifieds here. If you buy one of those Horseshoe Paulson sets it should hold all of its value.
 
Welcome to the forum! There's so much info available on CCs, but it does cross a wide continuum from "not worth it" to "totally acceptable". I just went through this drill, and for me, the CCs are totally acceptable - especially when factoring in cost. About .25 per chip for used, excellent CCs and about $1 minimum for used, somewhat worn Paulsons. Well over $1 for excellent Paulsons.

If you like Ceramics, and many do, myself included, they are another option, albeit, a bit more costly than CCs.

As everyone recommends, get samples via forum vendor or classifieds sellers. They are inexpensive and arrive in days.

Bottom line is that I doubt anyone would use CCs over Paulsons if the costs were the same (or close), but they are not.

Also don't believe the myths: 1) CCs lose money and Paulsons don't, and 2) CCs wear quickly and Paulsons don't (there were some quality control issues with some earlier CCs). Read enough posts and you'll discover the reality.

See this thread for more info & discussion --> https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/china-clay-poker-chip-cash-set-comparison-picture.51383/
 
Rhodeman77 said:
My first choice would be these and buying 500+ they cost 59c each.

https://www.brpropoker.com/store/p92/Dia_de_los_Muertos_Poker_Chips.html
Click to expand...

This is what me and my son play tournaments with. See this thread. We like them a lot. I do wonder if I should've got less 1000s and maybe some 5000s.

The other thing I've thought a lot about is picking up some of the used chipcos that get posted in the classifeds from time to time. Really cool designs; often really great prices; and (if you get casino-used) you can tell people they were used in a casino.

Here's a few old sales:
Everytime a Freddie's set gets posted, I get tempted....

I designed a custom set with my son. That was a lot of fun too, and the all-in cost was not terribly high.
 
Vintage1974 said:
@

I saw those too and they are totally dope! Have you played with the Dia de los Muertos or the Tiki chips? How are they?
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The tikis and the de Los muertos chips are great too. If you're debating between them please do like others have said and get samples. I like CCs I like ceramics I like paulsons. They each fit a different budget and need and they all feel completely different. Get some, feel those babies up then decide.

I kinda think the statement that CCs dont hold their value isn't entirely accurate. But if you're buying your first set for resale value you're probably going down the wrong path. I rarely if ever concern myself with resale value. I don't feel like that should be a concern for me personally because this is a hobby and I love to PLAY my chips. If I wanted my sets to sit in boxes and look pretty maybe I'd worry about resale.
 
Welcome Vintage

Ceramic versions that I have in my collection that are above mentioned or cheaper than above mentioned

Venerati's from sidepot gaming
Dia De Los Muertos from BrPro(abc gifts and awards)

China Clays that I have
8v's from gene @ abc gifts
Royals from Apache
have had Majestic and Milano samples.

Royals are by far the best of these in my opinion for looks and feel.

JO
 
I like mine!
6 22 19 HPC Cash game.jpeg
8v game 2 16 19 08.jpg
IMG-6653.JPG
SPirit mold January Game.JPG
 
Vintage1974 said:
@

I saw those too and they are totally dope! Have you played with the Dia de los Muertos or the Tiki chips? How are they?
Click to expand...

I have over 1000 of the Muertos chips and will be adding on soon. I think they’re great and wouldn’t own them otherwise. They feel great, stack very well, have a unique design and are brightly colored. The only non clay chips I own.

Tried the Royals when the samples were first making their rounds. Colors weren’t that impressive and didn’t care for their weight and their overall feel. Some of them are copies of well known chips too which isn’t bad per se but I prefer originality. Some of the colors have been improved since then but I still think they look dull and flat. I like that they are 43mm but more(as in larger size) of a chip type that is already just mediocre(China clay) is just more mediocrity in a larger package. Granted, I think they’re the best out of all the CC options.

China Clay chips are a great budget option however and you can score a set cheaply in the classifieds here if you are patient and diligent.
 
Vintage1974 said:
@

I saw those too and they are totally dope! Have you played with the Dia de los Muertos or the Tiki chips? How are they?
Click to expand...

