How Do MTG Card Sorting Machines Compare?

[@TuberTugger]

As a MTG player, design engineer and ML software dev, I'm triply interested in how this project turns out! Subbed and looking forward to some juicy details!

[@jackbaumgartel]

Haha we've got a lot in common! I appreciate the support and hope I can deliver on those juicy details!

[@blakemoody5866]

the monthly subscription parts are insane. especially the $8000 machine that can only sort into 2 piles. That is useless!!!

[@jackbaumgartel]

Haha I'm not sure I would say useless! Some people just want their cards inventoried, so physical sorting isn't really a priority for them.

[@Melissanoma]

8000$ and you own it outrigt.....except you also pay 140$/month for the software or it's dead

[@vxicepickxv]

@@WowCreativeUsername it's 533 hours of sorting at 15 dollars an hour.

[@cooper10182]

The card bot was more intended for a card shop, supposedly you can take your collection to a participating shop and logging into your own account and use their machine to sort and catalog on your account. So I think the price is more along that line than just a private collector sorting

[@dez3940]

@@jackbaumgartel this is a case where the machine is way over priced for what it dose and how slow it dose the software to Id and keep track of where cards are is also over priced as well maybe 200-300 a year if they provide catalog updates and it works well. I do understand why it's so expensive (bc no market) but still if it wasn't so pricy maybe they would have more customers.

[@VincentPascoe]

about 10 years ago I had a large baseball card company ask me to make one of these. at the time I think we bid the job at $28,000-35,000 in the end they didn't do it because they where worried about if the cards would be damaged. Amazing to see what you have done so far at a fraction of what the compeitors have in resorces etc.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thats really cool to hear! I appreciate the kind words

[@darckgreens]

I always wanted to sort my card efficiently and accessible to the public. Subscribed to see where the project is going. Good luck with your project :)

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for subscribing! I appreciate the support

[@liammenchaca8860]

I am incredibly interested in this project! Can’t wait to see where it goes

[@jackbaumgartel]

Great to hear, I appreciate the support!

[@kicknpost]

As I have used 2 of these sorters, currently using the Phizbang900, previously used the Magic Sorter. The Magic sorter, as far as I know has bit the big one and is no more and stopped recieving updates for it. Currently using the Phizbang has been great, it does have its own problems with jams, and loading issues that means you have to check on it regularily, but it is effecient at what it is needed for.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for sharing! I've heard similar reports that the Magic-Sorter isn't being supported so much anymore, but good to hear the "Phizbang" is working well for you!

[@nooikko]

@@jackbaumgartel I own one of these and use it on the daily. Not only is it upwards of $2,000 USD but it also receives (albeit infrequent) updates.

[@nlb137]

Those prices (especially with having to subscribe to the software, meaning you never *really* own it) are ludicrous. I look forward to seeing what you can do to make that more reasonable.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for the support, I appreciate it!

[@Kevincole87]

I dont mind a pay for each update for new sets $10 a new set would be fine and will generate you constant income. The machine shouldn't break just cause you dont have the latest set update

[@iansylvester]

Definitely following to see how your project turns out! Looking forward to an updated video on how it's going

[@jackbaumgartel]

Glad to hear it, thanks for the support. And I posted an update at the link below just a few weeks ago! kzbin.info/www/bejne/imTCpWOFaq-oo6M

[@mikesweet9991]

Subscribed! Super interested in this project, the goals you've set are impressive and could be revolutionary to small LGS across the country. Can't wait to see more!

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thank you, I appreciate the support!

[@BenMclean007]

This is a trip! I work with the CardCastle guys on and off, and my brother was the developer responsible for integrating the CardBot into their app (along with some R&D). They're super nice guys, very attentive to detail.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Awesome to hear the connection! And from my communications with them I can agree they are fantastic!

[@zachk7305]

As another magic nerd, engineer, and hobby programmer, I am incredibly excited to have found this video. Subbed and notified! I've wanted to build something for myself for a while now, so I hope following will the kick in the pants I needed lol.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Haha great to hear, I appreciate the support!

