NOJ Dubrovnik II or Minceta

I am on the waiting list with NOJ to get a set of the Dubrovnik pieces and am in a dilemma as to which one to go with?  Should i go with the Dubrovnik II or the Minceta?  Which one is a better height, the 4" king or the 3.6" one?  Which color between the brown stained and the red stained?  in one of the comments from other posts, it was mentioned that red is not favored in over the board play in clubs or tournaments?  But i love the red.  Comments are appreciated.

With the exchange rate and PayPal fees, as of 6 months ago a 34pc, 3.6" stained Minceta set is over $900usd. My personal set has only been used at home. No food, no drinks, clear table. And NO BULLET, Hah! If I had purchased my set years ago at the (then) cheaper price, I would have no problem taking it out and about.

Will you honestly be sharing the set at clubs and tournaments? Or just thinking about it? Some people don't like that ball finial on the King instead of a cross. Some people don't like the opposite color ball finial on the Bishop. Some people just want to play with bog standard, double-weighted plastic. Forget what others think, and get exactly what YOU want with your money. If they don't want to play with it, it's their loss. 

If you are indeed serious about taking this set to clubs and tournaments, be aware that the overall size and heft of the NOJ 4" set is pretty big. Check those measurements carefully for your tastes. IMO, the 3.6" set is fine for 2.25" and 55mm (2.165") boards. I would be more concerned with size rather than color.

BTW, the red stain is pretty dark. Darker than many brown wood chess pieces. 

If it were me: 

Minceta

brown stained

3.6"

Hi rsvenkatchalam, I have both II in red dgt and Minceta in brown stain unweighted, both 3.6. At this moment in time I lean toward the Minceta as my go to. With Minceta I spend most of my time analyzing and playing with friends and family. II, I play in my office over the computer (chessbase / picochess). Both are very fun to play with more so once you stop babying them (: at least in my case. Hope this helps with your decision making, I've been there.

3.6 all the way. 4" sets seem better in concept but 3.6 is a better ssize.

I am very new to chess.com and not yet savvy about responding to specific posts but i have to appreciate all the great comments with insight and suggestions so far.  Pawnerai mentions the cost at around $900 recently. Is it worth it?  And, surely like he said, I will most likely not take this to any clubs etc. or play speed chess.  I get the impression that it is easier to play with the smaller set and will  likely decide on that.   With stumOnner mentioning that he has the unweighted sets, and me not knowing it brings up the question -isn't an unweighted set less stable and more prone to falling down?

              rsvenkatachalam                 

 it brings up the question -isn't an unweighted set less stable and more prone to falling down?

Not really , as the base on a dubo is wide & well balance ,

Robert James Fischer , would throw his unweighted  set a round , like he was juggling .

I own the II in stained brown and red.  I also own the Minceta in stained brown.  All my sets are weighted and the smaller 3.6” size.

I personally prefer and suggest the Minceta.  The red stain is quite exceptional looking, so that would be good.

The Noj weighting is not heavy and is what I use and suggest.

fwiw my own minceta-inspired set is excellent. The stout and chunky pieces are a joy to play with and they look great. Dub II is probably closer to classic staunton.

You won't regret going with minceta.

3.6" Minceta for club and tournament play. The Minceta rooks are thick and some players might feel the 4" is cramped. As far as color I personally would choose the red stain. NOJ uses maple which is whiter than the usual boxwood. This gives a beautiful pop to pieces the red really pops. However, the brown stain is a more neutral color for club and tournament play. 

Thank you all for your input.  I did order the Minceta  with the 3.6" king in red.  I am told production will be in November.  

Make sure you'll give us a glimpse of your set when you receive it :-) Thanks for all the comments, very useful as I am also waiting for my turn in late 2023.

Unweighted Minceta:

Gorgeous set bananamoon....Nice coin collection too.

I also have a forthcoming dilemma over which NOJ set to get  (assuming I can still afford it when I reach the top of the waiting list; personal and global circumstances are making it a less affordable indulgence than it was when I joined the list...) but in my case it's between the Dubrovnik 1950 and II: I go back and forth on which knight I prefer. The Minceta rooks are just too fat for me.

In my experience (though by the standards of this board I am neither a serious collector nor serious player) 4" pieces are better to hold and admire and display and generally marvel at, but they are a little on the unwieldy side for play, not only because they're big in themselves but because they require a larger board which means more table space, more reaching, etc. as well as being more troublesome to transport. If you're intending to use it for frequent play, and if you're intending to take it to club nights, the pub, and so on, the 3.6" set is surely preferable for that reason.

That's a question only you can answer. You can probably get a pretty nice chess set for a tenth of that price, including board. Whether it's worth paying the extra depends largely on what value you place on craftsmanship, attention to detail, knowing it was made just for you, and so on. That's not a trick question: there's no right answer. If you think that $900 is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a chess set, that's a totally reasonable position to take. If you respect the craftsmanship but just don't like the piece design that much, that's fair too. I must admit that the Dubrovnik design is at best only my third-favourite style (behind Staunton and "Latvian"). And if such a set is worth $900 to you, that's equally reasonable.

The prevailing opinion though seems to be that in the context of the wider market, and considering the quality of NOJ sets (there aren't many, perhaps any, better workshops out there, certainly not with comparable distribution), $900 is relatively speaking good value for their sets.

Thanks Guys!

I've used some information here for research as part of my EPQ!

The comments on king size were brilliant and you've all come together to make a very good source lol

Hi , You should check with NOJ the final price / As UK side you still have vat & import tax added to the shipping price % wise  , Thanks to brexit  , all in might be as much as 1k now , As in the US do not have to pay for vat + Import tax ,