There's a lot of varying opinions on this.

Most deck clips will keep your cards nice and flat - at the expense of damaging the boxes the cards are kept in, especially in terms of flattening embossing/debossing on the tuck box.  If you ditch the ad cards, jokers or both from your deck, the damage is even worse to the box because there's less inside the box to support the box's structure.

Then there's always that "Gee, those cards are in a fancy clip - WITCH!!!!  WITCH!!!!" factor.  Same thing applies with pack jackets - it's an accessory that mere mortals have never heard of, so immediately the deck that came out of it becomes at least a little suspect in the minds of some spectators.

I own the Blaine clip you got rid of, remember?  I use them (I had a brown one before I bought your black one), they're holding up fine.  No special treatment to the leather.  Albeit I don't use them daily, I do carry decks in my back pockets at times and use the clips to keep them from warping.

Porper's clips are the best design in terms of flattening your cards.  Most of the rest don't supply adequate pressure.

Carbon fiber clips are THE BOMB.  I saw the CARC version and it's not just bloody gorgeous, but it's incredibly lightweight while still being strong as hell.  The one and only drawback I can see with them is that while metal - even Porper's aluminum - can be bent a bit with strong hands or weaker hands with tools to accommodate thicker decks, I don't think the carbon fiber ones would fare as well, as they're more prone to cracking than bending (though that is entirely an educated guess and not actual tested fact, so treat is as such).

I couldn't speak for the abalone - frankly, all those exotic coverings sound like luxury extras rather than standard features or even options.  They don't improve the performance of the clip - they just look pretty.  Some people buy economy cars that get the job done while some people get SUVs and still others get high-end performance vehicles.  Different strokes.  Try to argue that the racers are better, and I'll agree - up to the point that things like gas mileage and cabin/cargo space get mentioned as yardsticks against which to measure them...

Cow leather is nice, simple, low maintenance and matches your wallet.  Any other exotic covering is mentioned and I start to think you're just looking to show off!

The best way I can think of going about it is - A Porper clip is worth it if you care more about the cards not warping than your tuck case getting a bit worn. Naturally, a box with embossed features is not going to be as embossed after a while in the clip. However your cards will most likely have a longer life-span.

The carbon clip is $99 and out of stock at CARC.

/bama

Quote from: bamabenz on September 01, 2014, 03:07:23 PM

The carbon clip is $99 and out of stock at CARC.

/bama

Was CARC the only seller?  I recall at least one other.  Maybe D&D?

http://legendsplayingcards.com/products/carbon-fiber-card-clip
http://shop.dananddave.com/carbon-clip.html
http://shop.davidblaine.com/collections/all-products/products/db-carbon-card-clip

"Created with a joint effort between Lawrence Sullivan, David Blaine, and the Conjuring Arts Research Center. Challenging and expensive to manufacture, this clip took one year to engineer and prototype before this limited release.  Unlike aluminum, carbon fiber assures your clip won't deform or bend with extended or rough use. Made with high-tech vacuum sealing and high temperature autoclave, each clip is finished by hand, making it unique."

Shoot -- Blaine's got it for less. I could have added it to my GatorBack order this morning.

/bama

Standard aluminum Porpers are hefty - I was enjoying my Eco Clips because despite the added bulk they weighed less (and covered the edges of the box for added tuck protection.

Those carbon fiber ones are more costly, but so much LIGHTER.  You almost expect them to levitate the deck out of your pocket...

Again, don't forget the "What the hell is that?" factor.  Don't let your spectators see your clips.

Wait a minute, don't let your spectators see your clips? Why? I always do, they love seeing it. They ask me what it is and they tell me it looks cool. I don't draw attention to it, but I don't keep it secret either.

Hecrob,

First of all, if you are concerned about your tuck box, the Porper clip is NOT for you. Anything embossed on the face or back of the box will be flattened, and the longer the box spends in the clip, the more it will get beaten up. This is true for all Porper clips.

