Precision dice are not designed to yield more “snake eyes” than standard dice are. Nor are they designed to yield more “boxcars.” Simply put, precision dice are designed to provide for fair play.
Apart from providing you with a reliable game accessory, we hope that our precision dices will add some fun to your gaming experience.
Manufacturing process
Precision dice are cut from a block of cellulose acetate. This form of acetate is homogenous and therefore free from minute air bubbles. The cost of the acetate is a contributing factor to the high production costs of precision dice. Holes for the pips are milled out and later backfilled with paint. The paint, technically epoxy, is the same density as the cellulose that was removed. The well for each pip is filled using a syringe. The dice go through several polishing and measuring steps. This process ensures that all surfaces are flush, with no indentations for pips or numbers.
All designs are made of micro-thin foil. The foil is applied with a hot-stamp process after the spots are applied, but before the corners of the dice are milled away. The dice are not engraved.
Characteristics
all-cornered dice, as used by professional backgammon players, are ideal for other table-top gaming because of they:
provide more rolling “action” in dice cups, dice towers, and trays;
are less likely to chip with prolonged use; and
are less likely to damage leather cups, or wooden towers and trays.
Other benefits
Precision dice have a few other advantages over standard dice. The flush surface of the die tends to reduce sliding and last-second flipping. In other words, once it lands in a tray, a precision die tends to come to rest quicker than a die with indented pips. The flush surface is also less likely to accumulate dirt, as the indented pips on a standard die occasionally do. Lastly, unlike a standard die, the pips on a precision die will not wear off. The paint is almost ⅛” thick on the precision dice compared to a few thousands of an inch thick on standard dice. You can distinguish between precision backgammon dice and their non-precision second-cousins by comparing the faces of each die. As you can see in the photographs above and below, the face of a precision die is a circle. On a standard die, the face is a rounded rectangle.
Sizes and designs
Care and cleaning
CAUTION: Do not use solvents such as wood alcohol to clean your precision dice. A bit of dish detergent and cool water is all that you should ever need. We recommend cleaning your dices after periods of prolonged use. Cleaning will remove salts and oils that may corrode the foil, especially the metallic foils such as silver.