[@reillocb]

What software are you using to design this? Also i had no idea magic sorter was only 800, i could realistically save up for that with time. Great vid, I'll be following closely

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thank you! And the modeling software I'm using is Fusion 360.

[@DeckEdge]

It’s way more than $800 (3X) the was the original version from several years ago that you had to put together. That’s no longer an option.

[@reillocb]

@@DeckEdge Thank you so much for the update. It's surprisingly hard to find pricing details on these machines. I guess I'll just save up for the materials needed for Jack's design

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@DeckEdge Thanks, a few other people have expressed similar updates, it looks like my pricing was a bit outdated!

[@Luxaierten]

I'm a LGS owner who was at GAMA checking out the Roca bot and the Card Bot and I wanted to point out some concerns and features that you didn't with the video. The Roca comes with an ipad preloaded with the sorting app and has a lowlight camera so you can keep tabs on its progress. With the merger of TCGPlayer Channel fireball and eBay idk how it is going to be now but at the time (March) you could only price at TCGPlayer pricing and submit the cards to TCGPlayer. That small box next to the Roca is an air compressor and tank combo. For the card bot, the violence and speed with which it moves from side to side will shake the frame but there is a tinted shield that you can slide in to prevent cards from falling and people from seeing inside. Card Bot will export as a csv and price on multiple sites. The footprint to height of it does not imbue it with a feeling of stability.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for all the extra info, great to hear from someone who has dealt with these machines in person!

[@alexandervilla5673]

If you want a PERSONAL card sorting machine, the two pile one works - I guess. But if you're trying to organize huge piles of cards you'll want to mimic a mail sorting machine. One of my senior projects was creating a card sorting machine. I didn't find out until the couple weeks that there were already a few card sorting machines in existence. Long story short - the PhysBatch most closely matched my idea which was "The USPS already figured out how to organize huge amounts of flat rectangular objects, lets mimic what they do!" The Roca and the two pile one both share the same problem - they organize too slowly and need too much human handling to work.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Haha always a good idea to not reinvent the wheel! I'd love to hear or see more on your project if you're willing to share!

[@alexandervilla5673]

@@jackbaumgartel Sure. Are you able to DM me or something? I don't usually go into the youtube comment section.

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@alexandervilla5673 Haha yes sorry, my email is linked at the address below if that works for you! jackbaumgartel.myportfolio.com/work

[@hasui7610]

Just a thought but if you can find a way to separate the cards not by putting them in different piles but by placing a divider every x amount of cards, you would save a ton of space and moving parts. This can even be done manually by putting dividers in your stack, or maybe supplying dividers with the product

[@jackbaumgartel]

interesting idea!

[@sorbusmortis3222]

As someone who helps sort cards at an LGS a good addition to it would be putting lands and tokens in there own seperate piles along with having it sort the cards by first letter. I really can't wait to see where this project goes though, no matter what additions are made.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for the input! Land/token sorting is definitely on the feature list as with alphabetical. I appreciate the support!

[@Jon-Jon309]

I will be watching your progress!!

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[@Deftkou]

Magic Sorter was one I went to for my store, and I got specs and pricing sent to me back in May 2022, but price quoted was significantly higher than what you show in the video. I was quoted "1900€, then a monthly subscription of 20€" which is significantly above the price mentioned. Not sure if that will affect the next video or not but I have that and a small spec sheet I can forward if you're looking to expand your dataset!

[@Sacrosanctity451]

Isn't 1900€ less than $1900?

[@jackbaumgartel]

Good to know! I don't have plans to really go over the other machines in detail again, but if that changes I'll be sure to reach out and get that spec sheet from you.

[@Issblodh]

@@Sacrosanctity451 not back in May 2022. It is now, though.

[@toddjblackford]

Quote I got in Oct 2021 was around 2200€ after shipping and the 20€

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@toddjblackford Thanks for sharing, looks like my info was a bit outdated!

[@jawazilla7199]

Be watching your progress with much interest

[@jackbaumgartel]

Great to hear!

