Which would you rather, Milano or 12 Stripe? (1 Viewer)

[Longfoot]

I'm new here, so be kind if this has been solved many times over. I'm also located outside the U.S., so my options are limited. The only thing available locally are dice chips, which I already have. However, even my wife see's the value in having denominated chips. And, it sounds as though Anita will custom label if I provide the artwork.

So, for a micro to lo stakes cash set, to be factory labelled with custom labels, which would you rather and why?

Milano's
or
12 Stripes
??

I'm ordering sample sets of both, as well as a set of the labelled hybrid ceramics. The hybrid ceramics are a small price bracket higher and I'm not sure we can justify a large set of those in our budget. But, who knows how long these will take to arrive. And, I'm curious to hear the opinions of those who have played with either/both for an extended period of time.
A phrase regarding a not very speedy boat from China comes to mind.

 

[ThinkingFold]

Between those two options, would go Milano personally.

However, I had Milano's that sat in a climate controlled closet ( so no excessive sun or heat/humidity ) for about two years. When I fished them out, all the pink and yellow chips had faded to almost white. The other colors seemed fine but FYI some Milano's will fade over time.

 

[Nanook]

...... I'm also located outside the U.S., so my options are limited. The only thing available locally are dice chips.....

While this may be true, that doesn't mean those are your only options. There is always the classifieds here and GB's & the like here on PCF

......even my wife see's the value in having denominated chips. And, it sounds as though Anita will custom label if I provide the artwork.

So, for a micro to lo stakes cash set, to be factory labelled with custom labels, which would you rather and why?

Milano's
or
12 Stripes
??

I vote neither. They are both terrible and are a terrible value. Hybrids are only marginally more expensive, but are like 1000x better

I'm ordering sample sets of both, as well as a set of the labelled hybrid ceramics. The hybrid ceramics are a small price bracket higher and I'm not sure we can justify a large set of those in our budget. But, who knows how long these will take to arrive. And, I'm curious to hear the opinions of those who have played with either/both for an extended period of time.
A phrase regarding a not very speedy boat from China comes to mind.

Suit yourself. It is a good idea to get samples, but many of us have already done that and there is a clear consensus

 

[Longfoot]

Between those two options, would go Milano personally.

However, I had Milano's that sat in a climate controlled closet ( so no excessive sun or heat/humidity ) for about two years. When I fished them out, all the pink and yellow chips had faded to almost white. The other colors seemed fine but FYI some Milano's will fade over time.

Hmmm,.... did you try anything to revive their color? Washing, oiling? Or, were they simply gone and faded?

It seems there's variation in Milano production between the chinese manufacturers/vendors/lot runs and I've not seen any posts on how to sort them out.

The fading issue, along with variations in the label panel ridges seem like 2 reasons to possibly favor the straight up plastic 12 strips. But, I like the idea of a insert 10g chip.

 

[Longfoot]

While this may be true, that doesn't mean those are your only options. There is always the classifieds here and GB's & the like here on PCF

True enough. However, shipping from the U.S., extra margins and exchange rates, don't really favor looking to the U.S.

Australia and China seem my logical, financial, choices. The one exception being the possibility of a drop shipment direct to me out of one of the GB's.

I vote neither. They are both terrible and are a terrible value. Hybrids are only marginally more expensive, but are like 1000x better


Suit yourself. It is a good idea to get samples, but many of us have already done that and there is a clear consensus

In what ways are they "like 1000X better"? Sell me on spending twice as much on them. I'm not beyond considering them.

By my calculations, at least as a direct from Anita purchase and based on my likely set size of somewhere shy of 2,000 chips. Ceramics are likely twice as expensive. In dollars and cents it's not earth shattering, only a few hundred. But, I don't see either having ANY resale value here.

 

[ThinkingFold]

Hmmm,.... did you try anything to revive their color? Washing, oiling? Or, were they simply gone and faded?

It seems there's variation in Milano production between the chinese manufacturers/vendors/lot runs and I've not seen any posts on how to sort them out.

