Quality of CPC? (2 Viewers)

[CaptainR93]

Hey all. I was wanting to purchase a small set (about 360 chips) of CPC Atlantic Club and I’ve heard nothing but good things about CPC. From design, to quality, all the things. So naturally, I buy a sample set. I was so excited when they came in the mail and then I opened them…and then I became disappointed. So that’s why I decided to come here and ask y’all’s thoughts on the matter.

When I opened them, they look gorgeous! Love the colors and how they feel. However, the ones I got seem to be… duds. Several are warped and are not flat. When I did the “flatness test” they spread out pretty bad (way more than these should at their cost). I grabbed a stack of HS Cincy $1 (most used) and did it and they were WAY more flat. They hardly budged. If held right, you can peer through cracks between chips of the PCP. They also have small scuffs and even one edge spot on the $1k is halfway done. It just seemed like poor quality control. What’s confusing is if they were normally like this, I feel that no one would pay for them at the cost they ask for.

So.. surely this isn’t the standard quality of the CPC.. this sample set honestly made me NOT want to purchase. I don’t care about little flakes of clay/paint in obscure places once in several chips, it happens I’m sure. But my main question is: do they send duds out as samples? In videos, pictures, and reviews I’ve heard or seen nothing like this.

That said, these are gorgeous chips and feel and look incredible. Thank you all for reading and providing feedback!

 

[SteveEH]

I remember another thread like this, and it sounds like they sometimes send out crappy samples.

They send extra chips with custom orders to make up for QC issues like spinners. So if I ordered 100 quarters they might send me 106 or so to make up for some that spin or are flawed.

Split spots are issues that can arise with certain color combinations.

 

[Jawnie]

these nearly look like they got a bit hot during postage. there definitely usually dead flat

 

[Josh Kifer]

Search is your friend. This horse has been beaten so many times.

Heat from shipping can warp em during a hot week. Samples aren't always the best chips, sometimes they are extras from runs. Split spots happen. Generally if you reach out to David, he can help correct issues or warn you if potential issues.

 

[RagingAZN]

I can’t vouch for the sample quality but the two sets I have purchased from CPC have been superb! One custom cash set and one set of the atlantic club tournament chips.

He’s a busy man but you could reach out to @David Spragg to discuss further.

 

[Rhodeman77]

bits of color transfer within the chip are normal for clay and are part of the hand made process that every chip is truly unique. Not every chip will have it, but it is common.

Warped chips are not normal, could be the heat or that CPC sends “seconds” as samples.

They should probably include a note that substandard chips are used as samples. I would bet many people get them and think that is how all chips from them come and end up losing orders because of it.

 

[AlbinoDragon]

The "freckles" and stray spots in your first, fifth and sixth pictures are normal. They are infrequent, but do happen and give some character to a handmade chip. They are likely little specks of clay that got left behind from when the chip that was last in the mold didn't completely come out.

The split spot in your third and fourth image happens with some color combinations, particularly with some spots. It's a by-product of the pressure and temperature pressing the spots into the chip and can be seen in all compression clay chips from CPC, Paulson and going back to TRK and even BCC. It's just the nature of the materials and how the chip is actually made.

The warped chips are almost certainly from heat damage somewhere along the way. Maybe they spent a night or two in a hot warehouse along the way or a day in a hot mailbox. All of my custom CPC sets (and ASM before), I intentionally had sent to my office where someone would be able to pick them up and bring them inside as soon as they were delivered to not run the risk of them spending any time in a mailbox here in southern Arizona.


I'm at over 15,000 chips from CPC and ASM over 15 years now and love all of them. They are great chips and it's the little variations from one chips to the next that just screams "old-school hand manufacturing" that gives them that much charm.

 

[Muschen]

Samples are often the "bad chips" they sorted out for selling after production, its more to get the feel of them and see the colors in person, they are not top quality.

CPCs are very sensitive to heat so if you buy them during summer and they get shipped for a long time the package might be in a high temperature for quite some time which can cause them to warp.

As other people pointed out already, if you order 500 they will sent you 510-515 to have a couple extra if you find any spinner or any other flawed chip in the mix. I bought a set of 500 and I had 4 Chips which had some issues but I could replace them with the extras.

Some fragments of colors can be on several chips they are made differently and its one of their features that not every chip looks 100% like every other. Some people like it for the chips to have "character" others dont.

CPC was my most expensive Chip purchase however I am super lucky with them and I am itching to buy more but I wanna wait until winter so there is no chance they warp on the way.

Also if you have any problem they are very helpful per email and very kind to solve your issue or problem so dont be shy to just ask them about it directly.

I love my CPCs they are my "Top Shelf" Chips and something players enjoy on my table, they only come out for the special end of season tournament every 3 months.

10/10 for CPC

 

[improviseallday]

Some more useful reading material:

- The last thread where we talked about this: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/cpc-disappointment.106950/
- CPC note on split spots: http://www.classicpokerchips.com/pokerchips/realclay/split_spots.jpg

 

[cpac54]

I’ve bought two custom sets from CPC and wouldn’t hesitate to buy a third.

 

[JP1984]

I'm currently designing a tourney set, to go with my CPC cash set, I don't even host tourneys, that's how much I love CPC.

