TINA vs SUNFLY (2 Viewers)

What is worth more, TINA or SUNFLY?

  • TINA

    Votes: 23 25.3%

  • SUNFLY

    Votes: 53 58.2%

  • Both are shit...

    Votes: 15 16.5%
  • Total voters
    91
TX_Golf_N_Poker said:
I am just now discovering this thread, but I would like to add to it. Anyone who know me knows that I am pro Tina cards mold, so yeah, I'm biased. But I think my bias comes from a place similar to many others here who would consider these chips. I'm not a fan of most ceramic chips. When I first joined PCF, I did so looking for inexpensive chips that looked and felt as similar to real compressed clay chips as possible. I still think no "cheap" chip that is also readily available comes closer than TCM. (Tina cards mold)

So first off, who says that TCM chips break quite easily? What is the evidence supporting this point? I would STRONGLY disagree that there is any consensus on this point. I ran the first big Aria's GB and had 33,000 of them delivered to my house. I opened every box and handled about 75% of the shrink wrapped stacks. Zero broken chips from that shipment. I've also bought chips from several other GBs and I am an active participant on most of the TCM threads here on PCF. I know in some of the early shipments @SeanGecko noted a few chips broken in shipment. But I don't know of anyone who has reported chips broken in play. @justincarothers has run a number of GBs also, so I would like to hear if he has a different experience. I just haven't heard this from anyone. Honestly, I've only heard the opposite. That TCM chips are very durable. There are at least a couple hundred thousand of these chips owned on PCF. If durability were an issue, I think we would have heard about it.

I will stress that those of us who have run GBs for TCM always recommend getting a few extras, because yes, it's certainly possible that a few chips could get broken during shipment. That, and to cover for the likelihood of a few spinners. But the cost of these is so low that it shouldn't be an issue to add a few extras to the order. I'm monitoring a few CPC threads and that advice is given there as well. For chips that are 8-10 times more expensive.

Back almost two years ago I wrote a detailed review of Sunfly cards mold vs. Tina cards mold. Here is the complete post.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/sunfly-polyclay-poker-chips.77029/post-1566675

I'll repeat two of my major points here as to why I prefer TCM over Sunfly:

Edges: SF cards mold edges are rounded and have a glossy finish. They will not stand up. TCM edges are flatter and have a matte finish. They will stand on edge. For me, both of these are a major mark against SF. I hate the gloss and prefer a chip that has flat edges and a matte finish. For others, it may not matter at all. I purchased polyclay style chips because they emulate real clay chips. The rounded and glossy edges defeat that look completely.

Vibrancy of Colors: The colors on the Tina CM chips are far more vibrant and striking than the colors on any of the SF chips that I have seen. The colors just seem muted to me on all SF CM chips that I have seen and handled.
Click to expand...
This is all great feedback, especially the part about Sunfly glossy edges - they may actually appeal to some people (especially people trying to copy the look of plastic chips) but it isn’t very clay-like.
TX_Golf_N_Poker said:
I did so looking for inexpensive chips that looked and felt as similar to real compressed clay chips as possible.
Click to expand...
Just a counterpoint to this one little bit - in my opinion, Tina card molds don’t feel similar in any way to clays. I don’t think any ceramics feel similar in any way to clay. Even hybrids (which have a recess and therefore come closer to the feel of clay than a molded ceramic like cards mold) don’t feel anything like clay.
I could go on and on but the tl;dr will be that in my opinion, no ceramic will ever approach the feel of clay enough for it to be a real consideration.
 
upNdown said:
This is all great feedback, especially the part about Sunfly glossy edges - they may actually appeal to some people (especially people trying to copy the look of plastic chips) but it isn’t very clay-like.

Just a counterpoint to this one little bit - in my opinion, Tina card molds don’t feel similar in any way to clays. I don’t think any ceramics feel similar in any way to clay. Even hybrids (which have a recess and therefore come closer to the feel of clay than a molded ceramic like cards mold) don’t feel anything like clay.
I could go on and on but the tl;dr will be that in my opinion, no ceramic will ever approach the feel of clay enough for it to be a real consideration.
Click to expand...
We are comparing Sunfly to Tina here. Neither are going to be confused with Paulsons. (In spite of the moronic argument in other threads that Tina hat & cane mold chips might be confused for real Paulsons) So my point stands that TCM chips are more like clay than Sunfly CM chips. Sunflys are instantly recognizable as ceramics due to the glossy edges. Tina chips somewhat less obvious.
 
