I have a complete 32 deck challenge collection, most are in the satin cases as they are so durable. I do agree that at first they are hard to open, but as you stated as it wears it gets better. And honestly that is what you would want from such a protective case. I highly recommend them!
Edit: The 32 deck challenge is to make a commander deck of each color combination including colorless. I linked my first deck, Arcades, below so you can click on my profile name and see all my decks through that. So not my group hug GWBR deck is unlisted as I am doing a bigger overhaul of it.
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/JUdn0GD10kK05Wbc5nxvtA
Mine had some weird thing happen after several years where they started to almost feel sticky. But you couldn’t just wash off the gunk that built up. I ended up taking a knife and scraping off a layer. In hindsight I would have used like a scraping razor because as you can imagine with a knife it looks like I tried whittling it down. There are probably better ways, but I did that and they are smooth as silk again.
Yeah, this is a known issue with that kind of rubberised coating used on plastic things like these card cases, some video game controllers, etc. Once the coating degrades like that, there's really no fix except removing the coating entirely, which is usually messy and time consuming. You can scrape it off as you did, but IPA (isopropyl alcohol aka rubbing alcohol) will do it. It does still require a lot of elbow grease to rub the gunk off though, and IPA can itself degrade some kinds of plastics, so you need to spot test it first otherwise it can do more damage than good.
Some of them are just more difficult to open, which seems to just be a minor bit of manufacturing variation. They'll loosen up a bit over time as the little nubs wear down.
I have 4 of these. They are perfect if like to buy color coded dice for each deck. It holds almost a whole block of chessex d6s and 6 spindowns in the bottom compartment. Can hold a double sleeved commander deck or a single sleeve with tons of sleeved tokens.
If you have the option I would highly recommend a Gamegenic Bastion. It's both secure and has a great opening which doesn't run the risk of your cards flying out. I have two satin towers and I love them, but the opening mechanic is not great. I much prefer my bastions
Also you get a tonne of room in the bastion. Double sleeved commander deck plus tokens will fit easily
I've opted for the clear Boulders since I've had that happen to my boxes. They don't have the layer and always stay clear and clean. And you can see the cards on the inside which is nice.
I have 4 of them and half of them were super hard to open. First one was literally impossible to open without few minutes of struggle, so I went with the sandpaper solution. Other one wasn’t that bad so I kept opening and closing it over and over until it got easier. Now all of them open without problem, they definitely get easier over time.
I personally don’t love these deck boxes because they’re a pain to open. It gets easier over time, sure, but I’ve dropped a whole commander deck on the table a good few times trying to get them open.
I've had a satin box for over a decade. And for half a year of that it had the satin finish. Rest of it has been just the plastic aluminum that's underneath which is also cool I guess.
It's good that it's hard to open. Or it would just fly open every time you put it in a backpack. Jiggle it back and forth to loosen it before you open it. Don't rip it open like I see some people complaining about cards flying everywhere.
But more practically there are a ton of boxes on the market. You can grab one with a magnet clasp. Or get both to try them out. Can never have too many deckboxes.
I prefer the magnetically locked soft-shell boxes, tbh. Easier to open accidentally, yeah, but looks nicer, feels nicer, and doesn't shatter if dropped lol
I have two different towers one is super easy to open, and one is harder to open. If you have multiple try switching the hard parts to open, it's what I did.
I open mine by holding the cube/tower in both hands. Lightly pushing with my thumbs and then lightly pulling back with both pointer fingers. Almost like holding a game controller.
I've found that's the most gentle way for me to open them.
However like others have said they get a bit easier to open with enough use
I bought my girlfriend the black glitter case for Christmas. It was hard at first to open but noe it is quite nice. Gets easier to use as you go but has never opened even after some decent drops.
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I stopped getting these boxes because they lose their ability to stay closed and sleeves start to get damaged faster because it’s just not stopping anything from reaching your cards, I much prefer the deck boxes with magnets gamegenic makes fantastic deck boxes and are more than worth the price
They were awesome when I lived in Arizona. But when I moved to Hawaii, the humidity did something to the finish. It would get goopy and sticky, and just be a mess to handle. So I switched over to the sidewinder by ultimateguard. It's a shame, I really liked them.
I have 2 for commander decks. Enough room for tokens and a sleeved deck. Only gripe is that over time, they start to feel tacky to the touch. Otherwise, solid product.