 

[Eriks]

I love CPC! Most likely doing a second cashset soon. I received a sample barrel of the mold I’m considering. They were all excellent condition chips with great colors and spots.

These look like they’ve been exposed to heat during transport. Every other ”issue” is normal and to some degree to be expected in a hand made product.

 

[improviseallday]

The warped chips are almost certainly from heat damage somewhere along the way. Maybe they spent a night or two in a hot warehouse along the way or a day in a hot mailbox. All of my custom CPC sets (and ASM before), I intentionally had sent to my office where someone would be able to pick them up and bring them inside as soon as they were delivered to not run the risk of them spending any time in a mailbox here in southern Arizona.

When I order beef online, it comes surrounded by ice packs. Crazy idea... is this feasible for shipping CPC chips during hot summer months? Not an expert any means but I imagine there might be some margins on a $2000 order to make it happen.

 

[Quicksilver-75]

If it would help you settle any doubts I'd happilyvsend you a couple of my chips. They're E&C and FDL. They are flawless and stack like Champs.

 

[PlaidDragon]

Quality of CPC

I own three individual CPC custom sets produced between 2018 and this year for an add-on. The number of actual defects across all of them likely adds up to less than 1%. I have one set each on a-mold, scrown, and csq with the latter leading the errors count with a few unexplained spinners (and there I've only discovered 6 total in a set of nearly 800).

That many spinners is slightly annoying but this is more than offset given CPC has included extras in each set or add-on that I've ever ordered from them. The quantity of the extras per denom has spanned from as few as two all the way up to SEVENTEEN in one case for my scrown $1 chips. They don't have to do this... but they do, which is yet another reason why CPC is awesome.

Logically, one won't receive extras when ordering stock chips; but if there is truly an issue they'll likely set it right.

So yes, CPCs are pricey compared to a lot of other options, but imho very worth it if one desires casino-grade compression clay chips.

Now... on to more important things like how to convince my wife that I actually didn't buy more chips if a new set of CPCs actually did show up. Hmmm..........

 

[JP1984]

Now... on to more important things like how to convince my wife that I actually didn't buy more chips if a new set of CPCs actually did show up. Hmmm..........

If you figure this out, let us know!

 

[LeGold]

"Ordered these 2 years ago! You know, manual labor, covid, long delivery times..."

 

[maxim_666666]

You only have 2 defective chips. It's 5000 and 1. It's actually just heat warping. They were clearly damaged during transportation. And you can make them even by simply dipping them in boiling water for a couple of seconds and trying to bend them. If it doesn’t work out, then maybe a little longer. The main thing is not to overdo it. The remaining "disadvantages" are the result of manual labor. For example, I really like chips with light variations. Don't let an accident ruin your experience with the chips. Maybe someone will sell you a barrel of “not a sample”.

 

[SwissChip]

Price/performance is absolutely correct at CPC!
They make a good job there.
You need some patience for a custom set - but it's the only place to get a custom clay set!

 

[Colquhoun]

And you can make them even by simply dipping them in boiling water for a couple of seconds and trying to bend them.

I do not recommend boiling water. WAY too hot, and will destroy the chip. You need to warm the chips completely through before trying to flatten them. They may crack if not heated through to a consistent temp, and be careful…CPCs are even more susceptible to heat than Paulsons.
Gently warming them with something like a heating pad to no more than 140 degrees (110-120 is even enough) for 10 minutes is sufficient to lightly clamp them for flattening.

 

[maxim_666666]

I do not recommend boiling water. WAY too hot, and will destroy the chip. You need to warm the chips completely through before trying to flatten them. They may crack if not heated through to a consistent temp, and be careful…CPCs are even more susceptible to heat than Paulsons.
Gently warming them with something like a heating pad to no more than 140 degrees (110-120 is even enough) for 10 minutes is sufficient to lightly clamp them for flattening.

Well, I didn’t mean throw them in boiling water and cook)))) they really quickly become too soft.

 

[Colquhoun]

Well, I didn’t mean throw them in boiling water and cook)))) they really quickly become too soft.

My point was that no amount of time in boiling water will avoid damage. I’ve got some THC that were damaged by the hotstamp block…the press didn’t even touch them, and that was for a second. Left a melted square shape on the chips:

But there’s the other thing I mentioned, that the chip needs to be heated throughout to flatten, or you run the risk of it cracking if the outside of the chip has been warmed but the inside is cool.

Heat made ‘em…heat can destroy’em.

 

[maxim_666666]

2 days ago.. 5 minutes in hot water in the kitchen (so hot that it stings your hands) and simply holding the whole stack with your hand on the countertop at once! until they cool down. When cooling, the cooling water that is between the chips creates an additional vacuum between the chips and compresses them together even more (to a reasonable extent, of course).

 

[maxim_666666]

Before

 

[maxim_666666]

60 min after..
(Left side only.)
Ahead is grinding the edges, center and applying new hot stamping.

 

[upNdown]

This picture illustrates one of the things I like most about compressed clay chips. If that stray glob of black clay bothers you, compressed clay chips might not be for you. Have you sampled any of the higher end plastics?