KMC Matte Sleeves vs KMC Super Sleeves! [Archive]

Rebirth

01-21-2011, 10:12 AM

Hello,

First of all, if a thread like this exists or this kind of discussion is prohibited in this section of the forum, i appologize.

I have spend some time on the internet to find out which brand of sleeves is the best. Money is not a problem, i just want good quality sleeves that stay good for a long time. I read many different sites and concluded that Ultra Pro (the one I am using now) and Dragonshield are garbage compared to the KMC sleeves. If you are a Ultra Pro or Dragonshield sleeves user, please do not reply to this thread! I am not interested in hearing that in your opinion Ultra Pro or Dragonshield sleeves are better.

KMC Matte Sleeves (80 ct.) vs KMC Super Sleeves (100 ct.), which one is better? I would like to know what people who have EXPERIENCE with KMC sleeves think.What is the difference between Matte Sleeves and Super Sleeves?

Thanks in advance.

mrjumbo03

01-21-2011, 10:18 AM

Look for 100ct. KMC sleeves... People who have bought the new 80ct. KMC sleeves swear by the huge difference of the quality of the sleeves... I have 2 100ct. KMC sleeves and they are extremely durable...

Whippoorwill

01-21-2011, 11:25 AM

I've always been happy with KMC. I think I've had 1 split in the entire time I've used them and even then it's not nearly as bad as I've seen others split. And that's counting about 1500+ sleeves to give you an idea of how often that happens.

The only thing I don't like is that they changed from packs of 100 to packs of 80. But hopefully with EDH becoming more popular they'll bring them back.

Sims

01-21-2011, 12:44 PM

I swear by KMC 100ct Matte Black sleeves. They are amazing.

The super sleeves, even 100ct, tend to be too glossy on the back so they are slippery early and then they get scratched and marked easily.

If money isn't an problem, scour the internet and find the 100ct Matte sleeves. They are leaps and bounds better than the 80ct from a quality standpoint. If you do get 80ct Mattes, then i've personally had the best luck with Matte Reds and Blues in terms of quality.

Malchar

01-21-2011, 01:31 PM

I do use 100ct KMC black matte, but I find that all sleeves eventually become too dirty or otherwise marked to continue using them. The best solution is just to buy plenty of extra sleeves so that you can readily replace the ones that become marked or replace all of them at once to keep things as uniform as possible. Also, since this is somewhat related, using playmats can dramatically increase the lifetime of your sleeves. One mistake that I made for a long time was that I would only use a playmat when I played outside of my house. It can be far better to make it such that your cards only ever touch down on a playmat when they're out of their box.
Anyway, I do think that the black matte sleeves are the best, although I'm also a sucker for the ones with the art on the back which can be great for temporary fun.

Hobtuse

01-21-2011, 02:00 PM

KMC Matte Sleeves are better than the Super Sleeves in my opinion having only used KMC's sleeves exclusively over the past one and a half years. The 100qty Matte Sleeves are of higher quality and last longer than the ones in 80qty. I have been using Matte Brown, Dark Blue, Red and Black (personal favorites are Black and Red) and highly recommend the Matte sleeves.

Tog

01-21-2011, 02:17 PM

KMC sleeves are by far the best quality card sleeves I've used in my 12 years of playing magic. I'm am that impressed by their quality.

As far as Matte vs. Super - I've tried both and I have to go with the Matte. Super sleeves are a bit more lustrous and begin to get duller over time. Matte sleeves retain their look and feel longer. Matte all the way!

Amon Amarth

01-21-2011, 03:01 PM

I've used both, and they seem to be about equivalent, quality wise at least.

cwt1220

01-21-2011, 03:13 PM

Rebirth

01-21-2011, 03:40 PM

Thanks for all the fast replies :)

I will get the KMC Matte Sleeves 100 ct. probably black or red. I have 1 more question, what does ct. stand form? is it something about the quality? In case the question seems odd or stupid, English is not my primary language! :wink:

death

01-21-2011, 03:45 PM

ct. = count

Matt and super series are both very slippery when new, as well as with any new sleeves.

Matt
pros: durable, does not scratch easily
cons: thicker library, sideboard cards won't fit in standard deck boxes

Super
pros: thinner library, easy to handle, 75 cards slide in boxes easily
cons: prone to splitting, easier to scatch

keys

01-21-2011, 03:59 PM

They don't sell 100 ct of either sleeves anymore. Only the 80 ct. In both cases the quality has declined so I can recommend neither. They are difficult to use with perfect fits. It can be done but it's a hassle trying to squeeze them in.