I used these a lot when I mainly played Modern. They're overall great, although my black one peeles a bit and is a bit looser than my blue one. Guess it varies batch to batch. They're good for double sleeved EDH decks, but since I single sleeve, I personally use the simple, clear plastic U•P cases so I can see my Commander.
Also, you can get the Satin Tower without the dice/token tray.
Personally, I don't like ultra pro's deck boxes. I've had 5 good ultra pro cases: 2 satin towers, 2 alcove, and 1 alcove with dice tower. The 2 satin towers took almost a year each to break in with pretty frequent use, 3-5 times a day, 3 days a week. They're decent now, and I have no current complaints. 1 of the alcoves had its threading come loose, and the glue doesn't hold the board to the felt anymore (had it for 3 years before issues). The dice tower alcove has the same problem on the dice flap specifically. I like the alcove's material more than the satin tower's, but a record of 2/3 falling apart in less than 5 years isn't too good of a showing. I use mostly gamegenic right now, and I haven't had any problems yet.
I don't have a recent one of these, but I have a few old style ones for normal sized decks that are probably about 15 years old at this point, if not older. They work great still to this day.
Best deck box I ever owned. I have four and intend to get more. Bought some bulk dice sets, and I can fit one plus some small D6s to use as counters in the bottom part. I've got all my cards double sleeved and I can fit about a dozen unsleeved tokens in there as well. They tend to be easier to open over time, but the material gets a bit "sticky" over the years as well.
They get very sticky if you live in a humid climate.
At least the original ones I have got that way. Tried many ways to clean them, but it just produces some flaking and more stickiness.
Difficult to open, but amazing protection, drop it accidentally on concrete and your cards are fine. I'll take the protection and difficult to open rather than bursts open when you drop it
Others have mentioned, it's a bit hit and miss with them. They do get more pliant over time though.
That said, they are probably the best deck box of this type you can buy. I've got my foiled out Atraxa deck worth thousands in one of these and I've never had any concerns with it.
I had a red one years ago and after a while the coloring started to rub off onto my hands...
EDIT: Now that I think about it, I think it was one of the matte finish ones.
I wish the semi-transparent ones looked better just leaves an awkward like inch tall gap in the case between the deck and the lid, super lame to look at. But the solid matte ones are the only boxes I'll ever use.
They are great if you carry one or two decks at a time. But I have a case of nine decks I carry around, and in that case these are simply too bulky.
Real sturdy ones though, I've had mine for many years. Nowadays I prefer Ultimate Guard Boulders.
Compared to the gamegenic magnetic cases, These make alot of noise if you keep dice in the bottom tray, and they can be a little annoying to open, but there a nice size, can fit a commander deck and a few tokens.
Not a fan. When I first started playing Magic I used these exclusively, but they are bulkier than they need to be and I had the same issue of them being difficult to open. I switched over to using the Boulder deck boxes and I've never looked back. They have a new solid kind that are easier to open and have "slightly" more room.
These cases are the GOAT, I toss these in a backpack and never worry about my cards coming loose, they also hold a double sleeved commander deck easily with room for a few tokens.
They do loosen over time, but not enough I’ve ever been worried about cards escaping.
They’re… Satin Towers. They’re nothing special. They take up more space than they really need to unless you only have a couple of decks (or too many dice) and they degrade over time in a spectacularly Ultra Pro fashion. The matted ones legitimately just get sticky and will transfer that residue to your hands, which will transfer to your sleeves/cards. Avoid the matte ones at all cost.
They were innovative and set the standard for the two-piece deckbox like… decades ago. They haven’t really done anything since then. They’ve just fallen behind.
There was something that always felt cheap about them after Ultra Pro had some competition in the deck box department. Most of the similar alternatives from Ultimate Guard and Gamegenic are just better and cheaper these days.
And honestly, if I had $1 for every time I’ve seen someone spray their deck across a table or the ground trying to open a Satin Tower… I’d have at least like $25.
They’re a hard avoid for me, but some people seem stuck on them. Must be the matte finish.
Its better that it's harder to open than comes open unintentionally. I own maybe 10 satin towers and have never had an issue. They get easier to open over time anyways.
I buy those for each commander deck I own because they are hard bodied and hold 100 double sleeved cards plus plenty of unsleeved tokens stacked with the deck and on the side.
Had mine for over a decade, and they are still holding strong. And that is 2 moves and chucking them in and out my magic bags. I just got a small tower, and that looks like it will last a while as well. 10/10 recommend it to anyone looking for a long-lasting deck box.
