An all-round superb binder, with incredibly durability, high quality materials and strong stitching to help it last for years on end.
The perfect binder for those that like to secretly show off their collection. It’s also an easy way to see which set features in the binder for organisation purposes.
If you have far too many cards and don’t know how to organise it, this is the best and most affordable binder to get, it can hold hundreds of cards at a time.
Since Magic: The Gathering first appeared in 1993, both players and collectors have needed a way to safely store their collection from the best trading card games.
Deck boxes are great, but of course they tend to be of most use when you’re actually done with the process of building a deck – and taking it with you to games. Binders, however, serve a dual purpose.
Not only are they great to safely, securely store cards, but they also provide easy visibility and access for players when putting together their decks. There’s a huge number of brands and types of binder out there for trading cards – but which are the best?
1. Ultimate Guard ZipFolio
A binder I have been using for years is the Ultimate Guard ZipFolio, in fact I like them so much that I have purchased a total of 5 in the past couple of years.
These are my go to “organising binders”. They typically feature complete sets, and I usually write the set name down the spine, even if there’s no designated area to “write” on the binder.
These binders are a great “all rounder”. The material used is a high quality “Xenoskin” fake leather that is resistant to water, scuffs and scratches. There’s extra padding around the front and back just incase.
The zips are very durable and are incredibly easy to open, the stitching used around the zips is incredibly high quality, and none of my binders have ever ripped or torn since buying them two years ago, and i open these things a lot!
On the inside you will find side loading pockets that are very tough, making it hard to rip or tear when and if you’re being a little heavy handed.
The protective pocket is acid and PVC free making it safe to store loose cards, that said this binder even has space for double sleeved cards too, making it a good choice for high value cards too!
Where the pockets meet the hinge you will find strong stitching, this again stops rips or floppy pages.
Overall the Ultimate Guard ZipFolio is one of the best grading card binders on the block, it’s an all-round juggernaut that we have been using for a very long time and have no regrets snagging them.
2. Ultra Pro Premium Window Binder
Though this may not be the most reassuring design for anxiety-ridden trading card collectors and players – and I count myself as one of those – this Ultra Pro Premium Window Binder is a great choice for showing off that one special card in your collection.
We’ve all got one of those, right? Well, they need to remain hidden no more, as this binder can showcase the pride of your collection with its central window!
Ultra Pro are absolute masters when it comes to trading card accessories; they’ve been dominant in the space for years – and for good reason.
This windowed binder may not soothe the nerves of anxious collectors when one card is reasonably open to view, but it can serve as a handy way to indicate what’s inside the binder – and even the window itself is very well protected by the padded cover that surrounds it.
Up to 180 cards can be stored within this binder’s 20 pages – and cards are side loaded for ease of access, both when storing and removing.
The leatherette-style cover makes this look like a really high end product too; an elastic strap further secures the cards it contains.
It’s a pricey option, but with the Ultra Pro name and the obvious quality of the binder, it’s definitely an excellent choice for TCG/CCG collectors.
Read our full review: ULTRAPRO Window Premium Binder
3. Ultimate Guard Binder
Despite its diminutive size, this Ultimate Guard Binder is our go to when it comes to storing our cards.
At Card Gamer, we’re always on the go and our cards accompany us absolutely everywhere – and we’ve used the Ultimate Guard Binder for years without any issues whatsoever, as mentioned before!
It may only hold four cards per page – for a total of 160 cards overall – but that’s a decent number when you’re looking for a binder that’s portable and not necessarily one that’ll just sit looking pretty on a book shelf.
It has a rubberised, soft touch exterior and a reliable zip; plus, the pages themselves are sturdy and long lasting as well (which we can attest to!).
If you’re looking for a binder to take along to tournaments or even casual games at your friend’s house, you could do a lot worse than this excellent little binder!
4. Gemloader Graded Card Binder
One of the most recent binders that we have reviewed is the Gemloader Graded Card Binder.
