@TimmyCorkery I have the "appliance" white (coined by @Loubalch) version of the Ultimates. It is a good set. I am sure you'll love it.
Thanks, yeah, I'm confident it's a very good first step and a serious upgrade from what I have now.
Yeah, the appliance white ultimate set is a great choice. 👍
I was going to say as much but held back for fear of scaring him off. 
This is similar to my Ultimate story...start with the new appliance white plastic ultimates, love them, get a wooden set of ultimates (I chose ebonized and boxwood), love them, get one of the final remaining sets of butters. 
For wood pieces, there are a number of places with good value. The House of Staunton, The Chess Store, Chess Bazaar, Staunton Castle, and Empire Chess are all good sources.
For plastic pieces, you can’t go wrong with The Ultimate Chess set from Shelby at American Chess Equipment.
Good luck and let us know how this turns out for you.
For plastic I'd like to put in a good word for Legend Products' (https://www.legendproduct.com/index.html) Alegria. (The set is much more awesome than the web site!
Also, the Best Chess Set Ever's (https://www.bestchesssetever.com) quad-weighted XL is a beast! A very, very nice beast!
GrandPatzerDave,
You know you can buy the Big Knight pieces and silicone board separately and save $$ on the set from BCE. Are the pieces really QUAD weighted? The set weighs in at 3.6 lbs. And they have the old weighting system where the weights will loosen up. Don't get me wrong...Galen and the guys at BCE do a great job with the packaging and the instructions (the best on the business!!!), but the set and board can be bought from pretty much anyone. And to get the board into the box they have to fold it...which I am against. Silicone boards do not typically retain folds, but when you stick them in a box with a 3.6lb set on top of it...it does not do wonders for the board.
As for the Algeria set...Dennis does amazing work. His sets are very nice.
Just my opinions...
Shelby Lohrman
American Chess Equipment
Check this recent forum thread as well...
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/first-nice-chess-set
That depends on whether you want a small portable chess set or one you'd like to keep at home. If you want a portable one, you can find plenty on amazon that are easy to carry around and magnetic. If you want a really high quality hand carved wooden set you'll probably find that somewhere dedicated to Chess.
Galen and the guys at BCE do a great job with the packaging and the instructions (the best on the business!!!), but the set and board can be bought from pretty much anyone.
Re: Galen's Best Chess Set Ever
I first want to say that with the recent price increase to $60usd shipped, I can no longer recommend BCSE.
As a collector/player, it's all in the details. The level of finishing. The seams. The quality of plastic. The satin finish of the pieces. Is it worth the upcharge? That's up to the customer. At some point it's splitting hairs, but when you imply that it is the same, it should be backed up. I won't be purchasing a comparable 4" set just to prove a point, but if you want me to do an in-depth, photo shoot review comparing Galen's BCSE to your ACE "comparable" plastic Staunton set, to bust on Galen, and put this debate to rest once and for all, I will be more than happy to do it!
Sound67 had an excellent post here with detailed photos comparing all of his plastic Staunton sets. It was quite clear they were all different. Unfortunately it was erased.
Galen and the guys at BCE do a great job with the packaging and the instructions (the best on the business!!!), but the set and board can be bought from pretty much anyone.
Re: Galen's Best Chess Set Ever
I first want to say that with the recent price increase to $60usd shipped, I can no longer recommend BCSE.
As a collector/player, it's all in the details. The level of finishing. The seams. The quality of plastic. The satin finish of the pieces. Is it worth the upcharge? That's up to the customer. At some point it's splitting hairs, but when you imply that it is the same, it should be backed up. I won't be purchasing a comparable 4" set just to prove a point, but if you want me to do an in-depth, photo shoot review comparing Galen's BCSE to your ACE "comparable" plastic Staunton set, to bust on Galen, and put this debate to rest once and for all, I will be more than happy to do it!
Sound67 had an excellent post here with detailed photos comparing all of his plastic Staunton sets. It was quite clear they were all different. Unfortunately it was erased.
Compare it to the same pieces and board on my site and we are at $31.95 plus shipping. The box and instructions on the BCE are amazing, but are they worth the upcharge? We LOVE what they are doing and are going to put together a truly exceptional version from our company.
Think about this...a Ultimate Chess Set with a truly exceptional board (Vinylpad maybe?) for the same price as the BCE set.
Just a thought...
Shelby
Compare it to the same pieces and board on my site and we are at $31.95 plus shipping.
Do you mean the below glossy black and white plastic set?
Come on now... just from a blurry pic I can tell right away the plastic used is completely different.
Compare it to the same pieces and board on my site and we are at $31.95 plus shipping.
Do you mean the below glossy black and white plastic set?
Come on now... just from a blurry pic I can tell right away the plastic used is completely different.
Their set:
Yes, gloss vs matte finish. Their set is more of a cream/yellow. Same mold though, just a slightly different plastic. Here is the pic of the knight from the manufacturer website:
You know me, I know my sets. Would not make this claim unless it was true. Look at their "triple weighted pieces" 
Slightly similar to my "Double weighted pieces": again, they get the gloss, I get the matte finish.
Right?
Shelby
@ShelbyLohrman Outdated, years old, stock photos ain't gonna cut it.
Side-by-side current photos only. I have the BCSE set right in front of me, it does not look like those stock photos. Is it worth $20 to send me set for a head to head showdown?
I make nothing out of this. It's not like I need another plastic set. I'll donate it to my son's chess club when done. It's all for fun and curiosity.
I also have to reiterate. I would not buy BCSE at the current $60 shipped price.
***EDIT*** Also want to add, Galen's 2lb set is garbage and indefensible. So I won't even go there. LOL
@ShelbyLohrman Outdated, years old, stock photos ain't gonna cut it.
Side-by-side current photos only. I have the BCSE set right in front of me, it does not look like those stock photos. Is it worth $20 to send me set for a head to head showdown?
I make nothing out of this. It's not like I need another plastic set. I'll donate it to my son's chess club when done. It's all for fun and curiosity.
I also have to reiterate. I would not buy BCSE at the current $60 shipped price.
I know I have his set somewhere around here. I will post some pics as soon as we dig it out
Shelby
@TimmyCorkery I have the "appliance" white (coined by @Loubalch) version of the Ultimates. It is a good set. I am sure you'll love it.