The fading issue, along with variations in the label panel ridges seem like 2 reasons to possibly favor the straight up plastic 12 strips. But, I like the idea of a insert 10g chip.

No, I just tossed them. Do not believe there was anything I could have done to get the color back.

And in my experience different production runs will have slightly different colors. Probably not enough to notice in play, but when in a rack and looking for it, you would notice.

 

[Nanook]

No, I just tossed them........

This kinda tells you about their value

 

[allforcharity]

In general, I would take ceramic chips over China Clay. And anything over the cheapest plastic.

 

[Nanook]

........In what ways are they "like 1000X better"? Sell me on spending twice as much on them. I'm not beyond considering them.

ok, here goes:
Feel: Paulsons are the undisputed champ in this regard. The Tina Hybrids are about 95% of the way there. They are REALLY that good! The Milano/12 Stripes are not even close. They are not the absolute worst, but they are a LONG way from the best. The worst are the ABS slugged "dice" chips and I would put the Milano/12 Stripes a lot closer to "dice" chips on the spectrum of feel. Rating 1 = Worst possible and 10 = best possible: Paulson = 10, Hybrids = 9, Milano/12 Stripe = 2, Dice =1

Looks & Security: If you are a casino Paulsons can look just about any way you want and can have the ultimate in security, however we can't get all that without having a gaming license. You can buy Paulsons from a closed Casino/Card Room and replace the inlays and have a semi-custom chip, but we are limited in this way. The Tina Hybrids are about as good as it gets as for looks. You can have them just about any way you want them. Milano/12 Stripes you just get what they are and you have NO security at all as anyone can buy your exact chips for pennies and bring them into your game. Rating: Paulson for Casino = 10, Paulson for home game = 7, Hybrids = 10, Milano/12 Stripe = 4, Dice =1

How they Stack & wear:
Paulsons stack really well when new, but they do suffer from wear. Fortunately it takes a LOT of play to put much wear on them. When I say a lot I am talking about 24/7 use for years type of "A LOT" For home game use you are NEVER going to see this sort of wear. Hybrids or any type of Ceramics will wear poorly in a casino as the dye gets worn off the chip eventually. Again, this only takes place with 24/7 casino use and would never happen in a home game type of use. Hybrids stack like bricks and basically will never wear in a home game Milanos/12 Stripes are really slippery and difficult to stack which makes them much less enjoyable to use. Rating: Paulson for Casino = 7, Paulson for home game = 9, Hybrids = 10, Milano/12 Stripe = 2, Dice =1

Collectability:
High end poker chips are expensive just like anything that is collectible. Nice Paulson chips can easily be $5-$30/chip. The good news is that they will typically hold their value really well or even go up in value over time. Cheap chips will be difficult to sell for anything at all used. If you decide you no longer want your cheap chips, you should assume a 100% loss. Rating: Paulson for Casino = 10, Hybrids = 5, Milano/12 Stripe = 1, Dice =1

I am sure I am missing plenty, but the main point is that you are getting basically the best of all worlds with the Tina Hybrids. You get a high % of all of the best qualities of a Compression Molded High end Paulson for only a little more than the cheapest chips out there when those cheap chips exhibit almost none of the good qualities of High end chips.

By my calculations, at least as a direct from Anita purchase and based on my likely set size of somewhere shy of 2,000 chips. Ceramics are likely twice as expensive. In dollars and cents it's not earth shattering, only a few hundred. But, I don't see either having ANY resale value here.

