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Box Update

Posted By: Phil Simborg
Date: Saturday, 24 March 2012, at 9:22 a.m.

1. Just sold the 61st box...quite a success for just 3 weeks.

2. Used the box in Cleveland for 9 matches so far. The dice were cocked 3 times. Total. In 5 matches. (4 were 7 pointers, one 11 pointer, and 4 were 5 pointers.

3. Stick and I tried his suggestion of the opening roll not using the baffle box. Excellent idea. We each rolled on our own side and that eliminated any confusion about who's die belongs to who or what happens if someone rolls later and hits the other die. I recommend that rule.

4. ONLY ONE BOX that has been sold reported a problem. One of the magnets fell out of Bill Calton's box, and he put it in backwards. I exchanged the box and I'll fix the magnet. To ensure this doesn't happen again, now, all of our magnets will be secured with Super Glue.

5. About 80 percent of the buyers also buy the bag for $10.00. It's really a nice bag and will hold not just the box, but your dice, cubes, and other items, and it will still all fit inside of most backgammon boards.

6. We did not encounter a single board that the box did not rest on nicely. I have yet to see a tournament board or standard backgammon board that is not compatible with the new box.

7. Except for Ed O'Laughlin, who should not be allowed to drive a car or operate an elevator, nobody had problems assembling and taking apart the box which snaps together completely with magnets. After several minutes, even Ed figured it out.

The future? We have enough material left for about 20 more boards. We are already experimenting with clear plastic, different kinds and weights of wood, and all kinds of different finishes and options to offer people "custom" boxes with pictures, logos, or their name engraved on the box. We do not plan to change the basic design, as the one we have works extremely well and has been very well-received by all using it.

Thanks to all of you who bought boxes and the many more that have said they will buy one in the future. I make very little money on the sale of these boxes, but I think it is a wonderful addition to the game and I personally like using boxes so much I am hoping it will become extremely common and accepted by all in the future.