However, if you can still find 100 ct. Matte Black or Blue they are good quality and fit perfect fits snuggly. Don't get the matte red, they are much thinner and semi-transparent. I have bought KMC Super Silver (100ct) before and they were great as well, just slightly thinner material.

Since the 100ct packs are getting harder to find, I switched over to the heavy duty graphic back ultra-pros (like the official MTG tournament sleeves). The Mox Diamond sleeves are currently my favorite. Some people have trouble shuffling with them but I have no problems at all.

socialite

01-21-2011, 04:02 PM

keys

01-21-2011, 04:12 PM

The 100ct and 80ct KMC sleeves are absolutely different quality. The brown version was never offered in 100ct so there is no comparison. IMO they have more of a plastic texture to them than the other matte colors.

Ultra Pro's of any type tend to be garbage especially the ones with graphics.

This is coming from someone who has tried everything and takes card protection very seriously.

Don't know where you get this... they fit perfect fits better than any other sleeve I know, are heavy duty, and shuffle well enough for me.

Rebirth

01-21-2011, 04:15 PM

A little FYI, you can see through the red sleeves both Matte and Super and thus may not be tournament acceptable. I've dealt with both the 100 and 80 ct Matte Brown and I am pleased with both types. I believe any difference between counts are in people's heads - this going back to Yanoman Gunmetal sleeves which drastically dropped in quality when the counts were switched from 100 to 80. Both the 100 and 80 counts work fine with perfect fits.

Ultra Pro's of any type tend to be garbage especially the ones with graphics.

This is coming from someone who has tried everything and takes card protection very seriously.

hahaha, yes, i have found that out the hard way! I have used 10 different ultra pro sleeves, to my surprise, the Sorin Markov sleeves lasted a good time.

@ the other guy, i can see on some websites that they have the KMC Matte Sleeves 100 ct. for sale :tongue: this is one of them: http://store.tcgplayer.com/Products.aspx?GameName=Supplies&SetName=Card+Sleeves

Well it is obvious that the Matte Sleeves have the most positive responds.

keys

01-21-2011, 04:17 PM

Email the store... most likely they just haven't updated website details to account for the change. That was my experience... The only place you can still buy them is ebay (if you're lucky).

socialite

01-21-2011, 04:21 PM

Don't know where you get this... they fit perfect fits better than any other sleeve I know, are heavy duty, and shuffle well enough for me.

Don't know how you can't tell the difference just holding the product in your hand.

Ultra Pros have always been garbage and once they were no longer the only brand on the market I dropped them.

I've put a lot of time into researching which sleeves are best. Unfortunately they no longer make Yanoman Gunmetal 100 ct. sleeves and any packs you can find online cost around 40.00 USD. IMHO the next best thing behind those are KMC matte sleeves.

Also the Brown matte were offered in 100 ct. when they first started printing the color; I've had them.

Edit: I'd suggest picking up a play mat; decent ones are not too hard to come by these days and it would go a long way towards making your sleeves last longer.

keys

01-21-2011, 04:27 PM

When was the last time Ultra Pros were the only brand in the market? 10 years ago?

I'm talking about their newer tournament type sleeves (for example this (http://sales.starcitygames.com/carddisplay.php?product=227945) and this (http://sales.starcitygames.com/carddisplay.php?product=46751)), not the textured (http://sales.starcitygames.com/carddisplay.php?product=39575)ones (although those are fine if you're cheap).

I've tried several different brands of sleeves and these are the best in terms of protection and ease of use. They are all even in size and shape (unlike Dragon Shields), are roomy enough to fit perfect fits (unlike some of the newer KMC sleeves I've come across), are thick/stiff enough to really protect cards, and shuffle well.

But to each his own.

socialite

01-21-2011, 04:35 PM

When was the last time Ultra Pros were the only brand in the market? 10 years ago?

I'm talking about their newer tournament type sleeves (for example (http://sales.starcitygames.com/carddisplay.php?product=227945)), not the textured (http://sales.starcitygames.com/carddisplay.php?product=39575)ones (although those are fine if you're cheap).

I've tried several different brands of sleeves and these are the best in terms of protection and ease of use. They are all even in size and shape (unlike Dragon Shields), are roomy enough to fit perfect fits (unlike some of the newer KMC sleeves I've come across), and shuffle well.

But to each his own.

You clearly do not know how to put Perfect Fits into normal KMC sleeves; I bet you try and cram them in straight instead of using your fingers.

Rebirth:
We could argue about this all day and not to be a dick but you can take this guys advice or you can take mine. I can't speak for him but the majority of my collection consists of Mint Korean cards and I like to keep them as close to that condition as I can.

keys

01-21-2011, 04:36 PM

To each their own.

