Feedback / Review of New Hybrid Ceramic Chips (2 Viewers)

[davislane]

Hi PCF,

Looking to get feedback / reviews of the new hybrid ceramics that are popping up. With more planned on new molds, I just wanted to hear peoples experience with them before making the plunge myself. Hopefully it will help others in the same position now and in the future.

If you have purchased and or played with the new generation of hybrid ceramics I would love to get your thoughts on all facets of the chips in particular the following

-Inlay quality. Did you use the manufacturers inlays or go elsewhere? If so why?
-Slipperiness. Did this change after minimal or heavy use?
-Print quality. Has there been issues with printing in the mold? Has the colours faded over time? Has the been colour transfer or signs of wear?

I understand they are budget options so I'm just wanting to manage my expectations before committing to a purchase.

Cheers in advance for any contributions to this thread!

 

[BEANO52]

I got a sample set of @chipinla Playboy club, they are amazing ! Highly recommend.

 

[ThinkingFold]

Have a set of @justincarothers hybrids and cannot recommend them highly enough. These are absolutely worth it in my opinion.

-Inlay quality. Did you use the manufacturers inlays or go elsewhere? If so why?

This is my one gripe. I do not like the manufacturer inlays. They are far too shiny in my opinion. However, they appear to be on par with all the NAGB Paulson chips so not specific to Tina chips. Not sure what is up with peoples obsession with glossy everything nowadays. Gear labels are superior imho.

-Slipperiness. Did this change after minimal or heavy use?

Have only seen the felt twice so far but no issues at all...............well I did find two spinners but both were because of poorly applied labels that I popped off and re-centered and it fixed the issue. My hybrids, Greek Mold, stack like bricks and no slipperiness at all.

-Print quality. Has there been issues with printing in the mold? Has the colours faded over time? Has the been colour transfer or signs of wear?

Again, only felted twice so far but no color transfer or fading that I have noticed.

 

[SeanGecko]

Check out my page on HARDWELL UNDERGROUND post https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/hardwell-underground-cash-game-omaha-ne.53822/post-2354937

 

[Colquhoun]

I have samples of all of Tina’s hybrid offerings.

First, you have a choice for the inlays…textured or semi-gloss. I’m not a fan of the textured inlays, the semi-gloss are SO much better.
The textured is not very textured, and is extremely shiny. It picks up a lot of glare. It also uses a white vinyl base and colors are printed on top.
The semi-gloss uses a “pearlescent”-type base that is gorgeous. If you have a white background, it looks like it has a pearl quality. If you print a light gray, it ends up looking almost like silver. Since it’s semi-gloss, it doesn’t suffer the same glare problems as the textured. The inlays just seem to glow. For me, it’s semi-gloss on every chip going forward.

Quality of the printing is superior. Very detailed, and I wouldn’t hesitate to throw just about any image at these. For the Pioneer Club chips I did, the foreground was vector art, and the sunset was a photograph. Prints beautifully and even small white text is sharp and doesn’t “fill in”.
Note: these were done on the textured inlay, and I’m thinking of having them redone on the semi-gloss. The print quality, however, should be the same.

As far as wear, I haven’t used them enough to know how they will hold up. I’ve been shuffling a sample on and off for a month or so, and while it may have smoothed them out slightly, I wouldn’t call them slippery. Slipperier than a clay chip, but they definitely fared better than the cards mold samples I’ve shuffled. No spinners, as the recess is deep enough to prevent contact in the center.

I do think these hybrids are a game-changer. They feel better than any ceramic chip I’ve tried, and that coupled with the ability to print just about anything on the label makes them a winner for me. The only reason to go with a standard ceramic, imo, is when you want to use full-face art. But if you want to replicate a traditional inlaid chip, the hybrids can’t be beat.

 

[Salmonblaster]

I want these so badly! They look fantastic. Unfortunately, my label design is likely going to have a front and back so I would have to do my own stickers/applying and I am struggling with the thought of the extra cost for that.

All of that being said, these are tremendous looking chips and my NEXT next set will definitely be on these.

 

[Colquhoun]

I want these so badly! They look fantastic. Unfortunately, my label design is likely going to have a front and back so I would have to do my own stickers/applying and I am struggling with the thought of the extra cost for that.

All of that being said, these are tremendous looking chips and my NEXT next set will definitely be on these.

Tina charges an art setup fee for the labels she produces. $80 is the minimum I believe, so you could get just the chips made and put that $80 toward your own labels.

 

[Salmonblaster]

Tina charges an art setup fee for the labels she produces. $80 is the minimum I believe, so you could get just the chips made and put that $80 toward your own labels.

This is true...I think I'm just wanting them to look as nice as these hybrid labels do with the matte and precise printing job, which means my set probably doubles in cost unfortunately and more saving is needed...

Edit to add so I don't hijack the thread further, I realize this is 100% a problem of my own making and in no way reflects on these hybrids. Just wanting to make sure that is abundantly clear and reiterate how much I love these chips.

 

[MrRossKeys]

I purchased textured hybrids early 2023. I think the newer hybrids coming out currently are definitely better in terms of material feel, color reproduction, and inlay reproduction.

You can view my journey and review here: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...ips-button-felt-cut-seat-playing-cards.98089/

I have a sample set of the Greek Key hybrids, and I can say without a doubt that they are better in every way than my hybrids. The feel of my chips is a lot more slippery than when they arrived. I hosted 6x 20-player tournaments which lasted about 8 hours each, and over time the chips all generally are slippery. They aren't the most slippery I've ever owned or used, but they aren't tacky by any stretch.

Also, the inlay printing turned out decent, but I had a very big argument with the vendor about one of the denomination inlays being WAY too saturated, and essentially the wrong color (red instead of orange). They insisted that I believe that their printing was right, to which I refused and found a vendor here on PCF who printed that denomination specifically.

For the mold, I went with no mold, so I'll only comment to say that the colors on my chips did not print evenly for some colors (dark colors mostly) but it isn't too distracting or noticeable as a whole.

I'd give my chips an 8/10 overall, and I'd give the new Greek Key Hybrids a 9.4/10.