How do you store your slabs? 1 1

[Immortal Hulk]

So this is the response I got from them concerning whether or not they're Mylar:

 

[Immortal Hulk]

4 hours ago, newshane said:

Just look at the difference! 

CGC-Mylars on eBay is charing $17.56 for 20 bags. 

The distributor (Clearbags) is selling a pack of 100 bags for $8.10. 

Exact...same...bags. 

So I just finished ordering from the Clear Bags site for the sake of proof for this thread total + shipping was:

8 15/16" x 14 1/4" + Flap, Crystal Clear Bags® (100 Pieces) [B814] + econcomy shipping = $22.54

Now I paid a little less than half for about 15 bags, let's see if they're identical - if so I may take them up on that refund..

[Supa-Bad-Mofo]

53 minutes ago, AngelClaudio said:

So this is the response I got from them concerning whether or not they're Mylar:

 

 

5 hours ago, newshane said:

Bags from "CGC-Mylars" are NOT made of Mylar. There have been many threads surrounding their false advertisement. 

I know this for a fact because I purchased a ton of those bags back in the day. 

They are actually the same product that is sold by CLEARBAGS. The only difference is the price. You will pay 2x or 3x as much by ordering through "CGC-Mylars" on eBay! Ripoff! 

Don't get me wrong, it is a GREAT product. It fits perfectly and looks good. But it is NOT true Mylar. Compare hand in hand with the Gerber product, and you will easily see the difference. 

You will notice that "CGC-Mylars" say "Mylar MATERIAL." The product is actually made of Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP), which is NOT Mylar. 

They keep getting away with this deception. Unfortunate. 

When you compare the price difference you are paying through eBay, you'll get sick to your stomach. 

 

4 hours ago, newshane said:

They are indeed the exact same product. A few years ago, I compared their products side by side in-hand. Same thing. 

I actually *really* like the "Diamond" bags...the material is clear and much easier to fold, as you mentioned. 

Just understand that it is not Mylar...even the word Mylar is trademarked - it is a very specific composition. As stated, the Diamond/Clearbags product is BOPP (10% recycled). 

If this is not a concern, I wouldn't worry....but save yourself some money by buying from Clearbags! You're getting ripped off on eBay. 

There is more than one thread about this on the boards. Google it up and start reading. 

DISCLAIMER - I am not involved, nor have I ever been involved, in the manufacture or selling of comic book storage materials. I have no personal contact or influence with any of the companies or products mentioned here. I am simply a consumer. For the record, I did use the Diamond/Clearbag product. I had over 400 slabs sitting in those bags at one point. Now I buy legal-sized Mylars from E. Gerber. They are more cumbersome to fold...as Mylar SHOULD be. It's a very, very strong material (more tensile strength than STEEL). 

 

3 hours ago, newshane said:

Here is video of the Clearbag product. 

Now, watch it and tell me if we're not dealing with the exact same product. 

 

So, @newshane may have something here, but according to the email response @AngelClaudio received, they are mylar. If you watch the first video, Clearbags states that their bags are 1.6 mil. I went to ebay and took a screenshot of the Diamond (cgc-mylars) listing, where it states their bags are 1.7 mil. If they aren't mylar and are in fact poly, cgc-mylars are flat-out lying in the listing and in email responses,  as well as misleading buyers by stating incorrect thickness. 

Edited March 24, 2019 by Supa-Bad-Mofo

[BladeTX]

2 hours ago, AngelClaudio said:

Hi BladeTx, those bags are fine they are just not as firm as Mylars - but that shouldn't be a concern since they are already in slabs, you probably just want to protect the slabs from scratches, dust, light stuff. 

I believe the slabs should be re-holdered after about a decade, mostly to replace the inserts behind the cover pages.

Well I am upgrading all the old holders in my collection to the new style released 2015 because they are so much nicer, so I guess I will be inadvertently reholdering them all that are not current.

That would be a big expense for these guys with 500+ slab collections.  $15,000 just in reholder SS plus postage and insurance!

[newshane]

1 hour ago, Supa-Bad-Mofo said:

 

So, @newshane may have something here, but according to the email response @AngelClaudio received, they are mylar. If you watch the first video, Clearbags states that their bags are 1.6 mil. I went to ebay and took a screenshot of the Diamond (cgc-mylars) listing, where it states their bags are 1.7 mil. If they aren't mylar and are in fact poly, cgc-mylars are flat-out lying in the listing and in email responses,  as well as misleading buyers by stating incorrect thickness. 

 

Of course they are going to say their product is a tenth of a millimeter thicker. Of course they are going to state their product is Mylar when it is not. How else are they going to dupe people into paying Mylar prices for Poly products? 

This has already been proven. When AngelClaudio gets his bags from Clearbags, he'll be able to tell by comparing the two. 

[Immortal Hulk]

15 minutes ago, newshane said:

Of course they are going to say their product is a tenth of a millimeter thicker. Of course they are going to state their product is Mylar when it is not. How else are they going to dupe people into paying Mylar prices for Poly products? 

This has already been proven. When AngelClaudio gets his bags from Clearbags, he'll be able to tell by comparing the two. 

Thanks for you faith in me!  

[BladeTX]

OK, for my raw books I have the e-Gerber MyLites 2mil mylar bags with full backing boards.  I have these on over 250 books.  Are these good?

[newshane]

12 minutes ago, BladeTX said:

OK, for my raw books I have the e-Gerber MyLites 2mil mylar bags with full backing boards.  I have these on over 250 books.  Are these good?

perfect

 

[Gaard]

Just curious ... why do people want their CGC bags to be Mylar?

[Immortal Hulk]

12 hours ago, Gaard said:

Just curious ... why do people want their CGC bags to be Mylar?

