@ROBB - here is the new Reykjavik II series, a little more expense than the last set of pieces:
http://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-reykjavik-ii-series-bone-chess-set-375-king.html
Ultimate Chess Pieces
Sort:
kenardi wrote:
@ROBB - here is the new Reykjavik II series, a little more expense than the last set of pieces:
http://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-reykjavik-ii-series-bone-chess-set-375-king.html
Hey great for HOS, seems they came with the bones again-Love mine ! Mine originally came with the burl storage box and premium board they pictured in your link...came as a package deal then..took them out of the box for ya & here's a quick pic...
Here's another pic of my bone R-II's...
@ROBB - no wonder they looked so nice... that is not a plastic set then.
Very nice! Different catagory than the $20 plastic set 
...and another with the storage box and board...SPECIAL NOTE: I had the black bone pieces specially done in buffalo bone and the white in natural camel bone as the India black dye is not the best sometimes.
kenardi wrote:
@ROBB - no wonder they looked so nice... that is not a plastic set then.
Very nice! Different catagory than the $20 plastic set
no....the pic on the first page is my plastic HOS...these 3 pics above are my bone HOS as per your link. These are when they originally came out with them.
WOW! now that is nice pciture, and set... i would not take that set to a club meeting
kenardi wrote:
@Aries360 - makes you wish you bought two and put one in storage.
The thought has occured to me :( I've putt off buying an extra set of those for the last 15 or so years. It's also astonishing that no set comes close after all these years.
Nice. What board do you use. Do you have a link?
kenardi wrote:
@ROBB - that is the HOS reykavik set mentioned above. Similar design, but much lighter weighted pieces, description says 38 ounces (2.375 lbs.).
The Ultimate set is over 3.5 lbs. Some older sets are said to be closer to 4 lbs. There isn't a set on the market right now, that I can find, that is weighted like that and can be played on a standard 20 inch board.
this. The feel weight and size were perfect, I loved the fat pawn also. I'm so used to the set that all other pawns seem anemic.
dang. i just recenlty lost a pawn from my Ultimate Set and decided to get a new one. just found out this bad news. Seems with 3D printing, maybe someone can bring this set back. This set will live again!!
You can always temporarily use another sets pawn. Pawns fly off the board quickly & then exchage it for an Ultimate pawn.
Kid_Rook wrote:
dang. i just recenlty lost a pawn from my Ultimate Set and decided to get a new one. just found out this bad news. Seems with 3D printing, maybe someone can bring this set back. This set will live again!!
Replace the set, take a look at this set:
http://shop.chesscafe.com/Olympian-3-7-8-Golden-Sheesham-Chessmen-4-queens-EQP1386.htm
Weighted nice and the pecies are wood not plastic.
Looks great on standard size black vinyl board.
Our club purchased the Ultimate chess set in blue and yellow in 2009 and we find it deserving of its name. The balance and weight are perfect. The finish is a pleasing silicone-like matt. Although it is a shame the mould is lost, I see that American chess has a new design that will be popular at an outstanding price. This is a set called the Cavalier with a more detailed knight and standard Staunton shapes, triple-weighted. At $15000 for the mould, I don't see how they will recover that cost. They need to sell a thousand sets just to pay for the mould.
Robert
Bishops of Bowser
@anti (Robert) - that is interesting news... I noticed the chess peices a few weeks back, with the new silicon pieces. That is some investment to recover, I hope the design catches on for them, and they sell enough. I'm guessing they consulted with big clubs like Saint Loius before making that investment...
kenardi wrote:
@Kummatmebro - The reykavik set looks nice, but from the description, total weight of the set is only 38 ounces... the pieces sound too light for my taste. The Ultimate set is more like 56-60 ounces; that is more like it! So many sets, even expensive, are too lightly weighted in my opinion. Some manufactures won’t even tell you the weight of their pieces... they just say double or triple weight... that is meaningless.
My Ultimate Set weighs in at 52 oz. Great look and feel. Too bad I can't find any 2" vinyl chess boards here in the U.S. I got a quote from Canada, but they wanted $25 shipping a $7 board!
loubalch wrote:
My Ultimate Set weighs in at 52 oz. Great look and feel. Too bad I can't find any 2" vinyl chess boards here in the U.S. I got a quote from Canada, but they wanted $25 shipping a $7 board!
There is this board (1.875 inch):
http://www.chesshouse.com/17_Vinyl_Roll_up_Chess_Board_p/e014.htm
or 2.25 inch is everyplace and the standard here in USA. Perfect for the Ultimate set I think.
I must note that the virtue of these sets is not in their beautiful detail but in their functionality, durability and economy. These are not collector sets but suitable club sets or personal playing pieces. Minimized detail is preferred.
Robert
Bishops of Bowser
@Aries360 - makes you wish you bought two and put one in storage.