New US Playing Card "Casino Diamond" Kems?

[duma]

http://www.usplayingcard.com/images/casino_17.jpg
Came across this while browsing the US Playing Card website. My guess is that these are exact quality of Kems with USPC branding. when do u think we will see these for sale?

btw, these are the same cards that they use in the show Tilt.

[Lottery Larry]

The yellow centers make them look like Copag decks

[warewulf]

Link please!

[Nickmast]

http://www.usplayingcard.com

[warewulf]

Pretty vague! Other than the picture, there's no mention on the site.

[AngryCola]

I'm pretty sure those aren't going to be the new KEM decks.
I've heard that the arrow style is what they are going to be producing.

I hope so, because the cards in the pics you provided look awful.

[MSPatton]

Diamond is a Casino only product USPC has been doing for years.
(note: they are listed on the casino page)

USPC is soliciting orders for Arrow Bridge Regular Index Blue/Red in double and singles.
Also the same for Paisley in singles and doubles

USPC bought the Trademark for Kem and the back designs,
They bought the machinery and moved it to Ohio. They did not
buy the plastic company that Kem used (and owned) They are making their
own plastic which is a process that takes 6 week+ from start to finish as it
has to cure before cut and printing occurs.

They will be doing more backs in the future, but for now they are just trying
to keep up, or get caught up, with the current demand. Won't happen in the
near future. P.O.'s now are taking 2+ months to fill. /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[AngryCola]

Wow.

Thanks for all the information. It sounds like you have spoken to someone who knows what's up.

Just one thing:
[ QUOTE ]
They bought the machinery and moved it to Ohio. They did not buy the plastic company that Kem used (and owned) They are making their own plastic.

[/ QUOTE ]

That doesn't sound good.

Do you have any knowledge about the quality of the plastic?

[duma]

Man what is up with all these companies? making us wait. they are losing money in the process. many people i know have switched to Copag because of this. Same thing with Paulson. they have lost alot of money to Chipco and ASM chips because of their delays.

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]
Man what is up with all these companies? making us wait. they are losing money in the process. many people i know have switched to Copag because of this. Same thing with Paulson. they have lost alot of money to Chipco and ASM chips because of their delays.

[/ QUOTE ]

No doubt. Kem had a lock on the premium card market in the U.S. If you asked people a year ago, no one would have even mentioned Copag.

As soon as Kem cards were unavailable, people tried Copag, and saw they were quite good, especially for less money.

This could make a case study for business schools.

[MSPatton]

[ QUOTE ]
Wow.

Thanks for all the information. It sounds like you have spoken to someone who knows what's up.

Just one thing:
[ QUOTE ]
They bought the machinery and moved it to Ohio. They did not buy the plastic company that Kem used (and owned) They are making their own plastic.

[/ QUOTE ]

That doesn't sound good.

Do you have any knowledge about the quality of the plastic?

[/ QUOTE ]

I do not. I spoke with my rep today and Kem is fielding 100's
of calls a day, most from end users wanting information.
USPC looks at this aquisition as a long term thing for them,
and while it is painful right now to the end user because of
the shortage. They feel that they have to bring the quality
expected of the Kem name to the market and that it will take time
to do that properly. If they were to rush this product to the
market and it was sub standard to what the consumers expect
that could do more harm in the long run to the Kem Brand.
I know that's not what everyone wants to here in this immeadiate
gratification world. But I can see all the complainers now screaming
about USPC ruining the best card on the market if the quality was not there /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[Mojo Tooth]

It sounds very bad to me, not because I'm worried about the eventual quality of the Kems yet to be produced, but because that pretty much ensures that I will never get replacement cards for my current defective Kem deck.

I suppose if they were feeling particularly charitable they might send me a whole new deck. And if they want to mend their brand reputation as far as I'm concerned, they should do so. But I don't expect them to.

Copags are good enough for me.

[AngryCola]

[ QUOTE ]
I know that's not what everyone wants to here in this immeadiate ratification world.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thankfully, I'm not one of those people. I would rather they get it right than to rush the product out. If I need more cards, there are still some good old KEM decks being sold on eBay.

[ QUOTE ]
But I can see all the complainers now screaming
about USPC ruining the best card on the market if the quality was not there

[/ QUOTE ]

I will be one of them if they do a poor job when they finally start releasing the cards.
But I can wait a long time for them to get it right before the release.

Thanks again for such great information.

[AngryCola]

[ QUOTE ]
And if they want to mend their brand reputation as far as I'm concerned, they should do so. But I don't expect them to.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is silly. The company was sold and is going through a huge upheaval. But you think USPC should deal with your minor 1 deck problem? They are not KEM, nor do they offer the same guarantees as KEM did.
Does that suck? Yes.

But just beause you can't get ONE of your decks fixed is no reason to throw a fit. I bet you're the guy who returns his pizza because there was one onion on your pizza when you ordered no onions.