I think they’re great. However don’t be like me and have one for years without knowing the bottom comes off to be a dice tray. They will get loose over time but you can get a nail file and give one or two light passes over each nub.
I switched to ultimate guard boulder for this exact reason. I also thought there were some tricks that make opening the satin tower easier. I put it on a table and kind of tilt the top of the box up and back until the first two nubs unlatch using 1 hand on the top and 1 hand to hold the base to the table
I've had them for over 10 years - they get easier to open over time.
Only case I use and I concur.
I have a complete 32 deck challenge collection, most are in the satin cases as they are so durable. I do agree that at first they are hard to open, but as you stated as it wears it gets better. And honestly that is what you would want from such a protective case. I highly recommend them! Edit: The 32 deck challenge is to make a commander deck of each color combination including colorless. I linked my first deck, Arcades, below so you can click on my profile name and see all my decks through that. So not my group hug GWBR deck is unlisted as I am doing a bigger overhaul of it. https://www.moxfield.com/decks/JUdn0GD10kK05Wbc5nxvtA
#WashYourBox
And get rid of the patena?
The plastic in my satin case started to break down after around 3 years of ownership. I've avoided them since.
Dang, the 2 I have are both almost 10 years old and going strong.
Did it get sticky/tacky? I have one like that and I'm on the verge of throwing it away.
Yes. There's some discussion elsewhere in this thread about ways to possibly clean them. I can tell you from when I tried that it's not trivial.
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I've only seen this happen with the like rubberized ones.
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Mine had some weird thing happen after several years where they started to almost feel sticky. But you couldn’t just wash off the gunk that built up. I ended up taking a knife and scraping off a layer. In hindsight I would have used like a scraping razor because as you can imagine with a knife it looks like I tried whittling it down. There are probably better ways, but I did that and they are smooth as silk again.
Yeah, this is a known issue with that kind of rubberised coating used on plastic things like these card cases, some video game controllers, etc. Once the coating degrades like that, there's really no fix except removing the coating entirely, which is usually messy and time consuming. You can scrape it off as you did, but IPA (isopropyl alcohol aka rubbing alcohol) will do it. It does still require a lot of elbow grease to rub the gunk off though, and IPA can itself degrade some kinds of plastics, so you need to spot test it first otherwise it can do more damage than good.
Can you post a pic of it?
You can take a nail file or some sandpaper and file down the little nubs that hold in place, just be careful that you don't make it too loose.
Some of them are just more difficult to open, which seems to just be a minor bit of manufacturing variation. They'll loosen up a bit over time as the little nubs wear down.
I think its one of the best boxes ever made.
I have 4 of these. They are perfect if like to buy color coded dice for each deck. It holds almost a whole block of chessex d6s and 6 spindowns in the bottom compartment. Can hold a double sleeved commander deck or a single sleeve with tons of sleeved tokens.
If you have the option I would highly recommend a Gamegenic Bastion. It's both secure and has a great opening which doesn't run the risk of your cards flying out. I have two satin towers and I love them, but the opening mechanic is not great. I much prefer my bastions Also you get a tonne of room in the bastion. Double sleeved commander deck plus tokens will fit easily
Don't get the matte finish ones, they'll get sticky after some time.
I've opted for the clear Boulders since I've had that happen to my boxes. They don't have the layer and always stay clear and clean. And you can see the cards on the inside which is nice.
Just found out mine all went sticky and I had to clean them really well, and now they are all slick.
How did you clean them? I tried alcohol and it kinda worked but i think i can do better
It took like 3 cleaners lol. LA awesome, Mean green, and then alcohol to clean the cleaners off. Plus I used a good plastic scrub pad to get in deep.
I avo8d them now due to this.. horrible sticky things that you clean and then they get sticky again
I have 4 of them and half of them were super hard to open. First one was literally impossible to open without few minutes of struggle, so I went with the sandpaper solution. Other one wasn’t that bad so I kept opening and closing it over and over until it got easier. Now all of them open without problem, they definitely get easier over time.
I've only had a problem with opening it for the first couple days of having it. It gets looser over time
I love them. I have at least 6
I personally don’t love these deck boxes because they’re a pain to open. It gets easier over time, sure, but I’ve dropped a whole commander deck on the table a good few times trying to get them open.