I think it's just an initial impulse that answers "what protects the slab the best?". But later after experiencing other bags like what I'm going through myself, you learn what you may or may not like about each.

[Supa-Bad-Mofo]

21 hours ago, newshane said:

Of course they are going to say their product is a tenth of a millimeter thicker. Of course they are going to state their product is Mylar when it is not. How else are they going to dupe people into paying Mylar prices for Poly products? 

This has already been proven. When AngelClaudio gets his bags from Clearbags, he'll be able to tell by comparing the two. 

Right...I get that. I was just pointing to the fact that they are really unscrupulous. It seems that ebay could use the deception to force them to modify the listing, if that is the case. I wasn't attacking the legitimacy of your statement @newshane. 

[newshane]

1 hour ago, Supa-Bad-Mofo said:

Right...I get that. I was just pointing to the fact that they are really unscrupulous. It seems that ebay could use the deception to force them to modify the listing, if that is the case. I wasn't attacking the legitimacy of your statement @newshane. 

I didn't take it as an attack! 

My tone was one of exasperation with the fact that they are allowed to rip people off...none of that was intended for you! 

No worries.

I'm not here to tear anyone down. I just want to save people money. And if they pay for Mylar, I think they should /get/ Mylar! 

Someone else asked why people insisted on Mylar for slabbed books. It's just a preference. Not a necessity. The bags are there to protect the slab from scratches and moisture. That's all. The encapsulated book would be perfectly safe with only the slab, so it doesn't really matter if the bag is Poly or Mylar. Your encapsulated comic isn't going to melt or self-destruct if you use one of the cheaper poly bags.

I simply prefer Mylar because it's stronger and clearer. Others enjoy the poly bags because they are more pliable. 

I just want people to get what they pay for. 

I think some people use "Mylar" interchangeably with other types of plastic That is horribly inaccurate. Mylar is chemically different from Poly, and there is a good reason why they are many times more expensive...because Mylar is better in nearly every single way. 

I actually like the product sold by CGCMylar and Clearbags...but they are NOT Mylar. That's all I'm trying to say. 

Edited March 25, 2019 by newshane

[Mystafo]

This may have been mentioned already, but I actually vary the way I put slabs in a box.  If I'm absolutely sure there is no movement of the book within the inner holder and I'm not too worried about the value or condition I stand them up.  If the book has a good solid spine and I'm more concerned about movement or dings/dents on the edges from the walls of the inner well, I lay them on edge with the spine side down.  Any old and fragile books where I feel the spine may be weak I lay horizontally flat (with the bc facing the ground).  Nothing like going back to look at a book you stood up normally only to find that over time it has slowly migrated to the bottom of the slab and incurred some damage on the bottom edge!

[Immortal Hulk]

14 hours ago, Mystafo said:

This may have been mentioned already, but I actually vary the way I put slabs in a box.  If I'm absolutely sure there is no movement of the book within the inner holder and I'm not too worried about the value or condition I stand them up.  If the book has a good solid spine and I'm more concerned about movement or dings/dents on the edges from the walls of the inner well, I lay them on edge with the spine side down.  Any old and fragile books where I feel the spine may be weak I lay horizontally flat (with the bc facing the ground).  Nothing like going back to look at a book you stood up normally only to find that over time it has slowly migrated to the bottom of the slab and incurred some damage on the bottom edge!

This is one of the reasons I don't want to get a golden or silver age comic - I'd want to display it all the time and the fear of gravity damaging the bottom edge and\or spine would drive me nuts!

[Mystafo]

It's not usually a problem if the comic is encapsulated in the ideal manner and/or the comic isn't very fragile.  But that unfortunately is not always the case and I have had (and still have a couple) vf- and higher graded books that I was afraid to store upright because the book would move ever so slightly in there and sit right up against the vertical bottom wall of a well-type inner sleeve if you let it.  I've even cracked a few out and put the in mylar for fear of this (and SCS + weak staples).

[Immortal Hulk]

1 minute ago, Mystafo said:

It's not usually a problem if the comic is encapsulated in the ideal manner and/or the comic isn't very fragile.  But that unfortunately is not always the case and I have had (and still have a couple) vf- and higher graded books that I was afraid to store upright because the book would move ever so slightly in there and sit right up against the vertical bottom wall of a well-type inner sleeve if you let it.  I've even cracked a few out and put the in mylar for fear of this (and SCS + weak staples).

For CGC, at what grade point range would you say that's not so much of a worry?

[Mystafo]

It all depends on preference and amount of edge damage already present, I guess...kinda subjective,  

 

Like a 4.0 or 5.0 with a good amount of edge wear already there probably can't get much worse in a slab on its own, you know?

[Immortal Hulk]

Just now, Mystafo said:

It all depends on preference and amount of edge damage already present, I guess...kinda subjective,  

 

Like a 4.0 or 5.0 with a good amount of edge wear already there probably can't get much worse in a slab on its own, you know?

Oh yeah, but I guess from a higher grade book, like for example your golden/silver age 9.0+ books, do you feel pretty secure about those older books in a CGC slab?

[Mystafo]

Also, some inner holders, like the more pouch type ones aren't so much of a worry, in that respect at least.  But those can have issues with the covers pulling away from the book due to lack of friction or the cover clinging to the inner surface of the liner. 

[Mystafo]

Personally, I don't like to store any very important or valuable book (especially vf- and higher) in a slab upright unless it meets the previous criteria discussed or its a more modern book in the pouch type inner holder where the edges are pinched (more like a mylar bag) than squared off.  And then only if the book is well encapsulated with the proper pressure and size/type inner well OR not too fragile in the spine / staple area (those go night night on their backs lol)

Edited March 26, 2019 by Mystafo