Let me fix your post:

  • Good looking
  • Colors
CONs
  • Break quite easily
  • Some color variation between chips
  • You will probably get Spinners
  • Chalky texture (some like it)
  • Color and size consistency (a problem for add-ons in the future)
Deal Breakers
  • They will sell your artwork as their own
 
Machine said:
Let me fix your post:

  • Good looking
  • Colors
CONs
  • Break quite easily
  • Some color variation between chips
  • You will probably get Spinners
  • Chalky texture (some like it)
  • Color and size consistency (a problem for add-ons in the future)
Deal Breakers
  • They will sell your artwork as their own
Click to expand...
You didn't tag anyone, so we have no idea who's post you are "fixing."

You didn't identify which chip you are providing input for.

If it's the Tina chips, then you are again repeating the "breaks quite easily" claim. Care to back that up with any actual data? Have you personally received a shipment from China of over 30,000 chips???
 
I own sun-fly polyinno, but I have played both. There is definitely a stackability issue with the TINA ceramics. Meaning it's hard to slide multiple stacks across the table. A seat change is probably the only time it's noticiable, but how easy they go over, even if only 20 high, is noticiable.

Otherwise I think the TINA ceramics are okay, but there is a quality difference that's revealed when you move stacks at a time.
 
TX_Golf_N_Poker said:
I am just now discovering this thread, but I would like to add to it. Anyone who know me knows that I am pro Tina cards mold, so yeah, I'm biased. But I think my bias comes from a place similar to many others here who would consider these chips. I'm not a fan of most ceramic chips. When I first joined PCF, I did so looking for inexpensive chips that looked and felt as similar to real compressed clay chips as possible. I still think no "cheap" chip that is also readily available comes closer than TCM. (Tina cards mold)

So first off, who says that TCM chips break quite easily? What is the evidence supporting this point? I would STRONGLY disagree that there is any consensus on this point. I ran the first big Aria's GB and had 33,000 of them delivered to my house. I opened every box and handled about 75% of the shrink wrapped stacks. Zero broken chips from that shipment. I've also bought chips from several other GBs and I am an active participant on most of the TCM threads here on PCF. I know in some of the early shipments @SeanGecko noted a few chips broken in shipment. But I don't know of anyone who has reported chips broken in play. @justincarothers has run a number of GBs also, so I would like to hear if he has a different experience. I just haven't heard this from anyone. Honestly, I've only heard the opposite. That TCM chips are very durable. There are at least a couple hundred thousand of these chips owned on PCF. If durability were an issue, I think we would have heard about it.

I will stress that those of us who have run GBs for TCM always recommend getting a few extras, because yes, it's certainly possible that a few chips could get broken during shipment. That, and to cover for the likelihood of a few spinners. But the cost of these is so low that it shouldn't be an issue to add a few extras to the order. I'm monitoring a few CPC threads and that advice is given there as well. For chips that are 8-10 times more expensive.

Back almost two years ago I wrote a detailed review of Sunfly cards mold vs. Tina cards mold. Here is the complete post.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/sunfly-polyclay-poker-chips.77029/post-1566675

I'll repeat two of my major points here as to why I prefer TCM over Sunfly:

Edges: SF cards mold edges are rounded and have a glossy finish. They will not stand up. TCM edges are flatter and have a matte finish. They will stand on edge. For me, both of these are a major mark against SF. I hate the gloss and prefer a chip that has flat edges and a matte finish. For others, it may not matter at all. I purchased polyclay style chips because they emulate real clay chips. The rounded and glossy edges defeat that look completely.

Vibrancy of Colors: The colors on the Tina CM chips are far more vibrant and striking than the colors on any of the SF chips that I have seen. The colors just seem muted to me on all SF CM chips that I have seen and handled.
Click to expand...
I have received and reshipped close to 200,000 cards mold and no mold chips from Tina. I have had 1 broken chip in those shipments. I have had 2 people tell me they received a broken chip out of one of my reshipments. So far 3 out of ~200,000. Not bad. I also have a set of Palms Cards Mold that I have had for close to 2 years and none of those have ever broken.

Lots of people get on here and bash the chips on a daily basis for whatever reason. I have had good luck with them personally and would recommend them.

I would also recommend that people get samples and see them for themselves. I have plenty of samples and send them out all the time for the cost of shipping.
 
justincarothers said:
I have received and reshipped close to 200,000 cards mold and no mold chips from Tina. I have had 1 broken chip in those shipments. I have had 2 people tell me they received a broken chip out of one of my reshipments. So far 3 out of ~200,000. Not bad. I also have a set of Palms Cards Mold that I have had for close to 2 years and none of those have ever broken.

Lots of people get on here and bash the chips on a daily basis for whatever reason. I have had good luck with them personally and would recommend them.

