New to buyin bag/boards from E Gerber

[HOTFLIPS]

Ultra pro is polypropylene, not mylar. Mylar is better for your books.

[mschmidt]

The ultra-pro bag, just like any other regular comic book bag, is made from either polyethylene or polypropylene which degrades over time, and is therefore not suitable for archival storage.

 

Mylar, on the other hand, is chemically inert, will last for 100s of years and resists moisture, pollutants, oils and acids.

 

This doesn't mean that poly bags will make your comic book spontaneously combust overnight - but it does mean that long-term storage in a poly bag isn't a good idea.

 

Mylites, Mylites+ and Mylites2 are all made of the same material & have the exact same conservation properties - the only difference is the thickness of the bag; I personally wouldn't recommend Mylites as they're pretty flimsy.

 

I've bought from both E Gerber and Hotflips in the past - you can't go wrong with either company (Hotflips would probably be a better choice for you, though, as they can help you pick out the right bag/board combo).

[Boozad]

I've bought from both E Gerber and Hotflips in the past - you can't go wrong with either company (Hotflips would probably be a better choice for you, though, as they can help you pick out the right bag/board combo).

 

To the OP, mschmidt's modesty know no bounds. He's explained mylite/full back bag/board combos better than anybody else yet.

[CKB]

My $0.02: Given the description of yor collection and your attitude, I would spend as little as possible on supplies. The only reason to go with mylar and half-backs is if you thought you were going to be changing out the bags and boards when they get wrinkly and yellow. With mylar and half backs you will never need to change them.

 

Another reason would be if the books were going to be stored improperly. If they are going to be in hot dry place, or a place that is overly damp, you may also want to consider mylar.

 

[cojack16-migration]

Here's a question. Would I be better off not using ultra pro bag/boards for my comics and just storing them "naked" ?

 

It just sounds like they will only cause more harm than good. I'm just not sure what to do. It's too expensive for me to buy mylite 2 and e gerber boards for all my comics when the majority of them have little value. Most of my stuff I would say is from the 90's/2000's. I don't plan on selling any of my stuff but 20 years from now am I going to encounter faded, yellowing comics and damaged goods?

 

I'm thinking I'll buy maybe 200 mylite 2 bags and use them sparingly on my favorite/more expensive comics along with e gerber half backs.

 

I'm also thinking maybe i'll try to use e gerber half backs along with some regular bags (polypropylene or whatever) for the rest of my collection. Or I'll just store them sans bag/board.....somehow.....

 

Any thoughts?

[cojack16-migration]

are mylites really that bad? someone said they are so flimsy. Do they feel worse than ultra pro bags?

[cojack16-migration]

The problem is, the total price of ultra pro is 16 dollars for 100 bags/100 boards.

 

for e gerber halfbacks and mylite 2's, it's $29.50 and that is BEFORE shipping costs. It's incredible. And it's stressing me out trying to figure out what I should do in the long run.

[seanfingh]

 

For me it all came down to the fact that on my last order from E. Gerber I had to talk to a supervisor in order to avoid an international shipping charge to New Mexico.

 

 

[sakaridis]

The problem is, the total price of ultra pro is 16 dollars for 100 bags/100 boards.

 

for e gerber halfbacks and mylite 2's, it's $29.50 and that is BEFORE shipping costs. It's incredible. And it's stressing me out trying to figure out what I should do in the long run.

 

Yes, it's definitely more expensive to go with mylites/halfbacks, BUT...

 

It's a one time expense! You buy them, you put the books in them and you are DONE! You will never have to change the bag and/or board again in your lifetime, or your children's lifetimes, or even your grandchildren's perhaps...

 

With regular bags and boards, it is recommended to change them every few years, because the bags start to yellow (they may even begin to stick to the books, depending on the climate/conditions in your area and the quality of the bags) and the boards will be producing harmful gasses that slowly (but surely) will kill the paper of your books.

 

In my opinion, you should go with mylites/halfbacks if you want your books to live at least as long as you, while never having to change supplies again.

 

Even if you're books are not ultra high grade and are of lower value, I still believe that you should make the change to archival supplies.

