Record Sleeve Recommendation Thread

AngryVal said:
OK I have scanned through about 10 pages of this thread - who knew plastic bags for our records could be such a complicated affair!

Also - can we all take a moment to acknowledge how terrible the Sleeve City website is? The 1990s called & want their Internet back!

I am desperately trying to find sleeves for my fat 3-LP, double (quadruple??) gatefold albums - like the ones in the attached pic. Bog standard In Utero album thrown on top as a reference. The records are around 10mm thick (just under half an inch). I cannot find anything that suits in local stores and I am totally confused which sleeves to buy online.

Also - being in Australia the shipping from places like sleeve city is eye-watering (like more expensive that the sleeves themselves) so any links to Amazon/eBay/god forbid somewhere local would help a LOT.

Thanking you kind people in advance...

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The sleeve city oversized outers are the only good ones I’ve found. The international shipping options they use are really expensive, the packages are very heavy, BUT I use their free US shipping to an An Post reship provider so it only ends up costing me €30 in shipping. Does Australia Post have a similar service in the US?
 
Joe Mac said:
The sleeve city oversized outers are the only good ones I’ve found. The international shipping options they use are really expensive, the packages are very heavy, BUT I use their free US shipping to an An Post reship provider so it only ends up costing me €30 in shipping. Does Australia Post have a similar service in the US?
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Second for the SC Oversized.
 
Joe Mac said:
The sleeve city oversized outers are the only good ones I’ve found. The international shipping options they use are really expensive, the packages are very heavy, BUT I use their free US shipping to an An Post reship provider so it only ends up costing me €30 in shipping. Does Australia Post have a similar service in the US?
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There are a bunch of US forward-on postal services - will just need to do the calculations. Do you have any idea on the dimensions & weight of a 50 pack for these oversized outers?

Just checked on Sleeve City - $25.99 for the sleeves, $33 for the shipping!
 
ClearBags is having a 10% off sale, code: HEART22. Their shipping is pretty steep and sort of diminishes the effectiveness of the sale, but then again, it's 10% off for their product.

Packaging Supplies, Clear Plastic Bags & Eco-Friendly

ClearBags stocks over 5000 crystal clear plastic bags, boxes, zipper pouches & packaging supplies all at wholesale prices. Custom & Eco-Friendly options
www.clearbags.com www.clearbags.com

I use their BLP1NF (12 5/8" x 12 5/8") sleeves for single albums, and their BLPDNF (12 15/16" x 12 15/16") for gatefolds. Only the BLP1NF are in stock at the moment. BUT, Amazon has a great deal on the larger sleeves right now. With only 11 left in stock, they're $21.60 for a package of 100, which is about $5 less than from ClearBags directly (where they're out of stock), plus free shipping, which is an additional savings of about $13.

Amazon product ASIN B00O4XSAMY
 
Russ I said:
ClearBags is having a 10% off sale, code: HEART22. Their shipping is pretty steep and sort of diminishes the effectiveness of the sale, but then again, it's 10% off for their product.

Packaging Supplies, Clear Plastic Bags & Eco-Friendly

ClearBags stocks over 5000 crystal clear plastic bags, boxes, zipper pouches & packaging supplies all at wholesale prices. Custom & Eco-Friendly options
www.clearbags.com www.clearbags.com

I use their BLP1NF (12 5/8" x 12 5/8") sleeves for single albums, and their BLPDNF (12 15/16" x 12 15/16") for gatefolds. Only the BLP1NF are in stock at the moment. BUT, Amazon has a great deal on the larger sleeves right now. With only 11 left in stock, they're $21.60 for a package of 100, which is about $5 less than from ClearBags directly (where they're out of stock), plus free shipping, which is an additional savings of about $13.