I would also recommend that people get samples and see them for themselves. I have plenty of samples and send them out all the time for the cost of shipping.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I think it's pretty ridiculous when people who have handled a few hundred to a couple thousand of these make wild claims about durability that is easily refuted by others of us who have handled 10s or even hundreds of thousands of them. Plus the only way to really bash them is to compare them to chips costing 3-10 times or more what they cost. They clearly fall into a specific niche of very affordable chips that have the additional advantage of nearly infinite customization. Love 'em or hate 'em, but if you want extremely affordable custom chips, they are impossible to beat.
 
Another advantage with SF is that you can reproduce the same chips years later withoiut noticeable color variation.

I don't know if anyone already tried to order an addon at Tina and confirm she can do that also. Would be interesting to know.
 
Kid_Eastwood said:
Another advantage with SF is that you can reproduce the same chips years later withoiut noticeable color variation.

I don't know if anyone already tried to order an addon at Tina and confirm she can do that also. Would be interesting to know.
Click to expand...
I have chips made from two different runs due to half of my first order getting lost by UPS. I can't tell the difference which chips were made from which run.
 
TX_Golf_N_Poker said:
So my point stands that TCM chips are more like clay than Sunfly CM chips.
Click to expand...
That's fine. And I see your reasoning. And I don't mean to be an argumentative jerk or beat a dead horse. But in case any new guys are reading and trying to make some decisions, I have to say it again - no ceramic chip that I've ever handled feels anything like clay. I like ceramics fine and I'm not bashing them. But if we're ranking the various ceramic options on how much they feel like clay, on a scale of one to ten, they're all tied a zero.
 
I've ordered an add on from Tina and gotten different cards mold blanks than the ones from the original run. Same print, different blank. Not sure which is worse. (I do - it's getting different blanks)
 
20230509_165136.jpg

These 43mm Cards Mold chips stack like bricks. Love the feel. Color quality is questionable on a few chips. I only own 1000. Also the only way I can get a large tourney set. No regrets!
 
TX_Golf_N_Poker said:
We are comparing Sunfly to Tina here. Neither are going to be confused with Paulsons. (In spite of the moronic argument in other threads that Tina hat & cane mold chips might be confused for real Paulsons) So my point stands that TCM chips are more like clay than Sunfly CM chips. Sunflys are instantly recognizable as ceramics due to the glossy edges. Tina chips somewhat less obvious.
Click to expand...
upNdown said:
That's fine. And I see your reasoning. And I don't mean to be an argumentative jerk or beat a dead horse. But in case any new guys are reading and trying to make some decisions, I have to say it again - no ceramic chip that I've ever handled feels anything like clay. I like ceramics fine and I'm not bashing them. But if we're ranking the various ceramic options on how much they feel like clay, on a scale of one to ten, they're all tied a zero.
Click to expand...
This is an important point. No ceramic chip should ever be considered MORE LIKE a clay chip compared to another ceramic chip EVER. Its hugely misleading to anyone who doesnt understand exactly WHY they are different.

Im not going to debate which is better but as a forum dedicated to poker chips we need to clearly differentiate the type of chips based on how they are manufactured and not blurring lines.

Ceramics ≠ Injection Mold Plastic ≠ Compressed Clay.
 
Poker Zombie said:
To summarize the thread...

The more you pay the better the chip. Quality vs. cost is up to the buyer.
Click to expand...
I can't tell if you mean to be sarcastic with this post or not. My apologies if you were, but that absolutely does not summarize my posts here. I still can't figure out why some chips are exorbitantly more expensive than some others that seem to be just as nice. Seems almost random at times. There are a lot of china clay, cards mold and other chips in the 20-60 cent range that I would take all day over some used RHC Paulsons that run $1-2 a chip, and that I personally wouldn't buy even if they were 50 cents a chip.
 
davislane said:
This is an important point. No ceramic chip should ever be considered MORE LIKE a clay chip compared to another ceramic chip EVER. Its hugely misleading to anyone who doesnt understand exactly WHY they are different.

Im not going to debate which is better but as a forum dedicated to poker chips we need to clearly differentiate the type of chips based on how they are manufactured and not blurring lines.

Ceramics ≠ Injection Mold Plastic ≠ Compressed Clay.
Click to expand...
Sure one ceramic chip can be more like a clay chip than another ceramic chip. Same with injected mold plastic.

I came here 3 years ago looking for one single set of chips. Maybe two. (one cash and one tournament) Real compressed clay chips with cool edge spot designs were what I dreamed about, but none were in the same galaxy of my budget at that time. If you showed "3 years ago me" the chips I own now, I would have a heart attack right on the spot! My budget was honest to goodness about $200 a set. Maybe $50-60 more. Absolutely under $300.

I was looking at Claysmith Bluff Canyons, and wondering if Milanos were enough better to be worthwhile. Those were the most "clay-like" looking chips I knew about before PCF. I literally was googling reviews for various Claysmith chips when I came across PCF and joined up to find out just how truly awesome they were. I wanted to know if Milanos were "real clay" like they advertise.

