Help a newbie find a good cost efficient set

[SaWfan1]

I played HK, American, and Riichi style mahjong with some people who moved here before, and personally, I liked the riichi style the best, so I've been trying to find a good and cost efficient set. I've been looking for a while and so far i've found the sets by YMI on ebay and the sets on japanese-mahjong.com. The YMI ones are cheaper + 0 shipping, but I like the standard set on japanese-mahjong.com better. Are there any other good sets to choose from, and if so, any tips on choosing one over the other?

[Gamegrunt]

If I hadn't obtained a Take set and I was looking to buy one now, the YMI white/yellow set would be the way I'd go. In the U.S., Riichi sets are a niche market, a market dominated by American style and Chinese sets. There aren't many options. The Take set is beautiful and durable - we've dropped tiles on our porcelain tiled floor with never a hint of damage to the mahjong tiles (I haven't inspected the floor for damage! ) but they aren't cheap (I've owned hundreds of games and my Take is by far my most expensive game purchase - $140.)

If you go with a YMI set let us know how it works out. I've bought items from YMI and their customer service is excellent, and they ship merchandise promptly with more than adequate protection for the contents.

Gg

[Meeps]

japanese-mahjong.com tiles are great

But the shipping will destroy you, better off with ebay or amazon

[SaWfan1]

Are there any other shipping choices to lower shipping?

[burke]

The YMI set discussed over here looks quite similar to the standard set sold over at Japanese-Mahjong.com (it might even be the same set rebranded). Other than that, I think you will have a hard time finding anything that looks authentic outside of Japan. I've never seen any riichi sets on eBay (except YMI's offerings).

I bought a standard set from Japanese-Mahjong.com and I've been very happy with it (I wrote a review over here). Yes, the shipping was very steep, but at least the set arrived promptly and in good condition.

[Gamegrunt]

It's hard to make the right choice of a first set, but if you're committed to playing the Japanese game, by all means make the investment and spend the money. A quality mahjong set will last beyond your lifetime and deliver great joy.

Gg