Nothing sets off a hot rod’s interior quite like stainless steel trim and accessories. For me, it’s the contrast of leather next to the polished metal that catches my eye. For others, the stainless steel bears proof that no expense was spared on their vehicle’s interior.
But not all stainless steel accessories need to break the bank. Take, for example, cup holders – a must have when building custom consoles. Did you know that you can purchase an entire box of steel cup holders for about the same price as what most retailers charge for one?
The trick is to search for poker table cup holders. They’re virtually identical, but sell for a fraction of the price. In fact, you can buy a set of 10 off of Amazon for just $33.99. That’s $3.40 each – a far cry from the $25 per piece that most auto retailers charge.
I recently ordered a box and was pleasantly surprised by their quality. I’ve already used them on a few projects, and customers loved them.
Know of any similar deals? Share with us any hidden gems or great deals you’ve come across in the comments section below.
this is actually how i’ve been buying mine for a few years now, it’s a great way to finish off a custom console and make it alot more user friendly for only a few dollars more… but something to consider: before spending the better part of a fifty dollar bill to buy ten, buy just one to evaluate the size. A number of the poker table cup holders on the market are just large enough to hold a soda can and nothing larger, which eliminates the chances of it propperly holding just about any drink (larger than a childs size) from your customers favorite drive thru lane, let alone that “big gulp” they picked up on their last fill-up.
Buying just one sounds like a good idea. Do you know where you can get just 1? (Like th e ones from Amazon?
That’s a good idea. Also keep in mind they are available in a jumbo size as well
http://www.amazon.com/10PCS-JUMBO-STAINLESS-STEEL-HOLDER/dp/B007IZRVZM/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1340235561&sr=8-10&keywords=poker+cup+holder
the last set i installed came from texaspokersupply.com. the “medium” size is one of my favorites but comes unfinished, however it makes a nice cup holder if you don’t mind putting in a few minutes on the polishing wheel.
there is a tad of trial and error with this ive ordered some and they are great really nice polished lips..and then ive ordered other ones and they were all scratched and scarred. i ended up having to brush them to make them look clean but no longer polished…so if you get some and are really happy with the quality keep that place in mind for the next order-lol
I’ve done stainless steel on a couple custom boat interiors. The marine holders are stepped, so you can get a larger drink in sitting high, and a soda can will still be held steady sitting down in the bottom of the holder. And they don’t care if they are sitting in a boat holding soda, or sitting in a car holding soda.
I want to thank you guys for doing a quality job with your site / sharing of information. We here at http://www.dickandricks.com take pride as well being the premier Minneapolis/St.Paul auto interior shop.
Keep up the great work,
Rick
Hey Rick, thanks for the kind words and for joining The Hog Ring! We’re big fans of your blog as well. Keep up the great work!
funny that this came up, I just last month bought 10 from a poker supplies place in Oz and are really good quality got 10 for under $50. fit a can perfectly.
I would like to say tthat Rick and Dicks web site should be a forefront way of preparing a website for customers. Especially liked the question and answers section.
I agree, their website is very well put together.
or you could step up to a custom cup holder built just for street rods…check this out http://santanainteriors.com/products/billet/
That’s really cool! Thanks for the tip Rich.
Do you manufacture them yourself?
yes Naseem, we make them here. we have had them available for about 10 years, but have been low key on advertising. they are super trick and don’t collect dust like the cup style holders. let me know if you want to try one.
Thank you!!! been using the black 1’s for years. Now I can step it up a little
We’re happy to help d-better!