They are completely hand turned and carved, and weighted and finished with care. Unlike other sets, nothing less than perfection leaves their workshop, and if you DO have a problem, it is solved quickly and professionally. The long waitlist is because chess sets have not been their primary business, which has been a variety of wood turned knobs, posts and smalls for the woodworking trade. Only recently have they begun to concentrate on fountain pens and chess sets as their bread and butter.
If you have never handled a NOJ set, you don’t understand why people feel about them the way they do. As for whether or not you find their knights attractive, that is subjective opinion. The Dubrovnik knights are accurate reproductions of the originals, as are their other historic sets. Their proprietary designs, such as the Pavasovic, the Portoroz, and the President may not be to your taste, but they are at least as acceptable as many others.
The only reason that Indian manufacturers can undercut European, South American, and American craftsmen is that they pay their workers so poorly. If you want to support sweatshops, feel free. But having bought sets from many independent manufacturers, I can tell you that a handmade set will cost you between $600 and a $1000 delivered. So I don’t feel that NOJ is as far out of the ballpark as you think.
They are many members of Chess.com who are price oriented only, and that is their right and privilege. For others of us, cost isn’t the sole consideration. We have that right as well.
Why do people pay so much for Noj sets?
Sort:
Why are they selling for so much? Why is there such a long waitlist on their official site to get one? Am I missing something?
They look overpriced, their knights are not attractive, and none of the pieces are particularly ornate.