I think everyone has made good points--however, it does come down to preference, tempered with utility. It all depends on your needs--whether you are planning to take your new set to a coffee shop, bring to a club, study at home, etc. I own bamboo, katsura, and agathis boards, with biconvex glass stones of varying heights, as well as single convex Yunzi--I choose depending on location and purpose. If I am schlepping to a club, I want to travel lighter, and so would favor a thinner board, preferably made with harder wood that can take a knock or two (either the 3/4" bamboo or the 15mm folding katsura will do). The agathis board stays at home, given its size (2 1/4") and the softness of the wood; from the experience of others I have learned that shin-kaya is also soft, so extra care has to be taken with this wood as well. The choice of board then determines the stones, as the playing grid size varies depending on the country of origin (Japanese is the smallest, next comes Korean, and the Chinese is the largest) and in order for the stones not to be too crowded or look too lonely you should really match them by size to the grid. Japanese stones are usually 21.0-21.5mm in width, Korean stones are 22.0mm, and single-sided Yunzi are 23.0mm; the "exception" to the country-match rule are double-convex Yunzi, which are usually sized a bit smaller so they can fit Japanese or Korean boards. Similarly, YMI carries Chinese shin-kaya boards with Japanese sized grids, so you shouldn't use single-sided Yunzi with these boards. The YMI bamboo boards are Chinese gridded, however, so if you were to get a bamboo board I would strongly suggest single-convex Yunzi in the "large" size (i.e. size 5) for a comfortable fit. As others have mentioned, single-sided is really quite convenient for running through variations (either from a book or when doing a post-game review with others) by flipping the stones over to indicate they are "temporarily placed." If you do get single-sided Yunzi, I would also heartily recommend considering the "jade Yunzi" stones (the "white" stones have a distinct light green hue to them, complementing the dark, dark green of the "black" stones) as they really look cool on bamboo or shin-kaya--plus they are "easy on the eyes" compared with the usual stark white glass or Yunzi. This brings me to my last point--if you are primarily using the equipment in an area with overhead lighting (i.e a library, coffehouse, etc.) I would favor a board and stones that are matte or with low reflectivity, otherwise the glare becomes a major distraction for you and your opponent. Here I would favor Yuniz over glass (or even shell & slate) because both the white and black stones are non-reflective; additionally, my YMI bamboo board has a matte finish, as did the shin-kaya boards (also from YMI) that I have played with at the local club. My Japanese katsura board is even less reflective, as it has nothing but a light linseed-oil finish, and I've heard this minimal finish (wax or oil only) holds for all Japanese boards; however, my Korean board is highly-reflective, given its lacquered surface, so it is best staying in my living room with more indirect light. Sorry to go on like this--thanks for your time and attention, and I hope something I've said is actually helpful!! 
|