[@TCGmachines]

Excellent video. Well researched, and presented in a balanced and professional manner. We wish you the best of luck with your project, and eagerly await the next video installment!

[@reillocb]

HOLY MOLY you're here! Your're an inspiration for us all o7

[@Alucard6961]

Subbed and waiting for the next video. Definitely interested in following this project and maybe picking one up myself

[@jackbaumgartel]

Awesome to hear, thanks for the support!

[@satibel]

If possible I'd like to see an option in the software for keeping track of cards, like automatically add sorted cards to a collection, also might be interesting to have automatic deck making/saving (so for example take a duel deck and make it into either the playable deck or the 2 duel decks.)

[@jackbaumgartel]

CSV export is a planned feature, so you'll be able to take the digital inventory of scanned cards and import it to whatever deckbuilding software you like!

[@satibel]

@@jackbaumgartel csv import might be interesting to have too. (so you put a set of cards in a specific bin.)

[@DaryxFox]

The PhyzBatch 9000 seems to function very similar to IBM's punch card sorting machines...

[@Rubiksguy]

Will the card corners get banged up when it hits the edges of the ramp at the top and bottom to change direction?

[@jackbaumgartel]

Yep! The design has since been updated to negate that issue though, sorry there hasn't been an update video in a while!

[@Rubiksguy]

@@jackbaumgartel super excited to hear any updates

[@Shivaess]

Good luck! I’m definitely a prospective customer at those numbers and would be happy to help with development of the software or testing if you would like it. I’ve been interested in a home sorter for a long time.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Awesome to hear, I'll be sure to reach out if I ever get stuck!

[@KianSheik]

Hey I'm building my own card sorting not too! And making it open source. I'm gonna have to watch all your videos and catch up on what you've learned

[@jackbaumgartel]

Awesome to hear, best of luck!

[@ttvnoname6524]

Your an incredible editor and an amazing climber woww ❤❤

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thank you!

[@Feraligatrfjhgujvgh]

Holy moly those prices. I’d much rather sort my cards manually as I watch videos on KZbin.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Haha not a bad idea!

[@TuberTugger]

And now you get to think about all the dollars you're saving too! Win/win

[@FilemonSchoffer]

I’ll be waiting for your machine 😊 The price tag on current options is simply to high for home use. If you succeed keeping it $1k, I’m convinced you’ve got a huge market Your project reminds me of the early days of desktop 3D printing. Comparable machines Good luck!

[@Feraligatrfjhgujvgh]

Why buy his card sorter when you can buy non tournament legal proxy packs for the same price?

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate the support. And haha you can see where I'm drawing my inspiration from!

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@Feraligatrfjhgujvgh I'll add a special feature, if it detects any 30A proxies it'll self destruct.

[@Feraligatrfjhgujvgh]

@@jackbaumgartel Take my money!

[@Reth_Hard]

With prices like this, it's probably even cheaper to just buy a few mexicans and use them to sort your cards... lol

[@TheSushiandme]

thank you buddy

[@jackbaumgartel]

Any time!

[@LolaliciousSmiley]

I once saw and asked about a huge sorting machine in the back of a local game store and they said it was expensive and useless. It was years ago though, and it looked a lot more diy than these products.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Haha that's a bummer!

[@garrettparmenter938]

Subscribed. Very interested to see your software implementation.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Great to hear, thanks for the support!

[@kaukospots]

I've been working on a high-quality card recognizer, a (relatively) inexpensive homemade sorter would be amazing

[@jackbaumgartel]

Awesome to hear, I agree!

[@nasaboy87]

A camera that can use tcg player to give the value of the cards would be a nice potential add on. If a store wants to buy a collection just put it in and wait. Then decide on payment amount based on the value.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Yep, price sorting is a planned feature!

[@Everythingwastanke]

If you like the idea of the Phyzbatch, don't be in a hurry to get that machine, after you give them your money it could be years before you get the machine.

[@kylehoff3740]

They're currently shipping ~40 machines/month

[@Everythingwastanke]

@@kylehoff3740 how does that compare to their back log? We're coming up on two years pending for ours that we've already paid for so I'd really love to see these getting shipped.