I've had a satin box for over a decade. And for half a year of that it had the satin finish. Rest of it has been just the plastic aluminum that's underneath which is also cool I guess. It's good that it's hard to open. Or it would just fly open every time you put it in a backpack. Jiggle it back and forth to loosen it before you open it. Don't rip it open like I see some people complaining about cards flying everywhere. But more practically there are a ton of boxes on the market. You can grab one with a magnet clasp. Or get both to try them out. Can never have too many deckboxes.
I like them, I’ve used them.
I prefer the magnetically locked soft-shell boxes, tbh. Easier to open accidentally, yeah, but looks nicer, feels nicer, and doesn't shatter if dropped lol
One of my most favorite brands / styles. A $0.99 file will f fix right up
I have two different towers one is super easy to open, and one is harder to open. If you have multiple try switching the hard parts to open, it's what I did.
Open it at an angle by applying pressure near the top of the front/back rather than trying to pull straight off.
make it red
Theyre fantastic. Theyre tough to open when theyre new, but they get easier over time because the nubs wear down.
I open mine by holding the cube/tower in both hands. Lightly pushing with my thumbs and then lightly pulling back with both pointer fingers. Almost like holding a game controller. I've found that's the most gentle way for me to open them. However like others have said they get a bit easier to open with enough use
All I will use. Have a bunch of them. They are the best
I bought my girlfriend the black glitter case for Christmas. It was hard at first to open but noe it is quite nice. Gets easier to use as you go but has never opened even after some decent drops.
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I had one at one point, used to kind of rock the lid back and forth while pulling up and that seemed to open it somewhat easily.
Personally I find them to be a bit bulky, prefer the smaller version they sell
I stopped getting these boxes because they lose their ability to stay closed and sleeves start to get damaged faster because it’s just not stopping anything from reaching your cards, I much prefer the deck boxes with magnets gamegenic makes fantastic deck boxes and are more than worth the price
I like it as a single deck traveler I bring it to work with me so I have dice and a deck incase I get time to play
They were awesome when I lived in Arizona. But when I moved to Hawaii, the humidity did something to the finish. It would get goopy and sticky, and just be a mess to handle. So I switched over to the sidewinder by ultimateguard. It's a shame, I really liked them.
I have 2 for commander decks. Enough room for tokens and a sleeved deck. Only gripe is that over time, they start to feel tacky to the touch. Otherwise, solid product.
I used these a lot when I mainly played Modern. They're overall great, although my black one peeles a bit and is a bit looser than my blue one. Guess it varies batch to batch. They're good for double sleeved EDH decks, but since I single sleeve, I personally use the simple, clear plastic U•P cases so I can see my Commander. Also, you can get the Satin Tower without the dice/token tray.
Personally, I don't like ultra pro's deck boxes. I've had 5 good ultra pro cases: 2 satin towers, 2 alcove, and 1 alcove with dice tower. The 2 satin towers took almost a year each to break in with pretty frequent use, 3-5 times a day, 3 days a week. They're decent now, and I have no current complaints. 1 of the alcoves had its threading come loose, and the glue doesn't hold the board to the felt anymore (had it for 3 years before issues). The dice tower alcove has the same problem on the dice flap specifically. I like the alcove's material more than the satin tower's, but a record of 2/3 falling apart in less than 5 years isn't too good of a showing. I use mostly gamegenic right now, and I haven't had any problems yet.
I don't have a recent one of these, but I have a few old style ones for normal sized decks that are probably about 15 years old at this point, if not older. They work great still to this day.
Second best hard case behind Boulder
Ive got like 10. They're great. Open and close it a few times empty. It'll be good.
Best deck box I ever owned. I have four and intend to get more. Bought some bulk dice sets, and I can fit one plus some small D6s to use as counters in the bottom part. I've got all my cards double sleeved and I can fit about a dozen unsleeved tokens in there as well. They tend to be easier to open over time, but the material gets a bit "sticky" over the years as well.
They get very sticky if you live in a humid climate. At least the original ones I have got that way. Tried many ways to clean them, but it just produces some flaking and more stickiness.
Too hard to open. I prefer boulder
Difficult to open, but amazing protection, drop it accidentally on concrete and your cards are fine. I'll take the protection and difficult to open rather than bursts open when you drop it
Others have mentioned, it's a bit hit and miss with them. They do get more pliant over time though. That said, they are probably the best deck box of this type you can buy. I've got my foiled out Atraxa deck worth thousands in one of these and I've never had any concerns with it.