That's what I fucking said. And yes I know how to sleeve cards properly. Don't need scans of your cards to know how legit you are.

socialite

01-21-2011, 04:39 PM

That's what I fucking said. And yes I know how to sleeve cards properly. Don't need scans of your cards to know how legit you are.

Sorry I really hate it when people give terrible advice and stick by their flawed reasoning. Yeah it's your opinion however I'm really sorry you can't tell what makes quality material even when holding it in your hands.

jazzykat

01-21-2011, 04:46 PM

I've put a lot of time into researching which sleeves are best. Unfortunately they no longer make Yanoman Gunmetal 100 ct. sleeves and any packs you can find online cost around 40.00 USD.

.

Thats insane! I bought about 1000 of them almost 10 years ago and I think 1 has split in that time. I still have a couple 100 left, I never would have thought sleeves could cost so much. Were the other colors OK I never tried them?

socialite

01-21-2011, 04:48 PM

Thats insane! I bought about 1000 of them almost 10 years ago and I think 1 has split in that time. I still have a couple 100 left, I never would have thought sleeves could cost so much. Were the other colors OK I never tried them?

People said the Gunmetal were the best; I'd imagine it had something to do with the chemicals used to make the color. I know a guy who runs an all Summer Magic/Korean Shops deck and he only uses Yanoman Gunmetal 100 ct. sleeves for the deck, he has a stash.

keys

01-21-2011, 05:08 PM

Sorry I really hate it when people give terrible advice and stick by their flawed reasoning. Yeah it's your opinion however I'm really sorry you can't tell what makes quality material even when holding it in your hands.

How is my reasoning flawed? Do you have any basis for making the claim that your observations are more valid than mine? No on named you king sleeve appraiser. Quit flaming and acknowledge that you're not the only one with opinions.

socialite

01-21-2011, 05:17 PM

Quit flaming and acknowledge that you're not the only one with opinions.

Sorry I really hate it when people give terrible advice and stick by their flawed reasoning. Yeah it's your opinion however I'm really sorry you can't tell what makes quality material even when holding it in your hands.

Right.

I've bought almost every conceivable sleeve brand and compared them in hand. Maybe you've done the same thing, I don't know. Being honest with you I'd like to admit that I stopped taking you seriously when you suggested graphic backed Ultra Pro sleeves as those have to be among the most low quality sleeves I have ever dealt with.

Rebirth do yourself a favor a pick up a pack of each of the brands and find what works for you I have a feeling you will come back here with the same conclusion I came too. KMC Matte with KMC Perfect fits lead to a tight seal that helps keep foil cards straight edges crisp and dirt/dead skin out.

Julian23

01-21-2011, 05:20 PM

Been using KMC's for quite a while but they used to split oh-so-fast tthat I went back to Dragon Sleeves and never regreted doing so. Dragon Sleeves seem way more durable to me.

socialite

01-21-2011, 05:24 PM

Been using KMC's for quite a while but they used to split oh-so-fast tthat I went back to Dragon Sleeves and never regreted doing so. Dragon Sleeves seem way more durable to me.

What I always liked about Dragon Shield was the extra room at the top as it helped to keep out dirt and the like. I wish other brands would adopt a slightly taller length.

Julian23

01-21-2011, 05:26 PM

Yeah, really hope sleeve companies will realize how important that extra room is. Even when double sleeving, it's still important.

Rebirth

01-21-2011, 05:47 PM

You clearly do not know how to put Perfect Fits into normal KMC sleeves; I bet you try and cram them in straight instead of using your fingers.

Rebirth:
We could argue about this all day and not to be a dick but you can take this guys advice or you can take mine. I can't speak for him but the majority of my collection consists of Mint Korean cards and I like to keep them as close to that condition as I can.

I wouldn't trust these babies to garbage ass Ultra Pros.

http://usera.ImageCave.com/JJLessard/Cards/STP.jpg

To each their own.

I already said in my original post that i do not need advice on Ultro Pro or Dragonshields, I already had decided on KMC in the first place. I just wanted an experienced user, such as your self to help me out, which you (and others) did, so thanks :)

You mentioned play mats, is there a quality difference between mats too o.O? what do you recommend?

socialite

01-21-2011, 05:55 PM

I already said in my original post that i do not need advice on Ultro Pro or Dragonshields, I already had decided on KMC in the first place. I just wanted an experienced user, such as your self to help me out, which you (and others) did, so thanks :)

You mentioned play mats, is there a quality difference between mats too o.O? what do you recommend?

No real difference. I use an old Spell Ground play mat; they no longer make them. Any of the mouse pad type mats would suffice. Mats are great because they minimize the scuffing on the sleeves so you can get more tournament play out of them and you don't have to lay your cards down on the typical grime that seems to follow most Magic players around.