[@FZerbinatti931]

As a R&D guy this is very interesting, however I would like to have an explanation on the need of sorting, in what categories do they have to be sorted?

[@jackbaumgartel]

Great to hear! And everyone sorts their cards differently, so sadly there is no one right answer for a machine like this. It needs to be customizable to fit whatever the user decides

[@l6ogan9]

Definitely looking forward to the final product, will this be something you anticipate selling to us masses?

[@jackbaumgartel]

Haha great to hear it! And yes assuming I can actually get it working well I plan on launching it publicly

[@Loki-]

Man, I'm super sad this wasn't a 1 hour video lol! Can't wait to see how it goes. You seem to be astute and passionate.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Haha sorry my attention span won't let me make a video that long! I appreciate the kind words though, I hope to deliver for you!

[@filanfyretracker]

The business models of those machines seems clearly aimed at high volume comics&games stores. I cannot unsee how much the gantry units look similar to the motion of a Voron 2.4 3D printer, It makes me wonder if something like those gantry ones could be built and driven mostly with gcode.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Yeah that's definitely their target market! And I think someone on youtube actually did a project like that!

[@mariano3621]

This is the best free software Ive seen. Respect.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thank you, I appreciate it!

[@GuthanSlayer]

so how do these works and is it just for orginzation? do they sort by name, color etc? never heard of a card sorter other than maybe the casino ones. pretty interesting though

[@jackbaumgartel]

Each one is different but yes they can generally sort by whatever attribute you choose!

[@TRex-fu7bt]

Thank you KZbin algorithm. Subbed.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thank you!

[@chrisfirgaira]

I don't have an invoice on me presently but Magic Sorted is more like 1700 Euros, not sure where the 800 came from :) might be worthwhile a double check

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for the info! A few other people have similarly commented that the price has increased from the numbers I found.

[@javids.9537]

This is a fantastic video! This combines a lot of elements that I am studying atm. Are you an IE?

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thank you! And I am a mechanical engineer by trade, I'm assuming IE is industrial engineer?

[@javids.9537]

@@jackbaumgartel very cool! You are correct, it is industrial engineering. I am IE with a strong back ground in system engineering and management. So your video combined everything I enjoy!

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@javids.9537 Oh awesome! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the content!

[@rebeccachambers4701]

I think it'd be better especially given like if it's a card shop rather than sorting cards, have a machine that yes can sort out into different piles maybe like three or four different piles where it's like based on a price range were it's like the worthless cards in one pile this somewhat purchased and more valuable and ones that sell and a second file the expensive and then ultra-rare pile and then from there. And the machine is able to categorize make a list of all the cards sorted what pile there in and where they are in in the pile. Are you can search it up and go through the much quicker and then if you could have another machine that unsorted and grabbed the cards that you need from it

[@rabenfuerst7332]

Subscribed just now, I want to see how far you can go with that planned machine...

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thank you, I appreciate the support! The next video is already up if you want to see more of my machine!

[@impastamon564]

Def excited for sub to follow your growth and development.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thank you, I appreciate it!

[@impastamon564]

@@jackbaumgartel once you are finished with this product are you gonna sell it to the public?

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@impastamon564 Assuming I can get it working yes that's the plan!

[@topsykrett1744]

Seems like alot of em seem to be sorting with like TCGplayer site and probably by price and such. I always wanted one that would help me sort alphabetically by color with a pile for each rarity. Sorting by sets or price is nice but i rather just literally get all the cards just alphabetically that way i could say, "oh i want a " Sanguine Bond" so i can immediately go to the Rare black pile and search in the S sections.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for sharing! I feel the same way, I just want to be able to quickly find the card I want from my collection.

[@jackbaumgartel]

@William Uniac Thanks for the input, number as in set number right?

[@jackbaumgartel]

@William Uniac Cool, thanks for the info!