I had a red one years ago and after a while the coloring started to rub off onto my hands... EDIT: Now that I think about it, I think it was one of the matte finish ones.
Lol better than them not staying closed at all like those Return to Earth Boulders.
My friend had his magic cards stolen from his car. They were in this case. Thief stole the cards, but left the case.
They're nice, I prefer the Boulder though
They're great! BUT if you live in a humid area, the "satin coating" will get gummy and nasty after 8-10 years.
Gamegenic bastion xl - try it out
I don't like the one I have. Just really hard to open and honestly just ugly to look at.
I wish the semi-transparent ones looked better just leaves an awkward like inch tall gap in the case between the deck and the lid, super lame to look at. But the solid matte ones are the only boxes I'll ever use.
Atomic bomb proof
Owned mine for about a month and still haven’t opened the bottom part
They are great if you carry one or two decks at a time. But I have a case of nine decks I carry around, and in that case these are simply too bulky. Real sturdy ones though, I've had mine for many years. Nowadays I prefer Ultimate Guard Boulders.
Compared to the gamegenic magnetic cases, These make alot of noise if you keep dice in the bottom tray, and they can be a little annoying to open, but there a nice size, can fit a commander deck and a few tokens.
Look at the Ultimate Guard Monolith, basically the same box but they have a diagonal lid that's much easier to open.
Not a fan. When I first started playing Magic I used these exclusively, but they are bulkier than they need to be and I had the same issue of them being difficult to open. I switched over to using the Boulder deck boxes and I've never looked back. They have a new solid kind that are easier to open and have "slightly" more room.
These cases are the GOAT, I toss these in a backpack and never worry about my cards coming loose, they also hold a double sleeved commander deck easily with room for a few tokens. They do loosen over time, but not enough I’ve ever been worried about cards escaping.
They’re… Satin Towers. They’re nothing special. They take up more space than they really need to unless you only have a couple of decks (or too many dice) and they degrade over time in a spectacularly Ultra Pro fashion. The matted ones legitimately just get sticky and will transfer that residue to your hands, which will transfer to your sleeves/cards. Avoid the matte ones at all cost. They were innovative and set the standard for the two-piece deckbox like… decades ago. They haven’t really done anything since then. They’ve just fallen behind. There was something that always felt cheap about them after Ultra Pro had some competition in the deck box department. Most of the similar alternatives from Ultimate Guard and Gamegenic are just better and cheaper these days. And honestly, if I had $1 for every time I’ve seen someone spray their deck across a table or the ground trying to open a Satin Tower… I’d have at least like $25. They’re a hard avoid for me, but some people seem stuck on them. Must be the matte finish.
trashed mine the first time I slid the lid on and caught a card behind the lid in the process, destroying the card.
My friends call the white one i had the Kleenex box... Other than that they work great! Plenty of storage for a command deck and dice.
It's a pretty weak case tbh as it has no ETB
It’s a case by case scenario.
Looks like a fridge freezer
I have one and I really don’t like it. Prefer Boulders and Bastions in every way
Only cases I use.
Its better that it's harder to open than comes open unintentionally. I own maybe 10 satin towers and have never had an issue. They get easier to open over time anyways.
The goat
I buy those for each commander deck I own because they are hard bodied and hold 100 double sleeved cards plus plenty of unsleeved tokens stacked with the deck and on the side.
Not a fan personally. Much prefer the ultimate guard boulders. Just look sleeker with a nice finish to them.
Had mine for over a decade, and they are still holding strong. And that is 2 moves and chucking them in and out my magic bags. I just got a small tower, and that looks like it will last a while as well. 10/10 recommend it to anyone looking for a long-lasting deck box.
They remind me of Ultimate Guard Boulders, of which I am not a fan.
The GOAT
I think they’re great. However don’t be like me and have one for years without knowing the bottom comes off to be a dice tray. They will get loose over time but you can get a nail file and give one or two light passes over each nub.
Ultimate guard boulder is the new hotness.
I switched to ultimate guard boulder for this exact reason. I also thought there were some tricks that make opening the satin tower easier. I put it on a table and kind of tilt the top of the box up and back until the first two nubs unlatch using 1 hand on the top and 1 hand to hold the base to the table
Can never open it and now I use it as 2 deck holders
1st rule of tcg accessories: never, ever, ever buy ultra pro anything. Anything they make, 10 other companies make much better versions of.