Pros & Cons of UniKeep Binders - anyone else try them?
 

I heard about UniKeep binders on this forum and was interested so I tried 5.

For info see unikeep.com


Pros:
- pages lie flat in a closed plastic case for dense stacking
- similar to a binder in a slip case but lower cost
- you can customize the cover art

Cons:
- 9-pocket Ultra Pro pages fit snug in case and the case has support bars and catches that rub the top & bottom edges. I worry that if cards slid up towards to top open edge they would get damaged (less an issue for archiving).

My current preference is for Ultra Pro (or similar D-Ring office binders in old USPS Flat Rate boxes cut to size as the slip case.

I tried Unikeep binders for a year or so, and stopped using them largely because of what you mentioned - the internal tabs rub up against the pages, which can cause damage and make the binders hard to close. Also, maybe I just had a bad batch, but on two out of the three binders that I bought, one of the three plastic ring-latching mechanisms broke, and stopped fastening shut. I also found that the binders didn't shut well in general. In the end, I really liked the idea of being able to do customized covers/spines, but it wasn't worth the downside.

I'm using these now and, although they're a little more expensive, the quality and protection is definitely worth it:

Archival Methods Binders & Slip Covers

If you have a moment I'd love to see a pic of this method.

I think he already posted one in his original pictures. Look at the bottom binder.

I've been using them for years, happily, but I don't use 9 pocket pages except for coins stored in flip holders. I put cards in card savers and 4 pocket sheets and they work just great for that. My larger items go unto mylar PC sleeves and 2 pocket pages or mylar 8 x 10 sheets.

+1

Using Card Saver (I's in pic) semi-rigid holders in 4-pocket pages I don't worry about the case edges rubbing the pages since there is plenty of protection. There is also a small amount of room top & bottom.


Yes, the right pic in my original post shows a binder on bottom of stack housed in a USPS Flat Rate box. I just cut the end off to fit. You can get a shipment. Open on one end then cut that end off to have a perfect slip case.
The USPS box and 3" Ultra Pro D-ring binder (photo is office binder of same size) is a "poor man's" version of the Archival Methods binders.

The slip cases allow the binders to be shelved in a hanging from 3-rings manner if desired since they are a rectangular package. You can do the same with UniKeep although they don't stand alone on side as well.

Ah. I see. Thanks.

I have over 50 of those UniKeep binders filled with cards in 9-pocket Ultra Pro pages. I store the binders vertically on bookshelf just like books. The issue you mention regarding those tiny tabs has been non-existent for me after more than 3 or 4 years of storage. I just checked a 1975 Topps baseball set that I've had in the binders (I have the set broken in half in two of the binders) for about 4 years now. The cards are still as fresh as the day I put them in there. The cards just don't move around like you describe, and on the bottom edge there is enough border material such that any tiny deflection (and it's tiny) caused by those tabs stays in the immediate area of those tabs and does not rise up to the card area and bend the cards.

I suppose if you shake the binder violently, the cards could rise up and strike the edges, but no one would do that as a routine matter.

I've used o-ring binders in the past, and hate them, because the metal o-rings, especially the middle one, will press against the left edge and surface of the first card of each row of the pocket page when the binders are stored flat and stacked. I suppose this would not happen with D-binders where the pages are unable to get under the ring, so to speak.

Anyway, that's been my experience with binders.

Thanks! I was wondering about actual usage experience.

When the UniKeep cases are full and stored like a book, do the pages sag and bend at the seams like regular binders not well compressed on a shelf?


My concern is less about the bottom (due to border on pages) and more about the top. I haven't had any issues in a month or so of use but have been worried about the top row of cards sliding up and aligning with edge of page and then upon opening/closing something putting an indention on the edge of card (like the bottom catch does on lower border of pages).

I think archiving them is fine. My concern has been pulling off shelf, opening and closing. Again, I haven't had any issues yet.

I am attracted to the UniKeep binders because I think pages can be more densely stored, less risk of ring impressions, and they provide the benefits of a slip case. The Ultra Pro binders have a nice D-ring and I have found them locally for around $7 for 3". Once I add the cardboard slipcase they provide an affordable option with similar benefits.

Here are pics of the top row of cards and how close they are to the "teeth" of the Unikeep snap case. The new Ultra Pro pages are a good gap between the top of the card and top edge of page. This varies with older pages and thickness of card. I haven't had any issues yet but I want to use these binders for either player collections or Royals team sets. For players (i.e. Barry Bonds) I am access these binders fairly frequently vs. archiving a complete set.


The the first picture is of Ultra binders in cardboard slipcases with SPINE UP so pages hang. The slip case allows this nicely (or standard book shelf). The UniKeep 3-ring mechanism seems less risky and I can store pages more densely, but I worry about how close the cards are to the top of the case...especially with use I worry cards tend to slide up.