[@nlb137]

Alphabetizing is a bit more than sorting, unless you decide to just break it into blocks by first letter; it'd have to be able to move things to the middle of the stack otherwise. Just breaking down into color and rarity piles, then break your (especially common) piles down into some more manageable chunks would be good, though.

[@Wibbs2094]

Hey a great way to source parts for it would most likely 3D printing for the lower costs goal like you said to try to keep it under a grand

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for the input! I've got a 3D printer and will definitely be using it heavily!

[@djwhite8490]

I think would be cool to divide it into colors first then into rarity then into card type

[@Polmax2312]

The test which many sorters fail is to separate UNL and Revised cards. Ordering from CK I get UNL instead of 3ed frequently. I can hardly see an algorithm reliably sorting the big pile without at least several errors.

[@jackbaumgartel]

yeah those sets are tough to differentiate without really precise visual scanning!

[@martianvideo]

Wow the YT algorithym seems to grabbed ahold of this vid. Good on ya. Good luck, hope you succeed in all ways. Sorting is a big barrier to us.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Haha I know! Views have spiked today I'm very grateful to the YT gods. Thanks for the kind words and I hope I can deliver for you!

[@yveshotting3371]

a comparison of cards condition after going through these mashines X Times would be a nice comparison too#

[@jackbaumgartel]

Yeah that would be nice, sadly I don't have thousands of dollars laying around to do one!

[@devinweilbacherweilbacherd8645]

Where did you find the magic sorter at for 800$

[@Ifyouhavethecoin]

Sorting is nice and all but I feel like something that could condition the cards would be interesting. I deal in bulk and only sell NM so a condition pass/ fail machine would be epic

[@jackbaumgartel]

Condition scanning would be great I agree, but sadly I don't think I would be able to do it well within an affordable machine

[@GeeksJocks]

Update on the price of the magic sorter just got a quote from them its 2100 Euros and a shipping cost of 450 Euros

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thank you, I appreciate it!

[@Categoryonegames]

I'm looking for a card sorter that can handle out-of-print card games. Star Wars CCG, VS System, Dark Age, etc.

[@jackbaumgartel]

As long as they all have the same outer dimensions, it shouldn't too difficult for me to add that in as a software upgrade. Once I've got machines up and running I'll definitely look to expand capabilities!

[@DavidGreen-ly5tm]

@@jackbaumgartel Speaking of card dimensions. Consider making the machine compatible for japanese size cards with some sort of insert or adjustement.

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@DavidGreen-ly5tm Good idea, that would be a good nice-to-have

[@YouLikeBosch]

"The Gang gets into the counterfeit card packaging business"

[@jackbaumgartel]

hahaha

[@VoltronBuggz]

I'll be following your project been wanting to buy one for years but all the current one are way outa reach for small stores and individuals that would like one simply for their collection.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Glad to hear it, I feel similarly that there should be a more affordable option!

[@glorring7510]

Can you please tell me how many banans the sizes are? ;-)

[@Meskarts]

Iam a developer and also interested in this project!

[@jackbaumgartel]

Love to hear it!

[@botteu]

I know very little about MTG but isn’t there a serial number or other identification on each card? Couldn’t you use that to sort them? Seems like these commercial machines use the whole card as reference? That’s not saying much about the rest of the engineering challenges of course.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Yes! On all newer cards there is a serial number in the bottom left hand corner which can be used for card ID. Sadly though this is only a recent addition, and many older cards out there have no such indicator.

[@botteu]

@@jackbaumgartel thanks for clarifying and good luck with your build.

[@PostprandialTorpor]

Where are you getting price of $800 for Magic-sort? There’s a February 2023 KZbin video of a Pokemon shop owner that purchased it for $2500 with shipping from UK to USA and $25/mo for updates subscription. Was $800 a rental cost instead of?

[@jackbaumgartel]

This video was made in September 2022… honestly I’m not sure where exactly I found the $800 figure, public price & info on the Magic-Sorter was hard to come by in my research. Thanks for the updated info though!

