Do you prefer collecting Slipcovers or Steelbooks?

[DisneyDreamer2023]

I was just curious which people prefer to collect when given the choice of the two?

I used to collect Slipcovers as they are the cheaper option than Steelbooks but when Sony were too lazy to give Spider-Man: No Way home 4K a Slipcover I bought the Zavvi Steelbook instead and loved the design of it and has now given me the Steelbook collecting bug now haha.

So do you prefer Slipcovers or Steelbooks and why?

Or are you a collector that hates both, never buys Steelbooks and bins the Slipcovers and collects/displays plain Amaray cases only?

[Ben_C]

I bought the occasional steelbook when they were a new and interesting thing, but it didn’t take me long to start loathing them - they can arrive dented, dinged or scratched, thus rendering them either less visually pleasing or affecting any potential resale value. Now I mainly see them as a cash cow for places like Zavvi to just basically rip off steelbook zealots by over charging for the same films but just packaged in a bit of tin.
I’ll only buy one when it’s almost the only option for a certain release (the Dolby Vision rerelease of River Kwai for example).

Don’t mind slips, but never understood the strange folks who claim to bin them.

[HappyGuy1984]

Usually Slipcovers simply due to them being a little cheaper but I do own a few Steelbooks. I compare both and see which artwork I prefer.

[CouncilSpectre]

I've never been big into slipcovers.

If it's a favourite film, or it's a really nice slip then I'll keep them, but more often than not slipcovers just go straight in the bin. I'm a fan of uniformity, and to see a mix of slips and non-slips on a shelf does my tree in. So I only keep them by exception.

Steelbooks, I used to be into. The Disney movies for example, because they kept changing the style of the slips I just went for the steelbooks as they were uniform to an extent. Eventually though, steelbooks became massively popular with distributors and they got lazy whilst bumping up the price of whichever movie it was, so again, nowadays I only pick them up by exception. The Jaws 4K is a good example, the standard amaray art was godawful, so I ended up picking up the Japanese art HMV steelbook. That in turns means I'll be picking up the Jaws 2 4K steelbook as well. Unless there's a major discrepancy in the case art, in favour of the steelbook, these days I usually just go for a standard release.

[chrismansell]

Neither. Steelbooks cost a premium and they stopped putting real effort into the artwork years ago. Slipcovers are just a bit of cardboard getting between me and the disc, so they go straight in the garbage.

[DTSBOY]

Originally Posted by chrismansell

Slipcovers go straight in the garbage.

There'll be people in tears.

[oddbox83]

I prefer to collect discs.

The packaging frills are just dressing. Nice but not essential.

[Blu Lemmy]

Steel books are so 2010....I jest.

Neither, just the film that's important to me

[Magyalmar]

Originally Posted by chrismansell

Neither. Steelbooks cost a premium and they stopped putting real effort into the artwork years ago. Slipcovers are just a bit of cardboard getting between me and the disc, so they go straight in the garbage.

You sound like all distributors/labels in the world have a mutual agreement on what they do with their artworks. There are still tons of great looking steelbooks these days, just like there were dozens of examples of awful artworks in the early years of Steelbook.

[Sifox211]

I'll get a steelbook if its a particularly lovely design (eg the Shout Coraline 4K) but my interest in them has diminished. I like slips because they look nicer than plastic and their sharper edges line up better on the shelf, but I rarely pay more to get a slip cover version.

[BigNickUK]

I was obsessive about steelbooks but with the advent of 4k and with companies like Zavvi releasing variety of steels for the same film it became prohibitive. As the 4k versions have become available I have been selling off my blu ray steelbooks. I am obsessive about slips for certain collections like MoC, Vintage Classics, Marvel and DC universe etc

[levcore]

Not bothered, just want the disc in a case.

[Sleazeaddict]

If there's a slip i want a slip, fed up with steelbooks

[oddbox83]

Mind you, in odd cases like Battlestar Galactica 4K I want the steel, because the standard art looks like a reject of early 00s Photoshop.

I still know it's just window dressing, but it's nice to be greeted with nice artwork when you grab a disc off the shelf.

[T4ffer]

I really prefer a good slip cover, although I started more seriously collecting only about a year ago and so I've not paid much attention to that before. And furthermore since my shelves are mostly geographically and chronologically organized, the spinal continuity is a random mess. At best I can put two movies from the same year and same label next to each other.

But when the slip cover design is worse than the one on the plastic case - as I found yesterday for several VS partner label discs - meh, better save a few bucks and skip the slip.

[edit] Steelbooks in some very rare cases. I got the Wings of Desire and Groundhog Day ones, thinking about The Wicker Man.

[drush9999]

[rapta]

Steelbooks can be really nice, but they do generally cost a lot to produce so if they’re done well they’ll cost the consumer more. My favourite ones are from Arrow and Eureka, but the former only do them occasionally (e.g. Zavvi exclusive ‘deluxe editions’ with slipboxes, which keeps them nice and scratch-free) and Eureka have stopped completely (probably because of the number of complaints about dented/scratched steelbooks, costly to replace when you offer free worldwide shipping).

Slipcovers are okay, I do often go for an MoC release sooner if it comes with one, but I’m not as easily fooled when Arrow do the same as they have more frequent sales (I’ve learned my lesson there). I don’t usually bother with slipcovers other than that, unless it’s something I’m collecting (e.g. Third Window’s Kitano and Tsukamoto releases). I actually chucked out a load of slipcovers a few times as I probably could’ve sold them to obsessive collectors but I couldn’t be arsed with the admin (listing on eBay, waiting months to see if anyone bit, getting complaints about slight dings).

So in short, I prefer slipboxes to slipcovers (as long as they’re justified; less slipbox editions with just a 15 page pamphlet and 2 art cards please). But I do miss steelbooks when they’re done well, and occasion snap one up if it looks cool (glad I went for Arrow’s Silent Running deluxe edition…though I also own the MoC steelbook so maybe that was overkill)!

[FantasticMrFox]

The disc must be good, if then there's a choice of packaging I love everything cardboard. One of my other hobbies is stationery, I constantly handle different papers for different needs (fountain pen, pencil, typewriter), so maybe it affects my preference there. I also very much enjoy artworks and graphic design. To me it's part of physical collecting to have some great artwork that goes along with the movie. But if there's only a blank blue Keep Case of the movie I want I'm not sad.

What I really hate is when people think they can dictate what a real collector is and who are not. Or if people think that if you like packaging you're not the same movie connoisseur.

[CrockettandTubbs]

More or less given up on steels. The last one I bought was The Untouchables, and that was with a 10% off voucher.

Much prefer slipcovers now.

[RossyG]

I'd rather have Scanavo cases with neither.

If slipcases, they need to have different artwork to the sleeve. MUBI's habit of slipcases over Scanavos with the same artwork is totally pointless.