You know what the extra expenses are because of you being in Australia so I will accept what you say at face value. Regardless of cost, the market for used poker chips in Australia is going to be limited and both of these two choices will likely result in close to 100% loss should you choose to sell. Milanos and 12 Stripes both basically suck and you will most likely want something different at some point. The Tina hybrids are actually really nice and will last a lifetime so there is that

 

[Longfoot]

ok, here goes:
Feel: Paulsons are the undisputed champ in this regard. The Tina Hybrids are about 95% of the way there. They are REALLY that good! The Milano/12 Stripes are not even close. They are not the absolute worst, but they are a LONG way from the best. The worst are the ABS slugged "dice" chips and I would put the Milano/12 Stripes a lot closer to "dice" chips on the spectrum of feel. Rating 1 = Worst possible and 10 = best possible: Paulson = 10, Hybrids = 9, Milano/12 Stripe = 2, Dice =1

Looks & Security: If you are a casino Paulsons can look just about any way you want and can have the ultimate in security, however we can't get all that without having a gaming license. You can buy Paulsons from a closed Casino/Card Room and replace the inlays and have a semi-custom chip, but we are limited in this way. The Tina Hybrids are about as good as it gets as for looks. You can have them just about any way you want them. Milano/12 Stripes you just get what they are and you have NO security at all as anyone can buy your exact chips for pennies and bring them into your game. Rating: Paulson for Casino = 10, Paulson for home game = 7, Hybrids = 10, Milano/12 Stripe = 4, Dice =1

How they Stack & wear:
Paulsons stack really well when new, but they do suffer from wear. Fortunately it takes a LOT of play to put much wear on them. When I say a lot I am talking about 24/7 use for years type of "A LOT" For home game use you are NEVER going to see this sort of wear. Hybrids or any type of Ceramics will wear poorly in a casino as the dye gets worn off the chip eventually. Again, this only takes place with 24/7 casino use and would never happen in a home game type of use. Hybrids stack like bricks and basically will never wear in a home game Milanos/12 Stripes are really slippery and difficult to stack which makes them much less enjoyable to use. Rating: Paulson for Casino = 7, Paulson for home game = 9, Hybrids = 10, Milano/12 Stripe = 2, Dice =1

Collectability:
High end poker chips are expensive just like anything that is collectible. Nice Paulson chips can easily be $5-$30/chip. The good news is that they will typically hold their value really well or even go up in value over time. Cheap chips will be difficult to sell for anything at all used. If you decide you no longer want your cheap chips, you should assume a 100% loss. Rating: Paulson for Casino = 10, Hybrids = 5, Milano/12 Stripe = 1, Dice =1

I am sure I am missing plenty, but the main point is that you are getting basically the best of all worlds with the Tina Hybrids. You get a high % of all of the best qualities of a Compression Molded High end Paulson for only a little more than the cheapest chips out there when those cheap chips exhibit almost none of the good qualities of High end chips.


You know what the extra expenses are because of you being in Australia so I will accept what you say at face value. Regardless of cost, the market for used poker chips in Australia is going to be limited and both of these two choices will likely result in close to 100% loss should you choose to sell. Milanos and 12 Stripes both basically suck and you will most likely want something different at some point. The Tina hybrids are actually really nice and will last a lifetime so there is that

I thank you for the detailed response and attempt to quantify what others simply qualify. It helps.

By the way, its a New Zealand flag in my location tag. Even worse than Oz, when it comes to gamblers. The Ozzies are far greater risk takers than Kiwis. And, there's 12X as many of them.

On paper I like the idea of the hybrid ceramics. One thing that concerns me, is my ability to get good art work together for them. I'm one of those personalities, that if I'm going to do something custom, its gonna' be done to the nth degree and exactly what I want. And, as you pointed out, one of their values is cash game security. If I were to go with a stock design that's negated, and, for little to no cost savings.

I could probably convince myself to live with a less sophisticated custom label in the Milano's or 12 stripes. Since, "they're only that".

Budget creep. Its a real thing.

Paulsons, or CPC's, are out of the question.

Thanks Again,

 

[Nanook]

.......By the way, its a New Zealand flag in my location tag.......

So sorry, my bad...

On paper I like the idea of the hybrid ceramics. One thing that concerns me, is my ability to get good art work together for them. I'm one of those personalities, that if I'm going to do something custom, its gonna' be done to the nth degree and exactly what I want. .....

Find a designer here and spend some time on it. In the end it'll be worth it

Paulsons, or CPC's, are out of the question.

Stick around for a bit. You'll come around