 

But... if you decide not to do it (for monetary reasons or whatever), just put the books in bags and be prepared to change them every 4-5 years or so. It might even be better to store them unbagged in a dark, dry place. Especially if you live somewhere where the climate is not particularly humid.

 

Whatever you do, DO NOT use any crappy boards because they'll DEFINITELY do way more harm to your books than good.

 

And mylites 2 are probably the best choice. They're stiff enough to protect your books adequately (unlike the flimsy mylites), but not dangerously rigid like the 4 mil mylars.

 

I hope this clears it.

[cojack16-migration]

Thanks for the post. I do feel like I should bite the bullet and buy mylite 2's and e gerber backs.

 

Problem is, it's going to be so costly. Is there any way to find e gerber supplies at comic book shops to negate the cost for shipping and save money? How do you guys do it? I want to save as much money as I can.....

[cojack16-migration]

I just can't see myself doing this. I was thinking about buying 1000 mylite 2's and 2,000 half backs from e gerber but the shipping cost would add another 85 dollars to my total cost of 275....

 

that's 360 dollars before tax I'd spend just on bags/boards and i'm not even getting 2000 bags......

 

I enjoy having a comic book collection but I don't go nuts over it. I just want them to last though....

 

ugh I don't know what to do

[cojack16-migration]

anyone have any ideas/tips for me to get mylite 2's /halfbacks and save money? Do they sell egerber stuff at comic cons? there's supposed to be some wizard world comic con in ny and philly in the next 2 months....

 

another q I had is: Do they ever sell e gerber bag/boards at comic stores? I've been to 3 or 4 in CT but haven't encountered any that do. It's always BCW or Ultra Pro bag/boards and that's useless to me right now.....

[Marvelfangirl]

anyone have any ideas/tips for me to get mylite 2's /halfbacks and save money? Do they sell egerber stuff at comic cons? there's supposed to be some wizard world comic con in ny and philly in the next 2 months....

 

another q I had is: Do they ever sell e gerber bag/boards at comic stores? I've been to 3 or 4 in CT but haven't encountered any that do. It's always BCW or Ultra Pro bag/boards and that's useless to me right now.....

PM HOTFLIPS

[sakaridis]

I don't think most comic stores carry any archival supplies. A big con would be your best bet, I guess.

 

The NYCC in is October. The guys from Hotflips have a booth there, no?

 

(And don't get me started on shipping. Imagine living in Greece and buying supplies from the States!!! )

[cojack16-migration]

Maybe I'll buy a lot of comic book boards/bags there then....might save money . Isn't there another comic con in NY at the end of this month?

 

http://www.wizardworld.com/wizcon.html

This link shows 2 comic cons in NY this month and in Philly next month. Are they any good or no?

 

i'll try pm'ing hotflips also

[mschmidt]

I don't think most comic stores carry any archival supplies. A big con would be your best bet, I guess.

 

The NYCC in is October. The guys from Hotflips have a booth there, no?

 

(And don't get me started on shipping. Imagine living in Greece and buying supplies from the States!!! )

 

I believe that Diamond actually owns part of E Gerber, so any comic book store should be able to order Gerber supplies through their regular channels. Whether it's ultimately cheaper than just buying from Gerber direct or Hotflips, well, I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

My LCS, for instance, carries E Gerber mylar & half/full-backs, but they charge $20 for a 50 pack of 700FB full-backs - which is almost double the Gerber price.

[cojack16-migration]

I think it's 8 dollars for full backs (100) on the website. That's more than double i think....

[Dick Pontoon]

If you really need them, call Hotflips. They'll probably be en route the day after you place your order. If you want to wait a few weeks before they even get packed, call egerber.

 

Use the search function. You'll find many, many folks here favor Hotflips.

[cojack16-migration]

I don't mind waiting but I'm looking to buy quite a few bag/boards and the shipping added cost will be astronomical to me. paying nearly 400 dollars to revamp all my bag/boards is a lot of money since I don't have a great job at the moment and aren't bringing in much money yet. Maybe I'll wait til I go to a convention and buy some there....I don't know yet

[Boozad]

You really are stressing way too much over this. If any of your books are not valued north of, say, $40 or so, put them all in normal bags and boards for now then upgrade them to Mylites2 as you can. They're not going to rot overnight.