RU-vid is awesome, there’s almost always a video on whatever niche interest/question you’re looking for info on. Thanks for the review and early congratulations on 600 subs! 🎉
I bought into the kickstarter and can honestly say that the Academic box I got has held up quite nicely after about a year of weekly use. I have bought 2 more since it has gotten a retail release and have been pretty happy with these boxes.
I'm very happy to hear that! I hope this video does not come off as me bashing the product, I just want to give my own personal, honest feedback on it. Glad you're enjoying yours ans I hope they last many more years to come!
Very much appreciate the authenticity of this review. Been looking at reviews for this for the past few days and this is by far one I enjoyed most! Thank you
You're honesty is awesome bro! I purchased mine during the Kickstarter and I bought another one at a game store and I do believe the Kickstarter one is the stronger magneted option. The store bought one was green like yours, The magnets do seem slightly less powerful. As long as you treat it like it's the most precious box you own the shake test is really unnecessary lol. Every time I handle the box I treat it like an ASMR video.
I appreciate the comment. I've said in a couple other comments that I do think the box is very cool and usable. I'm really just saying it's not exactly as advertised, but that's ok. It's still neat! I also treat mine like a little dog that rich women carry in their purse.
My favorite deck box to date has to be the Gamegenic Bastion. Made by the same person behind the boulder, but it feels like a perfected design that holds more cards. I also love that you can see the commander inside (depending on the color) and it's virtually impossible for it to pop open, even if you drop it. It's definitely my favorite box.
It is a reality good deck box. I have a couple I use for my foil double sleeved commander decks and yeah I absolutely love them. I generally like gamegenic products.
@KaladeshExpress Yeah, I like the boulders, but they just can't fit my double sleeved decks at all. The towers and cubes are awesome too but I love that the bastions see-through and all the extra space is nice.
Thanks for the honest review, it's realy rare to found honest review these days. Besides the black ink & weak magnets, can i ask did u found another drawbacks after using it for long term ? Because once i tried to buy ultra pro satin tower deck boxes and it became very sticky and dirty in 5 - 6 month usage...
I mean other than the ink and magnets the biggest drawback is that it takes up SO much space. the drawers can be hard to take in and out sometimes. My wife really likes the box but she only really plays one deck and now that she is getting more and more into magic she finds it annoying to carry the academic for one deck and another box for another when the academic takes up so much space.
I do wish the top try had the same folding flap that the removable trays have, seems like an oversight but perhaps there's an engineering reason behind it. Regardless great review! You have a great style!
Had this deck box for about a week and I have not had the same problem with the magnets even after vigorous testing. I'm wondering if you received a defective unit. What does worry me however is the durability of the cardboard over time. I already feel the folds of the lid weakening a bit. That might be a point of failure in the future, but for now I'm pretty satisfied with my purchase.
Hey, I really hope I did receive defective units. I want nothing but success and prosperity for TCC and Gamegenic. The lid folds are something I will probably talk about in my one month later review.
I’ve owned the deck box for about a month or two now and the magnets have held up well, at most there have been markings on the inside since I am constantly biking around with it in my backpack. I agree that the one in the video might be a defective unit? Did a shake test for the hell of it with mine and didn’t have an issue.
My Kickstarter edition has much stronger magnets than the one my buddy purchased from our LGS. It’s never failed the shake test, and has absolutely no issues. I’m assuming Gamegenic has switched magnet suppliers for one reason or another, or decided the magnets didn’t need to be as strong. (Which, realistically, they don’t. I think that’s one of the least important parts of a quality deck box.)
You hitting up the Wasteland? That place is awesome. Area is great for gaming Shame about the magnets on that box. I use UP Tower boxes just to keep it uniform and they’re sturdy.
Yeah man, if you're ever looking to game I goto wasteland at least once a week. Towers have always been strong. Love them as functional pieces, just don't love the looks.
Thank you for mentioning the black marks! From other reviews, I've seen, no one has mentioned it so I was thinking the one I bought was just an outlier for having them. Do you have any tips on how to clean them off the box? I tried using a cleaning wipe; it didn't work and discolored the box where I tried. 😞
Love the review, that said, I feel like this is the product of a Q/A issue (which is still a big issue mind), because I was in a similar situation with not being able to do the Kickstarter, and have two from the retail run and both have very strong magnets, possibly even to much so in my teal and pink where the drawer magnets take a surprising amount of effort to open up.