I haven’t played with the exact chips, but I have played with other ceramics made by @ABC Gifts and Awards on the same blanks and they are great chips. They have some texture to help the stack well and keep from sliding all over.



HobokenNJ said:
This is what me and my son play tournaments with. See this thread. We like them a lot. I do wonder if I should've got less 1000s and maybe some 5000s.

The other thing I've thought a lot about is picking up some of the used chipcos that get posted in the classifeds from time to time. Really cool designs; often really great prices; and (if you get casino-used) you can tell people they were used in a casino.

Here's a few old sales:
Everytime a Freddie's set gets posted, I get tempted....

I designed a custom set with my son. That was a lot of fun too, and the all-in cost was not terribly high.
Click to expand...

Be careful with casino used ceramics. They are worn smooth. They don’t have any texture left and are very slippery. Nothing like the new chips you have now. If you want I can send you a few so you can see for yourself. PM if would like them.
 
I’ve got several minty Paulson sets now and I still keep eyeing up a set of Dia De Los Muertos. I will get pushed over the edge one day. And for what it’s worth I blind tested my regular players who know nothing about chips with samples of various China clays, ceramics (DDLM), and RHC and THC. All of my players enjoyed all of them and thought they were a huge step up. They all felt like the THC were “the best” and “most expensive” but they felt the DDLM were very very close to chips 8 times the price.
 
Eloe2000 said:
I’ve got several minty Paulson sets now and I still keep eyeing up a set of Dia De Los Muertos. I will get pushed over the edge one day.
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You and me both, see my mock-up custom set below. I even know when the day will come -- the next time they have a sale (ABC has offered 15 to 25% off coupons in the past which were good for Muertos!!!)

Muertos custom cash set.jpeg
 
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BirdCage said:
You and me both, see my mock-up custom set below. I even know when the day will come -- the next time they have a sale (ABC has offered 15 to 25% off coupons in the past good for Muertos!!!)

View attachment 401709
Click to expand...

that would push me over the edge to buy them for sure. Just enough of a nudge. And yeah I will be taking advantage of the semi-customization for sure. I love that yellow chip and $20 denom chips for the win! Also, can’t you order any quantity (not limited to 25 chip counts like with China clays)?

I think i will go with Cali color, pink .25, blue 1, yellow 5, and maybe the black 20. And obviously I would need those dealer buttons.
 
When you can get Paulson RHCs for under a buck apiece, or used chipcos for less than China clays, those are the options I’d be considering, if I was looking for chips that don’t break the bank.
 
Himewad said:
Bottom line - get samples. You might decide you don’t like the feel of one or the other. You don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars and not like what you bought.

Tiki Kings / Muertos / Lucky Dragon / others ... https://www.brpropoker.com/store/c4/Poker_Chip_Sample_Sets.html

Dunes / Pharaohs / Milanos / Majestics / Royals ... https://www.apachepokerchips.com/product-category/poker-chip-samples/
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I did the same and ordered both ceramic and cc samples. I was fully set to go and order the majestics until I received the samples and a week later I just ordered a 600+ Muertos cash set. I really was shocked how much I liked the feel of the ceramics. Def get samples!
 
arch3r said:
Yes get samples. And I can loan you pretty much whatever samples you are looking for, for the price of shipping.
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Well $hit! LOL. I wish I would have seen this before I ordered 3 samples from Apache and 2 from BR Pro Poker. Oh, well...I appreciate the offer and will keep you in mind for when I want to replace my cash set (see my avatar...Nexgens + my own poker label).

On second thought...can you send me a set of Lucky Dragons from BR Pro Poker and the Royals from Apache? Thank you so much! LMK how you want to be paid. I can do Apple, Venmo, The MF'ing Cash App (Joe Rogan LOL). I do not do PayPal though.
 
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A little late to the party here, but as you can see (uhhh...read), you are going to hear from both sides of the aisle on this one. Everyone has their preference, and every preference is different.

You are on the right track with samples. Looking forward to hearing what you end up with. Have fun!
 
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Geremie said:
CPS are my Favorite CC chip, but that said I haven’t played with Royals (not sure if I’d ever get any at this point in my chipping career).

CPS are only available through classifieds since vendors are sold out.
Click to expand...
What is “CPS?”
 

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