In my opinion, the regular black and silver Porpers are worth the money. They pay for themselves in a matter of weeks if you go through cards quickly and a matter of months if you do not. Almost all of the clips with precious inserts/ leathers and whatnot are grossly overpriced and I would never buy one, but this is a personal thing.

That said, the abalone clips (and all the clips with inserts) are put together well. You will not run into problems with them unless you put them through an unrealistic amount of stress. With that said, the leather requires no real upkeep. Proper leathers rarely do.

From what I understand, the carbon fiber is purely aesthetic. You will lose a very small amount of aluminum (where the inserts are laid), but the clip is still almost entirely aluminum base even still.

Hope this helps,

Cameron

Don,

I have never seen these clips you speak of before - looked into it and saw one on David Blaine's store website as well. Now that is something I would invest in. I quite like the very different look.

Thanks for sharing!

Cameron

Porper clips really are worth the investment. I hade a custom-made one with faux leather a few years ago that kept a deck in such good condition for so long I got bored of the deck before I managed to wear it out. Probably still have them both in some drawer somewhere.

How do you wear out a Porper Clip?  They're carved out of solid aluminum!  The faux leather, sure - that could easily wear out.  But the clip itself?  That thing's probably sturdier than half or more of the parts in a typical private jet!

Practicalities aside, for some (in my opinion) outstanding looking Clips, have a peek at Ryan Edwards work; http://www.rehandcrafted.com
Some of the most unorthodox clip coverings I have seen!

We've seen his stuff - pretty awesome.

Not a stretch to imagine I was talking about the faux leather, now was it? But it stuck on there, I think I need to dig it out and see if it's still looking as good as it once did.

Are you sure it was faux leather and not cheap leather?  Faux leather is often some kind of plastic material - some call it "pleather".  Cheap leather, on the other hand, could come from a few sources - a common one would be to split a thicker layer of leather into thinner ones that have less structural integrity.  Buff it out with a nice polish and it looks just as good as leather, from a distance.  Thinner leather would also be better-suited to be glued onto something with bends in it, since it would conform to the shape more easily.

I ask because pleather won't change with age minus wear-and-tear.  Real but cheap leather can benefit from the oils found on your skin, keeping the leather from drying out and cracking or splitting from low humidity and/or high heat.  In other words, light to moderate gentle handling might keep them in better shape than simply leaving them in the bottom of a drawer.

is there a clip out there that is designed just to hold the cards without the tuck box?
I'd love to get my hands on a good one, as I dismantled a tuck for certain reasons.

There are deck holders, deck carriers, deck pockets, etc. that can hold a deck without the tuck box, but no clips.  The clips would damage the cards without the box if they're at the right tightness - and if they're looser than that, they're loose enough to drop the cards.

I have a few cool-looking vintage leather deck carriers - they open like a little notepad with a strap holding it closed that's equipped with a snap.  One holds a poker-sized deck, the other holds two bridge-sized decks.  That sounds a lot more like what you're looking for.

Are you sure it was faux leather and not cheap leather?  Faux leather is often some kind of plastic material - some call it "pleather".  Cheap leather, on the other hand, could come from a few sources - a common one would be to split a thicker layer of leather into thinner ones that have less structural integrity.  Buff it out with a nice polish and it looks just as good as leather, from a distance.  Thinner leather would also be better-suited to be glued onto something with bends in it, since it would conform to the shape more easily.

I ask because pleather won't change with age minus wear-and-tear.  Real but cheap leather can benefit from the oils found on your skin, keeping the leather from drying out and cracking or splitting from low humidity and/or high heat.  In other words, light to moderate gentle handling might keep them in better shape than simply leaving them in the bottom of a drawer.

Well, it's been a few years now but since I did purchase the faux leather (it's basically pvc) and the clip, and glued it on myself I'm pretty sure. Back then I thought it'd get messed up from just wearing it out (in and out of pockets, backpacks, thrown on tables etc) but if I recall correctly it kept up pretty well. I'll see if I get a chance to look through my old boxes, it should still be in there somewhere.