[@PostprandialTorpor]

@@jackbaumgartel no worries. I’m excitedly following your progress. Love the design and engineering videos. I’ve got a 40k count MTG collection of cards (pitfall of starting with revised edition as a teen) and I really need to pair down but looks like even renting a machine for a month is $2600 all in or paying someone would cost $1000 to do it by hand. There’s a market out there for good affordable sorting machines to offer for purchase or rent. Hopefully you can capture that market as for now they are mainly only viable for card shops

[@GiggityGiggity_Jawn]

Any updates on your project??

[@jackbaumgartel]

Yes, I'll be putting out an update video shortly!

[@sldffguhsdlfghslkg]

Will your software and designs be open sourced?

[@jackbaumgartel]

Great question. I'm not certain about that yet but it's definitely a consideration.

[@dvdcd]

@@jackbaumgartel I'd love to build one if you do end up going open source!

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@dvdcd Great to hear!

[@sloth9669]

You get a machine working to Your expected specs I’ll order one the first day it’s available

[@jackbaumgartel]

Great to hear, I'll be doing my best to make it happen!

[@MegajouleComicsandCollec-ll2eg]

Any updates on progress? :-)

[@HadesTachyon]

Bro ngl if you put this up for sale and this works for Other card games like Yu-Gi-Oh I will order 2 of these

[@jackbaumgartel]

Haha great to hear! I'll definitely be starting out with MTG cards, but if all goes well I'd be happy to add support for other games!

[@adriannaranjo4397]

Imagine having to pay a monthly subscription for a card sorter

[@verybignw]

just curious.. how fast and accurate can a human sort cards?

[@jackbaumgartel]

Not sure, but I bet it wouldn't be too hard to time myself doing a test run!

[@inamecomeunico8935]

Nice

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks!

[@DeckEdge]

Getting a magic sorter in a few weeks, if you have a specific questions or want a idea of it working ping me.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Awesome to hear, I hope you enjoy it and I'll be sure to reach out if need be

[@TheYakousei]

One device that I'd love to see someone make...: Inventory-scanner.. So cards move from one stack to another and in betweens get scanned/listed on a sheet. I could live with just correct name of the card scanning and 1000 stack - slow af... Just wish it would be automated. I can always change the stack.

[@hannahscheffe5085]

Roca does that

[@jackbaumgartel]

Awesome to hear, that would certainly be an easy-to-add software feature. I know the Cardbot does something similar I believe.

[@TheYakousei]

Yeah the good ones do. But as mentioned in the vid, they are expensive af in most cases. What I'd oike to see is a pure scanner. One stack in, one out. Just scan and output names. Speed, slow or fast doesn't really matter. Just needs to do that one thing and one thing only. Also seeing how this would miss a lot of the big vendor features, it would most likely be a bit cheaper.. So that even you average player could get it for their collection or group to use.

[@TheYakousei]

I can get a laser engraving machine for 50. It's not the best, or biggest but I can do something small with it. So this is something I'd like ro see in scanner space.. 50-100 costing minimal scanner that does output to sheet.

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@TheYakousei I appreciate the insight, I agree that's a pretty common use case and would certainly help out a lot of at home collectors.

[@gangsta_t7858]

I didn’t realize the need in the market

[@jackbaumgartel]

Heck yeah, me neither until I wanted to buy one!

[@chanakaprasad1797]

Did you make the machine ?

[@crazyanimeboy21891]

Does the machines work with digimon and yugioh?

[@jackbaumgartel]

Some do, others don't! I don't remember which ones at the moment

[@Kevincole87]

I want one for my personal collection

[@Kevincole87]

I dont mind a pay for each update for new sets $10 a new set would be fine and will generate you constant income. The machine shouldn't break just cause you dont have the latest set update

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@Kevincole87 Thanks for the input, and I agree

[@ErulianADRaghath]

These machines reminds me of both a pick-n-place machine for PCB assembly and a punch card sorter like those IBM used to make for their mainframe computers. I think PhyzBatch 9000 definitely took some inspiration from punch card sorts like the one shown in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6qyZKFoZbijpas The other three are all gantry type with similarities to many pick-n-place machines. From what I can see, your project is a very intriguing in design. Though I worry about the possibility of card jamming since your machine has to match the card chute with the sorted card piles.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for sharing! Definitely cool to see where the ideas may have come from. And yep, that's an area I'll be improving with the next iteration!

