I have purchased lots of dice sets, bundles, bulk, individual dice from lots of different makers, including Chessex, many of them selling on Amazon. I have purchased 4 pounds of dice from Chessex. So this is where my experience comes from.
What does it mean when some other reviewer says they don't meet Chessex quality control? As far as I can tell, it is cosmetic quality only. I have a very nice looking D20 (red with yellow speckles - I actually own a set of this series and color) from one pound that has a slightly green hue in one corner of one face. You can't tell unless you are looking for it. On several other dice, there is an odd dot that doesn't match the coloring of the other dots or specs. There are dice from swirl sets that maybe don't have enough of the swirl color, or maybe other cosmetic blemishes. So far, all the things I've seen would pass QC for many other cheaper brands.
The quality of the roll with these dice is on par with any other Chessex dice, based on my experience.
People will say there are factory seconds that are "fugly". Well, yes and no. Chessex does try out different color combinations and some of them get as far as an initial production run. There were a significant number of dice that were dual color (one color on half the faces and another color on the other half) and some of those combos were visually unappealing. But they roll great. Some of the color combos I actually like, but I may not be in the majority. Some are seconds only because they are production overruns. They end up with maybe more of a couple dXs and dYs that make it through QC than other die in a set (If you are lucky, they are from a set you already own and so you get some extra matching dice). So the extras go into a pound.
And you will not find an even distribution dice types (based on # of sides)
What you will NOT get is dice that are cupped or bulging on one or more sides, dice with chips out of them, dice with edges or corners that are rounded more than the other edges or corners on the dice, dice with an obvious mold "nubbin" at the injection sight. Oddly these are things that I have seen with production sets (that I have purchased) of even some more expensive dice brands, including one brand that many claim is the absolute best.
So, yes, you are going to get some dice that aren't particularly beautiful. There will be cosmetic blemishes. You will not find a complete set of matching dice (unless you are really lucky) other than the bonus set that comes with the package. You may get a lot more of one side of dice than another (One pound I got contained only six d12s).
You would also spend roughly $120 (and probably more) to by 14 sets of Chessex dice. And even though you can get some other brand's pound of dice a little cheaper, you'll probably get better game play out of the Chessex dice.
I gave them five stars because you don't buy a pound expecting them to be pretty but you do expect them to roll well and to feel good in your hand. And these do that at a bargain price.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 7.76 x 4.92 x 3.27 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 0.48 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 9 x 6 x 6 inches |
| Item Weight | 1 Pounds |
| Brand Name | Chessex |
| Warranty Description | No Warranty |
| Model Name | 07951002154 |
| Color | Pound-o-dice |
| Material | Plastic |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Chessex |
| Part Number | Pound of Dice |
| Included Components | Pound of Dice |
| Size | 1-Pack |
