Chip Durability Testing

[prairieboy]

I recently got samples from Chipco, Pokerchips.com and thepokerchipcompany.com as well as an ebay retailer whose name escapes me at the moment.

I wanted to test how they would withstand use and abuse so I enlisted the help of my 3 year old, his construction set and our slate kitchen floor. Here are the results:

Chipco $1 (ish) - 1 almost invisible scuff on the edge
ebay $.20 11.5 gram dice "clay" chip - 1 very small dent on the edge
thepokerchipcompany $.35 8g six stripe clay chip - no damage
thepokerchipcompany $.55 10g crown clay chip - one 1/16" chip
pokerchips.com $.95 10g horsehead clay chip - one 1/8" chip

I was surprised to see the most expensive clay chip taking more damage than the cheaper clay chips. But, given the circumstances, I think that they all held up very well.

My conclusion: If you're buying the expensive clay chips, it's for the expanded customization options, not the quality of the chip itself.

[racingspider]

I got mad at my cat at zinged one of the onlinepokerchips at the wall near him (from across the room-a good 15 feet, overhand... not a light underhand toss). It held up nicely.

[Vagos]

I just recently bought some of those 95 cent chips from pokerchips.com and so far I'm impressed. I don't know how well they'll hold up if someone brings a hammer and a 3 year old to our game but really...is that much of a concern? To say they aren't "quality" because they don't hold up well in the face of an all out thrashing is a little ridiculous.
-Andy

[prairieboy]

As I said, "they all did very well". I was just surprised that the cheaper chips withstood the abuse as well as they did.

I would have thought that the cheaper the chip, the easier it would be to break, but that proved not to be the case.

Accordlingly, if anyone out there is looking for durable, attractive chips and doesn't want to get customization, a cheaper chip should serve their purposes nicely.

But FWIW, I still think the pokerchips.com chips are extremely cool.

[fsuplayer]

Plastic covered metal plates (ebay chips) will tend to hold up a little better than an actual clay chip, yes. But i'll take the look and feel of pokerchips.com anyday!
BTW The feline test for durability is the best I have yet to hear!
FsuPlayer(Not a cat lover)

[Vagos]

I don't think the cheaper, 11.5 gram ebay chips are attractive at all. They clank around like you're splashing quarters in the pot. I wouldn't put them near your 3 year old either with all the lead in them. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
-Andy

[toots]

I like the look/feel of pokerchips.com chips, but I just got my first eBayed Paul-Son chips today.

Boy, why have I been messing around with anything else? (Well, because anything else can be had for less than $1/chip, I guess).

In any case, it wouldn't surprise me at all to find that the Paul-Son chips are less sturdy than others. WHen I've tried sample chips, I've used an old casino chip as a sort of "Hardness" test - to see if I can scratch one chip with another.

Paul-Son chips tend to be a bit softer than other brands, including the pokerchips.com style. I see that as a good thing, because it makes the Paul-Son chips easier to "break in" (that is, smoothing the sharp edges, etc, and overall making them easier to handle/shuffle/riffle).

[StogeyMike]

The cat or the chip? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[racingspider]

lol. No felines were injured during the test. No poker chips were injured either. However, the wall was injured. So, if your walls begin to irritate you, cast thine poker chip upon it with great retribution. Your wall will cease to irritate you.