[@TheGloriousLobsterEmperor]

I would absolutely get one of these. But alas, I'm guessing there's no planned functionality for YuGiOh cards.

[@jackbaumgartel]

If the project works well enough with magic cards, I'd be happy to expand it to YuGiOh!

[@vxicepickxv]

@@jackbaumgartel theoretically the hardest parts would be imagine recognition and the smaller size. Actually, it might be easier to sort YGO by using the set code first, then individual cards afterwards.

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@vxicepickxv Yeah! It will likely be more of a software upgrade than a hardware change. It will be interesting to see how a slightly smaller card handles in the machine though

[@CitizenJohnnyRico]

If you can figure out a way to make this game agnostic; maybe with some sort of machine learning capability, that would be fantastic

[@jackbaumgartel]

I used machine learning for card recognition in a prior video if you're interested, and multi-game support is certainly on the roadmap!

[@aidanmacdonald6280]

For the cost of the Roca, you could just hire somebody to sort your cards for you.

[@griff_mtg6311]

I just just sorted a 5000 count box by color and alphabetized them. In two hours. Send me your bulk to be organized. Can talk about prices then 😁

[@jackbaumgartel]

Impressive! Honestly might just send you my cards to be sorted haha

[@Jorthax]

Currently sorting my 5000 count boxes by colour / alphabet. I call bullshit on completing in 2 hours, particularly if you're starting from complete random.

[@GeeksJocks]

What is your background man. I am an engineer and would love to be part of the project.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Mechanical engineer primarily but I've got a strong background in Python & digital imaging. Thank you for the offer, I'll certainly reach out if I find myself needing help!

[@nicholasgrippo1754]

The phazbat looks like the punch card sorting machine from IBM

[@jackbaumgartel]

I just had to google that and you're right, it does!

[@vitortrindade5617]

The machine that only does binary matching upside is that it teaches you sort algorithms 😄

[@jackbaumgartel]

Haha yep! Probably some good optimization test questions in there

[@ry7hym]

I want a machine that shuffles my sleeved cube

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for the input, a shuffle feature is definitely on my list

[@topdeckjesus6163]

I own a magic sorter

[@jackbaumgartel]

Awesome! Has it worked well for you?

[@topdeckjesus6163]

@@jackbaumgartel Its okay. It definitely cost more than the video stated. I run into a lot of issues with but its very repairable. I find myself fixing it more that it runs lately.

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@topdeckjesus6163 Thanks for sharing, I've heard similar reports both that the price is greater than I found and that is takes some repairing.

[@Teth47]

For what amounts to a 3D printer and a suction cup I cannot believe they want $20,000 for that thing, and the others with monthly software subs on top of being thousands of dollars? I know what those parts cost. I understand the complexities of reliably identifying cards and figuring out where to put them, I've played with machine vision and design embedded hardware for a living. There is no reason for something like even the first one to cost more than $5,000 other than that there are about 7 people in the world who are going to spend anywhere near thousands of dollars purely on the machine that sorts their collection when they could've bought like 30 boxes of cards. For a lot of my friends, organizing the cards is literally half the fun of the hobby. Edit: I forgot about people who run hobby shops. These things are still way too expensive.

[@TachibanaTengoku]

I wish there was a cheaper sorter for Pokemon and Digimon but sadly the only sorter I know that works for non Magic is the Roca, and no way in hell am I spending 20k.

[@jackbaumgartel]

I've had quite a few people request support for other games as well! Assuming I can get my machine up and running for magic cards, I'll certainly be open to adding support for other TCGs.

[@davidpepin3017]

At those prices and speed, it seem to me that it is still cheaper to hire someone to do it. A human can sort cards very quickly. Good luck with your project!

[@jackbaumgartel]

thank you!