Amazon product ASIN B00O4XSAMY
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I usually ride or die with Sleeve City 2.5 outers but the last two shipments have been a bit cloudier than I like. So I'll give these a shot and see how they compare.
 
tvham said:
I usually ride or die with Sleeve City 2.5 outers but the last two shipments have been a bit cloudier than I like. So I'll give these a shot and see how they compare.
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I made the switch and have had no problems so far. The clear bags feel a tad thinner but also feel like different material so it's hard to directly compare. The thing that annoys me the most is that the record sits pretty deep on the double sleeves so there's a lot of extra plastic sticking up above the record. The single sleeves fit almost perfectly so no extra plastic.
 
dbarila said:
I made the switch and have had no problems so far. The clear bags feel a tad thinner but also feel like different material so it's hard to directly compare. The thing that annoys me the most is that the record sits pretty deep on the double sleeves so there's a lot of extra plastic sticking up above the record. The single sleeves fit almost perfectly so no extra plastic.
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Yeah, that's why I eventually decided to go with both sizes to cover all my bases with well-fitting sleeves. It's not perfect, but better than shooting for a one-size-fits-all solution.
 
dbarila said:
I made the switch and have had no problems so far. The clear bags feel a tad thinner but also feel like different material so it's hard to directly compare. The thing that annoys me the most is that the record sits pretty deep on the double sleeves so there's a lot of extra plastic sticking up above the record. The single sleeves fit almost perfectly so no extra plastic.
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Hmm. That might annoy me, I'll definitely try them out on my double and triple albums to vs single. Thanks.
 
tvham said:
Hmm. That might annoy me, I'll definitely try them out on my double and triple albums to vs single. Thanks.
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You can request free samples from them. But mine came folded up so they had creases so it was hard to get an accurate judgment on how they actually look.
 
tvham said:
Hmm. That might annoy me, I'll definitely try them out on my double and triple albums to vs single. Thanks.
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It's my recollection that Sleeve City sells just one size of sleeve, which I've used because they fit great on gatefolds. But I find them to be too loose for single albums. I like that ClearBags offers two different sizes, so it's possible to have a good fit for both kinds of jackets.
 
Anyone have a recommendation for outer sleeves that fit box sets? Looking specifically for ones that'll fit 5 to 6 LP boxsets (~1 inch in width).

I checked Amazon, and they are expensive, $20+ for 5 sleeves? Sleeve City is backordered through this month.

I bought some a long time ago, and I cannot recall where I got them from. Prefer the type that dont seal on the top.

Thanks!
 
dbarila said:
I made the switch and have had no problems so far. The clear bags feel a tad thinner but also feel like different material so it's hard to directly compare. The thing that annoys me the most is that the record sits pretty deep on the double sleeves so there's a lot of extra plastic sticking up above the record. The single sleeves fit almost perfectly so no extra plastic.
Click to expand...

Russ I said:
Yeah, that's why I eventually decided to go with both sizes to cover all my bases with well-fitting sleeves. It's not perfect, but better than shooting for a one-size-fits-all solution.
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I got these in last night and they aren't for me. I love how clear they are but the seam on the spine appears much more prominent than the Sleeve City 2.5's. I know it's a minor thing but it'll annoy me in the long run. It's a shame as these are half the price but I'll be sticking w the 2.5's.
 
tvham said:
I got these in last night and they aren't for me. I love how clear they are but the seam on the spine appears much more prominent than the Sleeve City 2.5's. I know it's a minor thing but it'll annoy me in the long run. It's a shame as these are half the price but I'll be sticking w the 2.5's.
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Good to know. No one has ever cited a specific difference between the two, so thanks for sharing your impression. Maybe that's one of the reasons I prefer a relatively snug fit.
 
so it looks like mofi is doing the ultraclear bags at 4mm

made of polypropylene (i dunno if that's a worse substance than the polyethylene of the mofi normal sleeves), and unlike the spin city they are at 4mm compared to 2.5... and its only 6 bucks extra, that's a good competitor to the sleeve city

www.musicdirect.com

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab - UltraClear Record Outer Sleeves (50pk, Crystal Clear)

The world's largest online retailer of high-end audio, audiophile music, and accessories. We specialize in vinyl records and turntables.
www.musicdirect.com www.musicdirect.com
 
Joe Mac said:
Sleeve City got back to me this morning. Their back ordered stock came in towards the end of last week and they hope to have all pending orders dispatched over the next couple of weeks.
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I wonder how that effects new orders? You think they stocked up enough for both, they seem to always be playing catch up lately.
 
AnthonyI said:
I wonder how that effects new orders? You think they stocked up enough for both, they seem to always be playing catch up lately.
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The world is playing catch up right now. With Ukraine off the back of Covid and the likelihood that Russia are going escalate further it’s not improving anytime soon. I think with supply shortages they, like everyone else, are just getting what they can but obviously prioritising those who’ve paid. You’d hope for them that they’ll have some stock in hand once back orders are cleared.
 
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