Card Guardian - 9 Pocket Premium Black Binder with Zipper for 360 Cards - Side Loading Pockets for Trading Card Games TCG (Purple)

Giovanni Santana United States

* Read Before You Buy *

I’ve never heard of this brand prior to my purchase but decided to try it out considering how affordable it was. This is by far my favorite binder to date. I was a diehard Monster Protectors fan but wanted to try something new. I may compare it to the Monster binder for reference, so if you’ve owned one it can give you an idea of the size and feel. Bare in mind this is a short term review, unfortunately I cannot tell you the real world longevity of this binder, but we can get an idea from the materials used. We can start with the zipper, it feels very smooth and the rubber pull is a nice touch. I don’t see any brand markings on it but I’m sure if you keep it waxed it’ll be as effective as a YKK in the long term. The zipper by no means feels cheap. The exterior material is very similar to ultimate guard deck boxes, it has a nice texture that has just enough grip to not slide around. There is even a sewn seam that runs across the covers that looks great with no frays, and a nice Card Guardian logo pressed into it. This tea helps emphasize the quality of the material. I’m not sure if between the exterior material and hard cover is some sort of pad or if the material is naturally spongy but there is a nice cushion between it and the hardcover that protects your cards. It gives me a lot of comfort knowing the cards have a ton of protection. If you own a very high dollar collection (unlike myself 😂) you’ll probably appreciate it. The interior of the binder has a layer of ,I can only assume nylon between the cover and the first and last page. It feels great and when you unbox it they even put tissue paper between it and the pages. Little things like that distinguish a good product from a bad one. The pages have side loading pockets and are a tad bigger than the monster. If you collect standard sized cards they will fit perfectly. My only gripe with the pages is their overall thickness. Monster pages are quite a bit thicker but unlike the Monster binder the pages in the CG have a seam sewn into them. I’m not sure if that will help with the longevity of the pages but time will certainly tell. When initially looking at this binder I read some of the negative reviews regarding the page bending issue. You’ll have to see the reviews for reference but I typically encounter this same problem with most of my binders. My solution that works for me, is as soon as i take the binder out of its packaging, i work in the spine for about 15 min. Bend it back and forth and stretch the pages a little whilst working the spine in. Then fill the binder gradually with cards, don’t fill it up immediately. I usually fill it 1/4 of the way every few days. This will not completely rid you of this issue but it will help a lot. My binder is about 1/2 full and will be full by the end of the week it definitely isn’t bending any of my cards. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, I’ve done this with Monster binders and it helps a ton. Regarding the size, the binder is about an inch and a half longer than the standard monster binder and about as thick, even when empty as a full monster binder with sleeves. If you are pressed for room this isn’t the one for you. Overall I’d give this a initial A+, I’ll keep you updated on how everything goes after owning it long term and using it for my trades. I really hope this helps.

Zavenoa United States

NO RINGS, ZIPPERED, SIDE LOADING!!! All the base requirements of a top quality card binder!

It's an absolute must for me to store my TCG sets in binders for so many reasons. It make's it easier to organize and track the set, allows you to look through and enjoy it, and it makes it easy to show off! However, using the wrong kind or quality of binder and you could find your cards falling out if you pick it up the wrong way, or even damaging your cards just from being stored in them! The only binders I currently trust my sets in are the zippered (I do not use strapped), side loading Card Guardian, VaultX, and Ultra Pro binders. Which company I go with mostly depends on color or tcg, as they are all very similar in quality from both the outer material, to the pages themselves. As of writing this I have a couple of Card Guardian's 9 pocket and about half a dozen of their 12 pocket, and I haven't experienced any issues with any of them yet. These binders are ringless, which is critical because that is a big way cards get damaged in binders. Additionally, beyond being zippered, these are side loading pages so you really don't have much (if anything?) to worry about in terms of your cards falling out, I've never had a card come anywhere near falling out, I'm not even sure I've had any come partially the way out of their spot. Even in binders, all of my cards are double sleeved with a perfect fit/standard penny sleeve combo if I'm single stacking (1 card per pocket) or single sleeved perfect fit if I'm double stacking (regular print under holo per pocket). These will handle that in the double sided pages no problem. The ONLY minor complaint I have about the Card Guardian binders vs the VaultX or Ultra Pro is that the Card Guardian pockets are SLIGHTLY shorter so some regular penny sleeves are a tight fit, but the BCW ones aren't as tall as some others so they fit perfectly. PSA: While quality binders like these do provide additional protection, and if handled and stored correctly will minimize risk of damage to your cards, that risk is still not zero. Because of this, I have a limit to the value of cards I will store in these binders, using a proxy for the higher value cards, that are stored in something more secure like a Top Loader. There are Top Loader binders out there that can further minimize risk to your more valuable cards, while still providing ease of viewing. ***KEY BINDER STORAGE NOTE*** Storing your binders laying flat can damage your cards over time by ever so slowly crushing them essentially. To prevent this, always store your binders standing up.

C. Scudder United States

One of the finest binders available

I keep coming back to Card Guardian again and again for one simple reason: they have the perfect intersection of sturdy, functional, affordable. First of all the binder itself is made of top quality fabric and materials. The pages are sewn in, so if you're looking for a ring binder, this is not the one, but those of us in the trading card world often avoid ring binders because they can potentially damage cards anyway. But if you're looking for a binder that is going to do a superlative job of protecting your cards, look no further. This thing will probably outlive me. On top of that, a key feature that I look for in a binder that isn't often advertised is whether it, while full, has enough room - enough slack in the closure method - to not compress or unevenly put pressure on the cards. And this binder does. The fabric around the zipper has enough slack in it that when the binder is full - to the brim, 160 cards, *double-sleeved* - it is tight, but barely. It doesn't put pressure, evenly or otherwise, on the cards themselves. For preservation of valuable cards, this is often overlooked but in my mind absolutely key. Finally, price. There are cheaper binders out there, yes. But for the cost, you're not going to find a better value than Card Guardian binders. A wholehearted five stars. I'll buy these binders as long as I need binders.

mrmpaes United States

Great product, I will purchase again in the future

Great binder for the price, love the variety of colors available and the shipping was very fast (next day was in my door), I ended up going with the 9 pocket size because I can carry in my backpack comfortably The texture of the outside feels great and looks premium, plus the zipper and the side pocket is a must for me on binders, I hate when the cards just fall out with top load/non zip binders Great product, recommend