Shina Kaya vs Agathis (Color, Sound & Durability)

[ThePolo]

Hello,
i am thinking of getting a new table top go board. My price range is about ~100 bugs or so.

I was reading about the materials used crafting and even in this forum saw many opinions.
I narrowed my buying options down to these two boards
http://shop.gogameguru.com/agathis-go-board-24/
http://shop.gogameguru.com/shin-kaya-go-board-12-c/
where i am asking for your opinion! (i am open for new buying options too of course)

First of all i like that shin kaya looks really nice and is not painted over. however this side
http://www.kiseido.com/go_equipment.htm
tells me that shin kaya is way inferior and it is too soft.

Agathis on the other hand seems to be harder, but i play with glass stones so breaking stones is not my concern. I like that the Agathis board is thicker too.

I would love to hear some opinions on the painted top of the agathis. Pros seem to use it and like it, what are your experiences? I want something that looks good!

Another concern of mine is the sound. I really hope for a nice sound putting down the stones and i feel uneasy buying a board without trying it out or at least see a video of it.

Lastly, I was wondering if shin-kaya really gets squished by smacking down stones to hard, because i love to put them down with a little force

What would/did you get?

[Manchu]

If you would like a relatively hard material but also want something cheap, thick, and handsome, why not try this 2" bamboo board from YMI. I ordered this board and only received it today. I am very pleased with it right out of the box, especially considering the price.

[TheCatLver]

About the Agathis, while it may be a popular choices for Korean tournament, I don't think that there are many that "liked" it. Playing an agathis board is like a really thick piece of wood with what I would compare with lamination. The sound of agathis (at least for me and the board that I tried out) is nearly the same as snapping your glass stone on a white wood door (I don't know where you live, but in america, those door are everywhere) I personally dislike painted wood immensely (which is why I'm still on the hunt for a good spruce-related board, unpainted ) But who know, If you like the snappy-ness, I guess agathis would be the best for you

You won't get a sound sample of stone on board except from games on youtube. so check that out.

[lemmata]

I bought the thicker one-piece shin-kaya board (http://shop.gogameguru.com/shin-kaya-go-board-24/) from GGG and I am quite satisfied with it.

To me, it is the perfect board for everyday use. It has not shown the slightest sign of warping in my extremely dry home. It looks pleasing enough when I play on it and it does not require much care. I like it enough that I would only consider upgrading to a really nice kaya board, but nothing less.

As for the sound, it will be pleasant enough unless you're really picky about it. I personally don't like the bamboo boards because they are very hard, but that's a matter of taste.

One reason to avoid the painted agathis board is because the paint will eventually wear off unevenly if you keep the board long enough. Also, I would recommend against the thinner shin-kaya board. If you're getting something that thin, you might as well stick with a cheaper folding board (http://shop.gogameguru.com/folding-go-board/). Again, that's just my opinion.

[Hushfield]

Is anyone else bothered by the 3d renders of the go boards as the main image reference material on the GGG website? That's roughly equivalent to amazon putting drawings of book covers in the preview window instead of the actual cover.

[oca]

I bought the thicker one-piece shin-kaya board (http://shop.gogameguru.com/shin-kaya-go-board-24/) from GGG and I am quite satisfied with it.
...

A product like this one would be my choice too. maybe one day...

[Manchu]

Are GGG's pictures 3D renders?

Also, I am confused about the 2.4" "single piece" Shin-Kaya board GGG is selling on Amazon for 239 USD (before S&H). It is described as being "made from a single piece of uncut wood" but then there is this picture:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61la1jAnrAL._SL1500_.jpg

[Manchu]

http://shop.gogameguru.com/shin-kaya-go-board-12-c/

I note GGG does not mention anything about the wood regarding this board, despite emphasizing that "Alaskan spruce" is superior to "Tibetan spruce" in the pitch for their 2.4" Shin-Kaya. ThePolo, you may want to send GGG a message asking about this before you decide to buy. Please post the answer here.

[lemmata]

Is anyone else bothered by the 3d renders of the go boards as the main image reference material on the GGG website? That's roughly equivalent to amazon putting drawings of book covers in the preview window instead of the actual cover.

One of us must have eye problems because I don't see any 3d renders and my own board looks like what they have in those pictures.

I really hope that it isn't me.

[ThePolo]

http://shop.gogameguru.com/shin-kaya-go-board-12-c/

I note GGG does not mention anything about the wood regarding this board, despite emphasizing that "Alaskan spruce" is superior to "Tibetan spruce" in the pitch for their 2.4" Shin-Kaya. ThePolo, you may want to send GGG a message asking about this before you decide to buy. Please post the answer here.

Hi, thanks for your answer! turns out i over read "veneer". so this board isn't made of one block of wood any way..
hence i kind of dislike it

however: a new board poped up in their shop today: http://shop.gogameguru.com/shin-kaya-go-board-24-p/
and i am now considering just getting the nice shin kaya one: http://shop.gogameguru.com/shin-kaya-go-board-24/

still i would love to give the agathis and the shin kaya one a try before i buy them
so if anyone has any more experiences to share, i would be happy

EDIT: i am not seeing any 3d stuff either ^^ however i would love some more pictures!

[Manchu]

however: a new board poped up in their shop today: http://shop.gogameguru.com/shin-kaya-go-board-24-p/

This one is also made of several pieces of spruce and still makes no claims about being "Alaskan spruce." I would be interested to hear details about its "unique core" and what is meant by "special care" (as opposed to, say, ordinary care).

[bogiesan]

however: a new board poped up in their shop today: http://shop.gogameguru.com/shin-kaya-go-board-24-p/

This one is also made of several pieces of spruce and still makes no claims about being "Alaskan spruce." I would be interested to hear details about its "unique core" and what is meant by "special care" (as opposed to, say, ordinary care).

You would have to call them to get the straight answer and to separate facts from their marketing pitch.

However, in the woodcraft business, a massive block of wood can be made by surrounding a core of highly stable material, like compressed or oriented strand composites, with strips of the more appealing, but less stable and more expensive, wood species for show. A bit like molding metal weights inside plastic go stones. While this may sound like a ripoff, it's a valid construction method and they are being honest about it, sort of. It may not be pure kaya all the way through but it might actually be a better product. You can end up with a heavy, ultra-stable chunk that sounds nice and is ultimately both practical and economical.

[Hushfield]

One of us must have eye problems because I don't see any 3d renders and my own board looks like what they have in those pictures.

I really hope that it isn't me.

I'm talking about this one: http://shop.gogameguru.com/shin-kaya-go-board-24/ , but I think there are others too. I'll admit I'm not 100% sure about it, but looking at the shadows and the way the background is blended in, I'm still more inclined to say these images are CGI and not actual photographs. Maybe they just did an outstanding job on postprocessing the pictures in adding the background.

What does the rest think. Photograph or 3d render?

[salerno]

I work with Photoshop quite often, and those look like normal pictures with very nice postproduction, so you can be sure you get what you see.

[Manchu]

I asked about the picture on Amazon clearly showing multi-piece construction for a board marketed as one solid piece. Here is GGG's response:

The Board I got delivered was one piece I think the picture uploaded on amazon was wrong, the pictures on gogameguru.com are correct