I was recommended two sets in my price range and i don't know enough to be able to choose between them and i couldn't find any review on any of them

http://shop.kurokigoishi.co.jp/en/item/1753
https://www.schaakengo.nl/goshop-keima/playing-material/sets/be85-beech-vineer-a-quality-board--s224-stones--chessbowls

which of them is better value for money and over all will last longer?

Have you accounted for S&H and customs?

For a first set, if you live in the EU, I'd go for the German store.

Take care.

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一碁一会

I live in Israel so shipping from Europe is cheaper

They are actually a lot cheaper
how about this set https://www.go-spiele.de/en/complete-set-shinkaya.html with glass or yunzi stones 9 and bamboo bowls?

If you are in Europe, there are also several shops in France that have large selections of go equipment ready to buy. when you make up your mind and get your set, please return here and to reddit to tell us about your experience with your purchase and how you are getting along with your new equipment. Try to have fun shopping.

This list is Several years old but the stores can be parsed easily:

https://html1-f.scribdassets.com/206cr3 ... 524c94.jpg

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David Bogie, Boise ID
I play go, I ride a recumbent, of course I use Macintosh.

As a comparison to the set you are looking:
https://www.go-spiele.de/en/complete-set-shinkaya.html
IMHO Shinkaya (spruce) is the best for entry level and practical use set.

According my experience, another point worth considering is a foldable goban to have easyer transportation (e.g. if you plan to take your set to the local go club). In that case, also a bamboo set is interesting.

My advice: shinkaya is better wood (very nice to play with)
Bamboo is far more solid (I took my foldable bamboo set also at the beach).
Glass go stones are a good solution: nice and cheap.
Any wooden bowl set will do.

Enjoy!
...and don't forget posting some pictures after you received your set

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When you play Weiqi you are joining millions of people across four thousand years of time.
Jonathan Hop - So You Want to Play Go?

This hollow box of a board represents a good value and the construction should be quite stable. A friend of mine had a similar unit. We did not like the hollow noise stones made when played so we acquired a piece of expanded plastic foam to fill the underside. I don’t know what others who have hollow plywood boards have done to muffle the noise.

https://www.go-spiele.de/en/go-board-ta ... eered.html

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David Bogie, Boise ID
I play go, I ride a recumbent, of course I use Macintosh.

I have something equivalent, and the trouble I found [which may or may not apply here] is that the "cells", and the stones, are not of a regular size. Almost, but no quite. So you can't upgrade "modularly". If you want to upgrade from that some time later, you have to buy both board and stones again, together.

My recommendation is to buy things that can be upgraded in bits: a new bowl for Christmas (which may or may not be wooden and Japanese: you can choose from ikea rattan bowls upto, say, antique Bavarian crystal or Meissen), a set of better glass stones some months later[*], a stand-up goban for some special anniversary...

Take care.


[*] I only have Korean, but AFAIK there are *levels* of glass stones. I can attest that one of my glass sets feels way more comfortable than the other, but it might be 1mm of difference in height.

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一碁一会

Anyone have comparison between the glass stones here: http://shop.kurokigoishi.co.jp/en/item/1753
and these: https://www.schaakengo.nl/goshop-keima/playing-material/glass-go-stones/s224-japanese-glass-go-stones-88-mm

couldn't find anything on glass stones from kurokigoshi

In the schaakengo.nl link, the first (left-most) photo doesn't seem to be showing glass stones; they look like ING stones (10mm thick).

Visit this online shop: AOYAMA GOBANTEN,Ltd. Tokyo,Japan
http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~goban/engli ... rsion.html
See their selection of plastic and glass go stones:
http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~goban/engli ... tml#top10f

You can judge the relative quality of the different glass stones they offer by the cost.

Back in the olden days, Korean glass was inferior and much less expensive than Japanese glass stones. They were irregular, blobby, and made of very brittle type of glass so they chipped easily, often just by getting rattled around the bowls. But they were CHEAP! An entire club could get outfitted in Korean glass for the cost of just one set of fine Japanese glass stones. My first set of 6-7mm Korean glass stones was only US$5. My first set of fine Japanese 10mm glass stones was $60.

I have not seen a wide selection of glass stones from different sources next to each other in many years. The situation may have changed as go/baduk/weiqi has waxed and waned in popularity and entrepreneurs entered the marketplace to improve the quality and make some good money. Korean glass may have improved.

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David Bogie, Boise ID
I play go, I ride a recumbent, of course I use Macintosh.

Important for all USA residents concerning shipping from Japan, copied from the Kuroki Goishiten site:

On April 23rd, our logistic company ‘Japan Post’ informed us that they would stop air shipping to the U.S., including EMS (Express Mail Service), AIR, and SAL (Surface Air Lifted).

After April 27th, the only available shipping method to the U.S will be by BOAT, which usually takes very long time to arrive and some delays may occur due to the corona situation.