I need a deck box where I can put my bolder boxes in. I know that I work with the academic but does it work with the other one as well? Would like one that fits two decks but the double academic is way too big.
I am enjoying my academic, hasnt ever failed the shake test, maybe its batch, maybe it is kickstarter quality? But the problem I have is that it is too small.
I am a month late, but I will definitely say that the kickstarter version 100% had stronger magnets. I will say that the coloring is slightly different from the retail edition compared to the kickstarter edition. Regardless I definitely think there was more TLC/fit and finish care taken for the kickstarter versions, which is sad since I love the box from the kickstarter, but a little let down with the retail versions.
never too late my friend, I appreciate the feedback on that. I was curious about the Kickstarter version as I haven't been able to get my hands on one.
that shake test is really weird maybe you got bad magnets because I can do the shake test when its full maybe the quality is going down over producing more
I am curious if you have any new infomation on the boxes as I am reviewing a premium box for myself and want to know if it was due to the batch production having a defective/weaker magnet or because it is a generic and not the Patreon exclusive
Honestly, I had one of the boulder deck boxes and I did not like it because you have to be really careful when opening or closing it or you’ll damage your cards
omg it's the trans deckbox! the pink and blue looks so good and the little trays are so useful for dice and counters but you definitely need bring a second box for your decks
Shake test soundtrack is... From super NES "aliens vs predator", correct? Iconic tune burnt into my brain. Did you ever play Spider Man: Maximum Carnage?
That's why I got the ultimate guard smarthive. It's an odd size but the lid being a playmat is handy or I can set it aside and it's not flopping across the table. it fits 6 of my Digimon decks or 4 commander in boulders with space in the middle for dice and tokens
Aahhhh yeah! Haha thanks fam! They are fun to stick on anything that's doesn't actually feature Dante from the devil may cry series. Like milk cartons and board games.
I think you would benefit from something like a camera bag and maybe the DEX Protection carrying case. If I'm going to locals, the DEX bag is sturdy and holds a playmat. If I'm going to a friends house or will be walking a lot, a camera bag is great. If you get a big enough camera bag, itll hold the Academic. My biggest issue with the Academic is that it doesnt fit in bags easy. Its a great "all in one" type box that you take to locals as your only deck for the night. Only issue is that commander is a format where you usually take multiple decks tot fit the table you're playing at.
I'll definitely have a look at the dex protection case. I appreciate that information. The size of the academic is also a concern. I have been using it for my modern deck for my modern nights and it is great for the one deck type of night.
@@KaladeshExpress way too loose. I put my cards in a seperate box. It's useful as a sort of "briefcase" for locals. I have all the needed dice, tokens etc in the box and simply swap out my decks depending on what I feel like playing. In the removable compartments I usually keep extra board game type card games to introduce my opponents to at locals after the round if there's time left. It's lowkey really fun to just up and change games. Stuff like sushi go, Yomi, Tussie Mussie, etc
It might be a bad batch as I've performed the shake test a bunch of times with mine has passed with flying colours every time. Mine is part of the original batch so have had a lot of use from it too. The colour of yours is amazing but I'm hesitant to order one of the Green ones if it is potentially suffering build quality issues.
You'd think with someone like the professor being involved in creating this product it would atleast have strong magnets. I liked the doom music during the shake test. The fact that it doesn't pass profs shake test is wild you'd think they would design it to handle it.
@@KaladeshExpress These things are manufactured in the quantity of probably 200 at a time. My guess is that you should contact the manufacturer and exchange your unit for one with better magnets. The neodymium mags they use these days should be really really strong.
I've had the Academic for a couple months now and it is quite nice. I primarily play commander, so the box has plenty of spots for dice, counters, tokens, etc. and the magnets hold the lid on very securely. I think my only gripe is that the area on the left where you're supposed to store your decks could probably have been ~1" longer- it will fit two sleeved Commander decks but just barely, and it certainly won't hold their deck boxes. I think adding just a bit of length there to allow you to keep those decks in their boxes would've been a huge improvement.
From experience with my academic I think its the perfect mtg card hub. It perfectly fits an alcove, all my tokens, dice, life counters, and toploaders all in different compartments. It honestly feels more like a toolbox to carry stuff in not a deckbox to carry a bunch of cards and stuff you might need.