A newly built folder that can hold up to 28 graded cards, from PSA to Beckett, many slabs will fit, all situated in plastic trays with easy installation.
It’s a big folder, don’t get me wrong, it’s appximately 4x the thickness of the traditional binder, and weights far more, so fitting this in your bag may be a struggle.
I found myself holding it in my arms when I would go to a friends, or if i’m transporting my cards to a collectibles convention. Perhaps a handle would have been nice, but even then I think I would have been nervous swinging my cards around so agressively.
The build quality is really good, with a fake leather on the exterior which comes in four different colors, red, blue, grey and turquoise.
The stitching is very high quality, with a microfiber entrior to keep things clean on the interior.
It’s one of the best graded card binders on the market, and although its not “premium” it’s still a step in the right direction for Gemloader.
5. Ultra Pro Collector’s Album
It’s probably no surprise to see the ever-present Ultra Pro pop up again on the best trading card binders list – and here they are with another binder!
Pretty much the complete opposite to the Ultra Guard Binder we’ve just talked about, this Ultra Pro Collector’s Album is absolutely huge.
Unlike any other binder we’ve featured, this Collector’s Album has a large D-ring that allows you to add your own card pocket pages, in whatever size suits you.
Want 9 pockets? Go ahead.
How about 12 pockets per page? This will cover you!
Allowing you to add and remove pages at will means that this Collector’s Album can be as flexible in terms of what it stores as you need it to be.
If you want to separate your cards by type or even by different games, you can of course add divider pages too – making this Collector’s Album an incredibly versatile addition to anyone’s accessory collection.
It can hold up to a thousand cards if utilised properly, but just as Jeff Goldblum warns in Jurassic Park – just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should do it.
What we mean by that is that though it can take up to a thousand cards, it definitely becomes pretty unwieldy to use – and you’re probably asking for trouble in terms of the strain put on the binder itself.
So we’d highly recommend not going much beyond 600 cards in this binder – which is still a considerable amount.
It’s probably not the best option for your most precious cards either – this is likely to be where you store your commons, your Land or Energy cards in bulk; for ease of access, especially when deck building, it’s hard to beat this Ultra Pro Collector’s Album!
6. Tycoon Cards 1st Edition 12 Pocket Zip Binder
A very new kid on the block, Tycoon Cards have recently allowed us to check out their 12 pocket zip binder – and we were very impressed by it!
Naturally, 12 pocket binders are huge – and this Tycoon Cards binder is no exception.
It’s well made, with a nicely padded exterior and a reliable zip to keep your cards pristine.
Cards are side-loaded into pockets and each page has extra padding for further protection.
Though Tycoon Cards are a new player in the trading card accessories market, it’s clear that they have a passion for TCGs/CCGs; this particular binderhas everything that players and collectors could ask for, including the large number of cards it safely holds.
Their binder is one of the finest we’ve tested for ourselves – Tycoon have definitely hit the ground running!
As of writing this review we are not sure if Tycoon are still in business, as their website has been down for a couple of weeks, which is unfortunate!
7. Vault X Premium eXo-Tec 12-Pocket Binder
Here at Card Gamer, we’re big fans of Vault X – having used their sleeves and deck boxes for years, we’re also impressed with the great quality and attention to detail shown with their trading card binders too.
This particular binder uses Vault X’s eXo-Tec material on its exterior. This gives it a sturdy, reassuring feel – especially as it’s non-slip, water resistant and extra rigid. A high quality zip also helps in this regard!
What’s more, with 12 pockets per page – and 20 pages overall – it can hold a massive 480 cards.
Each page even has a lightweight padded layer for even further reassurance and protection.
The pockets themselves can accommodate sleeved, Magic: The Gathering or Pokemon-sized cards too.
Though it’s definitely not a cheap binder, its sheer volume and reassuring, high quality design makes it an obvious top recommendation on the best trading card binders list – especially as it’s available in a decent range of both dark and more pastel colours to suit the tastes of a variety of collectors!