Pick off the one onion, and don't expect every company which goes through a huge sale to be perfect.

Give me a break.

[MSPatton]

[ QUOTE ]
Wow.

Thanks for all the information. It sounds like you have spoken to someone who knows what's up.

Just one thing:
[ QUOTE ]
They bought the machinery and moved it to Ohio. They did not buy the plastic company that Kem used (and owned) They are making their own plastic.

[/ QUOTE ]

That doesn't sound good.

Do you have any knowledge about the quality of the plastic?

[/ QUOTE ]

I was able to confirm today that USPC is using Celulose Acetate (same as Kem) and not PVC plastic on the cards.

Also look for Jumbo index and Poker sized in July

All I Know /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[AngryCola]

[ QUOTE ]
I was able to confirm today that USPC is using Celulose Acetate (same as Kem) and not PVC plastic on the cards.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's great news.

Thanks.

[Mojo Tooth]

[ QUOTE ]

But just beause you can't get ONE of your decks fixed is no reason to throw a fit. I bet you're the guy who returns his pizza because there was one onion on your pizza when you ordered no onions.


[/ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Well, good thing you're probably not a police profiler then. I haven't thrown any kind of fit and don't plan to. I'm just not particuarly hopeful about the possibility of rescuing my current set of Kems, which has the common cut in the 7/images/graemlins/club.gif. And I probably will buy Copags instead from now on. Ah, well. Copags are almost as good for less money, anyways.

I bet you're the guy that assumes everyone on the other end of the wire is jumping up and down throwing a tantrum just because they don't use a smiley at the end of every sentence.

Are you emotionally connected to Kem for some reason? I ask because of the defensive attitude. Vested interest of some kind? Never mind, I don't need to know. I already know too much about you.

[AngryCola]

A very good reply on your part. I must commend you.

No, I have no affilation with KEM. But I just thought it was weird and nitpicky of you to refuse to buy a company's product for the duration of your life (or whatever) because of something like this.

I mean, you should try to understand the challenges involved for them right now. Maybe cut them a bit of slack?

[ QUOTE ]

I bet you're the guy that assumes everyone on the other end of the wire is jumping up and down throwing a tantrum just because they don't use a smiley at the end of every sentence.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not true. I was just taking issue with the reasons for your choice, not how it was presented.

[ QUOTE ]
I already know too much about you.

[/ QUOTE ]

Somehow I doubt that you know very much about me. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Still, great reply.

[duma]

[ QUOTE ]

I was able to confirm today that USPC is using Celulose Acetate (same as Kem) and not PVC plastic on the cards.

Also look for Jumbo index and Poker sized in July

All I Know /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow July is a loooooong time away. is that for all cards or just jumbo and poker sized? will regular index bridge size be available sooner and if so when? and with what back design? thx

[Mojo Tooth]

[ QUOTE ]

No, I have no affilation with KEM. But I just thought it was weird and nitpicky of you to refuse to buy a company's product for the duration of your life (or whatever) because of something like this.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, shoot, why didn't you just say THAT instead? /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I won't say I'll forswear Kems completely forever and ever amen. They're not the RIAA. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

It's just that

a) I didn't get much use out of my arrow decks before the cut was discovered (in the middle of a tournament, embarrassingly),

b) I tried twice to get them to replace it and after getting my mail Returned To Sender managed to email someone that told me that MAYBE their replacement program would be back in place early 2005. Which I now know is extremely unlikely since the cards will be manufactured by a different entity altogether

c) they're not easy to find right now at any price

d) I find Copags to be of comparable quality at a significant discount. Not trying to start a holy war; I like my kems better than my Copags but at just over half the price I'll live with the Copags.

If Kem were to somehow make me happy with my defective deck, then I would feel some loyalty. But I just don't.

[ QUOTE ]
Somehow I doubt that you know very much about me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just figured you were a typical raving internet forum yokel. I'll happily reevaluate that opinion.

[duma]

i heard a rumor that USPC cannot get the ink to stick on the plastic and has to call the old workers from Kem to help them out. who's to say these old workers will help them. and if they dont, i would guess that Kems would be gone forever.

terrible news guys.

[maryfield48]

Alright, Mojo, Cola, enough. Stop before somebody tells you to 'get a room'.

[AngryCola]

[ QUOTE ]
Alright, Mojo, Cola, enough. Stop before somebody tells you to 'get a room'.

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you mean?

I'm pretty sure we settled things in a very friendly way.

I'm sure mojo would agree.

Btw, that argument was not recent.
You're late!

[Mojo Tooth]

I love you guys

[AngryCola]

[ QUOTE ]
I love you guys

[/ QUOTE ]

Well...

I really didn't think we were quite that friendly.

/images/graemlins/shocked.gif