Holder Comparison: Wata vs. CGC vs. VGA

Now that I have at least one holder from each of the big graders, thought it would be cool to bring them all together (with pics) for discussion and opinions. I hope this is beneficial to some of you who are either grading or considering grading.

I'll share my thoughts at the end!

VGA

VGA Holder Label

VGA's holder is pretty straightforward. It's a few pieces of acrylic held together using cement, and smaller acrylic pieces acting as guard rails to position the game. The depth inside the holder is about the same depth as the game, with some arbitrary extra space so the game isn't crushed.

One thing I've noticed is sometimes the rails are slightly too far from the game, causing it to shift around. While unlikely to damage the game in any meaningful way, it's still worth noting.

There's also very small grooves on each front corner. I'm guessing these are there to make it easier to pry open the top or bottom for re-slabbing.

UPDATE (4/23/2023): I've recently learned the small grooves might be a form of tamper evident design. The most direct way to tamper with the case is cut off the bottom acrylic pieces, but doing so is likely to inset the grooves too far. If you collect VGA, be on the lookout for this detail!

Wata

Wata Holder Label

Wata's case has two main features: tamper-evident design and a secondary, inner blister to keep the game in position. The bottom piece is held in using acrylic cement, while the top piece (with the label inside) is held on via six interlocking pins. It's physically not possible to remove the top piece without destroying the pins, or so it seems. There are three pins around each side of the top piece (front, back, side).

The inner blister is two pieces. There are no corner bubbles, and the blister positions the game against the front surface of the holder.

Note: the width and depth of the holder is always the same. This was clearly meant as a manufacturing benefit, and as a result, DVD games take up about 3x their depth when accounting for the depth of the holder plus overhang of the top lid.

CGC

CGC Holder Label

CGC's holder has a number of interesting features, and matches a few details with card/comic holders. Like Wata, CGC has an inner blister.

Instead of using pins or cement to bond the pieces of the outer holder, it's sealed using ultrasonic welding.

There's five additional small clips to help keep the holder pieces together: one on the bottom, two on the left side, and two on the right side. For horizontal games, I think there's two on bottom and one on either side. One clip is always welded.

(Below, top pic shows the welded clip, next two show the smaller, unwelded clips, although its hard to see even in person so apologies)

My Thoughts

From my perspective, there is a lot to consider when encapsulating your game. As a utilitarian grader myself (focused mainly on preservation, with a side interest in the grade), a holder that preserves the game as well as possible for the long term will be my preference.

My favorite holder today is probably CGC. My favorite thing is the inner blister. The corner bubbles are a massive relief for folks collecting cardboard with sharp corners. If you collect and grade games, one thing you'll learn quick is not all boxed games are the exact same shape in their minutiae. Sometimes corners poke out further than expected, and if the holder is too form-fit, it can round the corners accidentally.

My least favorite thing about CGC's holder is its label. I've never liked their comic or card labels and I'm sad to see it adapted to video games. But given I'm not as focused on the label long-term, that's not a deal breaker at all.

Pros & Cons: Wata & VGA

Before I add my critique of Wata and VGA, I'll say this: Wata has improved massively since its early days and during COVID. Their turnarounds are consistently on or ahead of its estimates! Unfortunately, until I see their new holder (coming this year!), I'm less likely to grade anything there. If you want to get their current holder before it's gone, then submit soon!

My main issue with Wata is the corners and obfuscation of the game. The inner blister is fairly foggy from certain angles, and the corners have no bubbles and have reports of causing damamage to Game Boy games, specifically. I've experienced at least one game that has had some minor corner push-in from this, but your mileage may vary.

For VGA, I actually think the size of the holder is its form-fit size. It's insanely easy to store! The crystal clear display makes it simple to evaluate condition as well.

The biggest issue I have with VGA though is sometimes games have too much space in the holder. A little movement occasionally is fine, but over time could result in noticeable damage. At least, that's my fear. A second issue for me is the lack of tamper evident design. Simply cementing a few pieces of acrylic together might've been fine years ago, but not helpful for buyers when the result can be "high grade" swapped games.

Conclusion

Given all factors together, I think opinions will vary widely over time, and it may still be a couple years before a dominant leader emerges.

Personally, I don't think you can go wrong using any of the above mentioned graders, especially CGC or Wata, given their up-to-date tech and reliable service. VGA, unfortunately, is still suffering slow turnarounds, so don't submit to them unless you're really OK with waiting 6+ months.

I hope this essay is helpful in deciding your grading adventure!