So to me, from my beginner perspective, lots of non clay chips can be like clay chips in certain aspects. Primarily in looks. But even in feel, some non clay chips can be a little clay like in feeling, while others not at all. That's how I define "more like" and "less like" clay chips.
 
TX_Golf_N_Poker said:
I can't tell if you mean to be sarcastic with this post or not. My apologies if you were, but that absolutely does not summarize my posts here. I still can't figure out why some chips are exorbitantly more expensive than some others that seem to be just as nice. Seems almost random at times. There are a lot of china clay, cards mold and other chips in the 20-60 cent range that I would take all day over some used RHC Paulsons that run $1-2 a chip, and that I personally wouldn't buy even if they were 50 cents a chip.
Click to expand...
You are certainly an outlier, and you must recognize that. My comment falls into the general consensus. It is nice to hear an opposing viewpoint, but you must admit your opinion is not the norm.

I own and put into play CPC, China clay, Paulson, Ceramic, ABS plastic, as well as "high quality" plastics such as Bud Jones and RT plastics. I love them all. The cheaper the chip, the more I can buy (my first budget was a $300 set). But make no mistake, If I were to do a give-a-way of all my sets, but you could only enter the drawing for one set, the Paulsons would get the most entries, and the ABS plastic would get the fewest (if any).

I stand by my comment. The more you pay the better the chip. Quality vs. cost is up to the buyer.

I also stand by "get samples", but even that data can be flawed. When I bought my first set, I had samples of everything. Even though I handled CPCs, I preferred the Milanos for feel, and ABS for durability. One of my pre-purchase tests was to soak the chips in water for hours (to simulate wet hands/spilled drinks durability) and then I threw them into a mixer (to simulate years of pot-splashing). My first set was semi-custom ABS. It also came in well below my $300 target. You will never hear me poo-poo cheap plastic (unless they are dice chips). Everyone has different preferences and different budgets.

When my group grew from 6 players to 10 players, I needed to expand my set. The custom ABS maker no longer carried the same blanks, so I added onto the ABS set by using Paulsons that I relabeled with home-made labels. When I needed even more, I expanded with custom ceramics. In short order I learned 3 rules of custom sets:
  1. Buy more than you need. Today's custom manufacturer may not exist tomorrow.
  2. A base T5 set is not as cost effective as a base T25 set.
  3. Pauslon > Ceramic > ABS.
So when I needed to expand even more, I started over this time with Milanos. A nice chip, but not custom, and I really like customs, so I went back to the drawing board and got in on my first group buy for the Tower and Spear mold China clay (often known as World Poker Series) and I had custom labels on my portion of the order.

While I was waiting on the Tower and Spear mold chips to arrive, I couldn't get over how much I appreciated the Paulsons I had as T1000s on my T5 ABS set. Convinced that CPC was as good as Paulson, and now I had a bigger budget (poker in 2005-2010 like printing money, everyone watched it on TV and bluffed without a "story"). So I ordered a massive set of CPC chips.

With a good selection of different chips to play with each month, my "thing" was to get something from every producer of chips. This was a far-reaching goal that I eventually gave up on, stopping at 15 sets. I play 8-9 games a year, not counting heads-up with the Mrs, so it was only reasonable to stop. I like all my chips, having only sold off some TRKs. The Paulsons are without doubt the best for playing with, but I prefer the uniqueness of the custom CPC. The China clay hits the table roughly twice for every 3 games on the CPCs, so I wont knock them - but they are obviously not my favorite.
 
Last edited:
Kid_Eastwood said:
One of my design is advertized on their site as stock offering.
Same for another design I made for another member.
And another member also had his own désigned used as stock offering.
Click to expand...
Have you got a link to the site, had two sets made with Tina and just wanted to check they are not on offer.
 
allforcharity said:
And if it was on offer, what are you going to do about it? They don't believe in IP rights.
Click to expand...
Yea I know and knew that before I ordered and not a lot I could do but was willing to take the risk. My sets were very specific family tributes though so would be a weird choice to sell but was still curious
 
CarlosStorm said:
As you may know, there is a GB offering a few great designs for TINA no mold texture, and another, SunFly Polynno hybrid ceramic.
So, the question here is not about the price, but what is worth more.
I'd love that the people who have both, comments PROs and CONs of each option.

Thanks!

--------------------

CONs
  • Shiny edge finish (some don’t like it)
Click to expand...

I disagree with the shiny edge on Sunfly's being a con. As I understand it, however long it lasts, that layer is helps protect the rolling edge from showing wear.

A plus in my book.
 
Last edited:

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