Could This Replace the Deck Clip?

[Don Boyer]

While compiling the NDR earlier, I stumbled across THIS:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1827908565/aluminum-plate-wallet-system

Made by these fine folks: http://obstructures.org/

While this is being marketed as a line of wallets and passport protectors, if you get two plates of the right size and add the right O-rings to it, I think you've got the perfect substitute for a deck clip - a portable deck press.  A Porper clip applies pressure to flatten a deck, but only at the place in the jaws of the clip that are bent inward.  This would apply even pressure on the entire top and bottom surfaces of the deck.  Even better, you could accommodate different deck thicknesses by simply replacing the very inexpensive O-rings.

I've written to the creator of this project to get some input from him on this and to request that he field-test this deck press idea to see if it would be practical and work with the plates in the dimensions that they're presently selling - no redesigning required.  I'll let you know when I hear back from him.

And really - these are some damn sexy wallets.

And I know their round logo looks nearly identical to Theory11's logo - I pointed that out to them.  They have a square-look version of the logo that's much nicer and adequately different from T11.

[xela]

Quick, someone pledge for one and let us know!

[KPopFever605]

I've seen those a few days ago, and I think they are amazingly designed wallets. However, from the get-go, they appear too small and/or tight to fit a deck even though the beginning dimensions are good. I'll have to see what the creator says, but all essence, they look pretty dope.

[MrMollusk]

Nope. Not at 42$ for the smallest one that will fit a deck. (the A2 could possibly fit a deck, but no size is actually designed for a deck.)
Plus, less is more. I like being able to just slip my deck into a clip, not having to screw around with a bunch of rubber bands.
I am open to new ideas, though. 

[dee1orean]

I've pledged for one though I might try building my own!!!

The European wallet is 11.6cm by 8.7cm Which is slightly larger than a deck.

[Don Boyer]

I heard back from the project creator.  Here's what he said.

Hi Don. Thanks for your comments. Oddly enough, I've had a few chats over the months with a friend of mine about playing card cases and such. I myself am fairly ignorant about the discipline, but he is wildly interested in such a thing. It sounds like a few more conversations are warranted.

Thanks for the heads up re: theory11. We're in the midst of a rebrand, and the round logo in the photos is indeed our old one.

We'll keep you informed if we come up with any solutions for a dedicated card-case.

Cheers,
Nate

So there you go - he's looking into it.

I've seen those a few days ago, and I think they are amazingly designed wallets. However, from the get-go, they appear too small and/or tight to fit a deck even though the beginning dimensions are good. I'll have to see what the creator says, but all essence, they look pretty dope.

But you're neglecting one detail - the tightness is variable based on whatever O-rings you settle on.  You can even replace the existing O-rings with sizes of your own - they're cheap and have many other uses.  You could make a portable deck press that could hold two, three or even more decks.

The A1 plate (A0 in the picture I showed you) is the perfect size - almost too perfect - for covering a deck.  Poker-sized decks are 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches and bridge size is the same except for being 0.25 inches more narrow.  I'd probably want a plate that's a tiny bit bigger, just to give better edge protection, but the Euro plate set might be too big and the Passport set definitely is.

It sounds like dee1orean is checking out the Euro model anyway to see if it's a practical set.  Hopefully it is.  I'm keen on getting this stuff as well, to use as a wallet, and possibly their multi-purpose tool from their website.

Nope. Not at 42$ for the smallest one that will fit a deck. (the A2 could possibly fit a deck, but no size is actually designed for a deck.)
Plus, less is more. I like being able to just slip my deck into a clip, not having to screw around with a bunch of rubber bands.
I am open to new ideas, though. 

Did you watch the video?  The concept is that one rubber band stays in place to provide a hinge function while the other is designed to roll down along the edges as you open the plates and extract the contents, which you then manually roll back into place.  It's not as quick and simple as a deck clip, but it is still quick and simple, and provides better pressure evenly over the entire surface of the deck while a clip really only applies pressure along the line where the clip mouth makes contact with the deck.  I see it as a very elegant solution to making a portable deck press that's simple and easy to use and carry.

[MrMollusk]

Did you watch the video?  The concept is that one rubber band stays in place to provide a hinge function while the other is designed to roll down along the edges as you open the plates and extract the contents, which you then manually roll back into place.  It's not as quick and simple as a deck clip, but it is still quick and simple, and provides better pressure evenly over the entire surface of the deck while a clip really only applies pressure along the line where the clip mouth makes contact with the deck.  I see it as a very elegant solution to making a portable deck press that's simple and easy to use and carry.

I suppose it would be much easier to carry. Thing is, the bulkiness of a deck might complicate the slip-in concept. Plus, I probably wouldn't be able to stop fidgeting with the O rings, or I'd lose a piece. 

[Don Boyer]

I suppose it would be much easier to carry. Thing is, the bulkiness of a deck might complicate the slip-in concept. Plus, I probably wouldn't be able to stop fidgeting with the O rings, or I'd lose a piece. 

Well, the "hinge" O-ring stays in place with notches to secure it.  As long as at least one O-ring remained intact, you'd have to lose the whole thing in order to lose anymore than an O-ring.

The slip-in ease of a standard deck clip could be replicated with this concept - it's simply a matter of finding the correct O-rings to do the job.  They come in a wide variety of sizes and tension strengths, so it's not like you'd need something custom-made.  Even if you did lose or break an O-ring, the designers stated on their website that they're intending to make the replacement O-rings available on their site for practically not much more than postage and a few moments of their time - perhaps a buck.  They buy them in such huge quantities, they cost probably well under a penny each.

I'm tempted to order them from their website for testing purposes, but I'm holding back until I hear more from the designers and whether or not they tested the design for use as a portable deck press.

[Don Boyer]

More news from Obstructures:

This is Matt- another one of "us" from Obstructures. I agree with Nate- it is possible that this could work. We may not have a dedicated card case for a while, but it seems that our A3, or possibly the B would work well. You would need larger diameter o-rings, but that is an easy enough problem to solve. It would require trying various diameters to get the tension right.

The way the wallet operates might not be conducive to inserting a whole deck. When opening the plates pinch at the bottom- placing a thick deck of cards in may be a bit challenging. 8-10 credit cards is one thing, but a deck is some serious thickness. Pulling out/inserting a few cards at a time could work well, however I imagine the best way would be to sandwich the cards with the plates and then wrap the o-rings around it. Removal of the deck all at once would be quite easy.

I have some larger o-rings from the passport wallet- I will strap a few to the A3 and B and try it out.
I'll get back to you with the results.

Sounds promising to me, gang!  I think with the right O-rings, extraction/insertion won't be a problem.  In order to save the box from damage, I suggested slipping a few extras in the tuck box from other decks, like ad cards and jokers - a magician might instead opt for some gaff cards.

[PlayingKards]

Wow those look pretty cool. All though they don't look like they will fit a deck to me. But we won't know until someone has one in there hands.