[@kiraangle2823]

i was thinking 'i wonder if this could help me liquidate my collection in the short term' and then i heard the price

[@jackbaumgartel]

Haha liquidating your collection would actually be a great way to afford one!

[@kiraangle2823]

@@jackbaumgartel my collection is rather modest in comparison

[@twindez]

how much

[@jackbaumgartel]

How much what?

[@BIN8675]

Our boss has forced a Physbatch on us and it's pretty awful. The card feeding mechanism is pathetic; jams frequently if cards are not pristine. The best operation of the machine involves having to hold your hand on top of the feeding stack and jiggling it if the feeding wheels can't grab a card.

[@TCGmachines]

Hello Churchmania, I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble with our machine. It sounds like something that could be easily resolved with a call to our service and support team to walk you through a gate adjustment. Please don't hesitate to reach out; we can't fix issues if we don't know about them!

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for sharing and I'm sorry to hear that! It seems like TCG Machines has already replied to you as well so I hope they can get it working for you!

[@alainpbat3903]

But, what's the damage on the cards after they go through a machine?

[@jackbaumgartel]

From the videos that I've seen, each of the machines are pretty gentle on the cards!

[@DavidGreen-ly5tm]

@@jackbaumgartel ROCA's Gantry system has been known to fling cards that are stuck via static. This mainly occurs if card remain pro-fitted during the sort. Making sure they are unsleeved solves this problem but its worth mentioning as it was originally advertised as being pro-fit friendly.

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@DavidGreen-ly5tm Thanks for the info, good to know!

[@lightknightgames]

Dont do multiple stacks, do 1 stack and let it place 'flags' (like in a binder or a bookmark) to act as different stack zones. More complex, but faster, more compact, 'infinite' stacks and should be less damaging.

[@jackbaumgartel]

The cardbot uses a similar method, but then the machine has no ability to physically reorganize cards, which is kinda the entire point for me!

[@Sb_747]

Honestly that binary sorter is pretty bad when you consider the monthly cost of software. After you get some practice most people can beat that with little issue. If going a binary route you really gotta hit a card every 2 seconds or so to beat a human.

[@jackbaumgartel]

It's definitely not the most efficient for physically sorting, but it does store records of card order as it goes through them, so you can query your digital collection to see exactly where a card is in the pile. Helpful for some but not something everyone wants sadly. Thanks for the comment!

[@rodneycrews1024]

Kickstarter? Early sub to financing.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Yes! I'll likely be launching a kickstarter for the project once I'm confident in it's function and reliability

[@inferno1217]

While these are cool, nothing beats the speed and efficiency of 3-4 people wearing nylon gloves sorting by hand.

[@inferno1217]

@William Uniac If you do have massive piles of cards to sort I'd say you must be running a store and should hire some people to sort cards for you when need be. It's cheaper in the long run.

[@jackbaumgartel]

Thanks for the input, I agree people are pretty dang good at sorting cards, but I don't think it's the most enjoyable task, especially for larger scale collectors or LGSs.

[@inferno1217]

@@jackbaumgartel Definitely, my main concern with using a machine would be the risk of damaging the cards though.

[@TuberTugger]

I'd actually be really curious what the average person is being paid to sort cards. Hourly rate vs sort rate per hour. Although, a human employee does cost more than just wage. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out an ROI.

[@TuberTugger]

@William Uniac I also live in Ontario. Canucks unite! This is around the rate I was thinking. At 18 dollars an hour, a sorting machine is going to pay itself off pretty quickly. I know some card shops won't even buy bulk collections because they know they won't make back the cost of sorting.

[@hoarmurath]

Didn't even know this was a thing. Who is this for?

[@jackbaumgartel]

Exactly right, or lazy collectors like myself!

[@MrGrombie]

What the point of these sorters?

[@jackbaumgartel]

Sometimes collectors or card shops have thousands of unknown cards in their inventory. In order to sell those cards, they need to be sorted and cataloged!

[@MrGrombie]

@@jackbaumgartel sorted into like land cards to monsters? Or by color?

[@jackbaumgartel]

@@MrGrombie Every person sorts differently! So yes and yes