|
|
Thank you for visiting Custompokerchipsshop.com! If you are looking for a wide variety of custom poker chipsyou've come to the right store. We have more than 20 poker chip designs to choose from, and we have among the largest selection of clay poker chips and composite poker chips anywhere at discounted prices. We carry a wide selection of plastic playing cards from brands like Kem, Copag, and Modiano, poker accessories, and poker table tops. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our built in bulk and wholesale quantity discount price structure.
We also invite you to take a moment to browse our personalized poker chips page. We specialize in creating custom printed poker sets and chips with everything from initials and denominations to company logos and custom designed artwork. If you have an idea for a design but don't have the computer skills to create camera-ready artwork, we can even do the design work for you! Our customized poker sets & chips are more affordable than you think and can have a turnaround time as short as 1-2 days. Just select a chip design and we'll do the rest.
Perhaps the most commonly asked question we receive is, "What is the difference between clay poker chips and composite poker chips, and why are clay poker chips more expensive?"
When we talk about clay poker chips vs. composite poker chips we are, of course, talking about the material the chips are made of, and let's get one thing out of the way: ALL poker chips are a composite of materials. There is no such thing as a 100% clay poker chip, as this would be too soft and fragile to use. Most poker chips for the home market, clay or composite, are injection die molded around a metal core, so when I say "metal insert," this is what I am referencing. Below, I will outline the pros and cons of each material.
- Clay poker chips
- As the poker chips used in casinos were, at one time, made of clay, this is considered to be the most "authentic" material to use for the home market. For this reason, demand for clay poker chips is quite high, and factor in the higher manufacturing cost of making clay chips as compared to composite chips and you have the answer as to why clay chips are more expensive. Clay poker chips are often referred to as "clay composite" poker chips. Clay poker chips usually mirror casino poker chips in weight, and a standard weight range is anywhere from 9 to 14 grams.
- Pros for clay poker chips:
-
- Authenticity: Clay poker chips have a more authentic feel and sound when stacked or clicked together. The most authentic feeling and sounding chips are clay poker chips with no metal insert. These sometimes sell at a premium to standard clay poker chips, but without the metal insert, the feel and sound is the most authentic available.
- Stackability: Clay poker chips are much softer than composite poker chips and that softer material makes the chips more tacky when rubbed together, meaning they are easier to pick up in stacks without chips sliding out.
- Character: Some say that the little marks and nicks that clay poker chips get over time gives them a character
- Cons for clay poker chips:
-
- Price: they are more expensive than composite poker chips. High end clay poker chips can cost upwards of $1/chip
- Customization: while clay poker chips are great for custom labels, the relatively soft material makes them hard to hot stamp, limiting the choice for customization.
- Softness: while some people feel the little nicks and marks give clay poker chips character over time, there's no denying that they do mark, dent, or chip easier than composite poker chips
- Material variety: not all clay poker chips are created equally, and some contain more composite than others
- Loose molds: because of the relatively soft material, clay poker chips often have less than perfect details where different colors in the chip design intersect
Composite poker chips
The term composite poker chips refers to a material known as ABS composite, a very durable material often used in the manufacturing of pipes and casings. The feel is akin to a high density plastic, though they are certainly not to be confused with the cheap plastic poker chips you can find at retailers like Wal-Mart. Composite poker chips are still usually made with multiple color molds and weigh somewhere in the authentic 9-14 gram range.
Pros for composite poker chips:
- Durability: ABS composite is a harder material than clay, so while clay poker chips can dent, chip and mark, composite poker chips are extremely hard to damage in any way, meaning they will stay looking brand new for much much longer. Composite poker chips with metal inserts are all but indestructible without the use of tools and a large dose of destructive intent.
- Looks: composite poker chips look great. Because the material is harder than clay, it adheres to the molds much better, creating sharper, more accurate details, and often more vibrant color.
- Customization: hot stamping is a fast and cheap way to customize poker chips. Many clay chips simply cannot be hot stamped, limiting their customization options to more costly color labels, but composite chips are great for either method of customization.
- Price: composite poker chips cost less than their clay counterparts and offer great bang-for-the-buck. While high end clay chips can cost upwards of $1/chip, quality composite poker chips can be had for as little as $.08-$.10/chip
Cons for composite poker chips:
- Authenticity: composite poker chips tend to have a more plastic-like feel to them, giving them more of a plastic/metallic "click" when stacked, rather than the authentic "thud" of the softer material of real casino chips.
- Stackability: because of the hard material, composite poker chips tend to be a bit more slippery when rubbed together, which translates into the need to be very careful when trying to pick up a horizontal stack, lest you want to be playing clean up the fallen chips.
Conclusion
Both clay poker chips and composite poker chips offer a great option for home poker chips. Clay poker chips have the more authentic feel, while composite poker chips are the real value buy. Both can be customized, but there are more options for customizing composite poker chips. As with most things, a lot of it comes down to personal preference.
MSRP: $0.35
Price: Starting at $0.17
Custom poker chips with hot stamped initials and/or denominations
|
MSRP: $48.97
Price: $34.99
You Save: $13.98 (29 %)
Test Product - This is the short description of the product
|
Price: Starting at $99.99
|
Other Stores you might enjoy: Clay Poker Chips - Chess sets - Custom Poker Chips
|
|
|