I married one of those folding, flat green/buff vinyl magnetic boards with a set of those Dreuke magnetic pieces that come with its own board-in-a-box. The magnets are tenacious and you get to play with pieces that are 3d and not hard to lift off the board (flat ones you have to peel off, a burden if the magnets are strong).
For more expensive and quite good magnetic sets of both types try:
Some variety here. I've handled some of his small sets and they are good quality.
I have the USCF set. It is inexpensive and a little clumsy but OK for every day use.
ChessMate (which goldendog supplies the link) makes great sets. I have several of these and use them as well. Nicer feel and great quality.
I like a small real set and I use the Dreuke one which has I think a 2" King
I married one of those folding, flat green/buff vinyl magnetic boards with a set of those Dreuke magnetic pieces that come with its own board-in-a-box. The magnets are tenacious and you get to play with pieces that are 3d and not hard to lift off the board (flat ones you have to peel off, a burden if the magnets are strong).
For more expensive and quite good magnetic sets of both types try:
Some variety here. I've handled some of his small sets and they are good quality.
Thanks goldendog for that link ! I like the travel sets there and have looked all over for such sets but have not seen any better than those ! Didnt you say in another thread that you are an OTB firster ? I wonder if they ship to Europe ?
I married one of those folding, flat green/buff vinyl magnetic boards with a set of those Dreuke magnetic pieces that come with its own board-in-a-box. The magnets are tenacious and you get to play with pieces that are 3d and not hard to lift off the board (flat ones you have to peel off, a burden if the magnets are strong).
For more expensive and quite good magnetic sets of both types try:
Some variety here. I've handled some of his small sets and they are good quality.
Thanks goldendog for that link ! I like the travel sets there and have looked all over for such sets but have not seen any better than those ! Didnt you say in another thread that you are an OTB firster ? I wonder if they ship to Europe ?
I wager he would be happy to ship to Europe. Probably just ask him and he'll calculate the shipping and give you a quote.
Not only is he a solid master (which is always good for a designer of chess equipment) but he is quite the detail-oriented person.
The best vinyl rollup board I've ever seen I got off him many moons ago when he dropped south from Seattle to our big annual Oregon Open here in Portland. He doesn't make and sell them anymore (well have them made to his specs anyway) but those boards are great for low contrast color combinations and high quality. A pebbled grain to the vinyl as well and it unrolls flat after years in its tube.
Yay, found a Dutch place that resells one of the Chessmate sets: http://www.vanstockum.nl/product/647163/Chessmate-ID-luxe-zakschaakspel.html
(the USCF set costs $9 plus $27 in shipping, if the Chessmate shipping costs are similar, I think it's a bit high :-)).
Yay, found a Dutch place that resells one of the Chessmate sets: http://www.vanstockum.nl/product/647163/Chessmate-ID-luxe-zakschaakspel.html
(the USCF set costs $9 plus $27 in shipping, if the Chessmate shipping costs are similar, I think it's a bit high :-)).
Shipping is always outrageous from the US to Europe. I read so many complaints. Not a few from people who would like a HOS set but when they see the shipping their jaws drop.
Yay, found a Dutch place that resells one of the Chessmate sets: http://www.vanstockum.nl/product/647163/Chessmate-ID-luxe-zakschaakspel.html
(the USCF set costs $9 plus $27 in shipping, if the Chessmate shipping costs are similar, I think it's a bit high :-)).
Shipping is always outrageous from the US to Europe. I read so many complaints. Not a few from people who would like a HOS set but when they see the shipping their jaws drop.
Indeed, shipping is outrageous from the US to Europe. My sons got annoyed with me whining about how much I missed my grits for breakfast and once sent me a 5lb bag of grits ! The shipping was so much that they said they would NOT do that again ! hahahhahahhahaha Probably the most expensive grits I ever ate.
I have eventually (only yesterday) ordered the Chessmate Ultima. It seems to be the best, and the shipping ($16) is doable.
Tablet sets need batteries; this one will work forever without energy. Plus it doesn't do anything other than chess, so no distractions, and there are no problems seeing the "screen" in direct sunlight :-)
its very nice..
I own a couple chessmate sets -- the TravelMate and one of the slim ones with the discs (Ultima?). I really like the pieces with the TravelMate set. They look nice and the magnets are nice and snappy. The pieces actually stay in place on the board, even if you shake it around.
In contrast, I bought a magnetic set for about 40 bucks from House of Staunton, and the magnets are actually more of a hinderance than they are helpful. They're weak and actually make the pieces less stable on the board for some reason.
My biggest complaint with the ChessMate set is the gap in in the middle of hte board where it folds. The gap is maybe a millimeter or two, but it's significant enough to mess with my perception of the board slightly. I'm actually about to buy a new set of pieces from ChessMate to use with the board I bought from HoS.
As for the Ultima, I don't really care much for the discs, but the set itself is nice for what it is. I like how you can close it on a position and keep the position saved.
What is the best magnetic chess set for sale online?
Looking for something that is:
- Very portable (should ideally fit in the inside pocket of my jacket)
- Has good magnets, pieces shouldn't fall off
- Has an easy place to store pieces that are off the board
- Has flat pieces (with diagram symbols on them), not miniature normal pieces, because I think that makes them less likely to fall off (I have a very nice set, of which I lost a white bishop under some train chairs...)
Which is the best set if I want to be able to analyze wherever?
This one at uscfsales seems to fit the bill, does anyone have experience with it? http://uscfsales.com/item.asp?cID=10&PID=1222
There also this: http://www.ukgamesshop.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=chtra404&Category_Code=chtr
De Beste Zet (in the Netherlands, where I live) has this one: http://www.debestezet.nl/images/materiaal/009reisschaakgroot.jpg
But there must be many more. Which would you pick?