Looking for a new set

[FixxeR]

Heya,

I've been thinking about getting a new set for a while now. Unfortunately the options are pretty much limited to Take sets, which is both expensive and they have yellow tilebacks, which I'm not too fond of.

As far as my very limited japanese.. No wait, google translate japanese goes, no vendors ship outside Japan, atleast from every site I've checked so far. Anyone know a vendor which would ship outside japan and have some variety in their selection?

Cheers.

[Shirluban]

There is always these two:
http://www.mahjongmart.com/shop/
http://japanese-mahjong.com/mjgoods.html

You should check Yellow Mountain Import too.

[FixxeR]

Sorry for not being specific enough. I already have experience on Mahjongmart sets - I used to have the "Dragon tile set" but it was so poor quality I had to get rid of it. Tiles were very small, it had a distinct smell similar to thinner which took around a week to air off.. And the paint jobs were horrible. I've had an YMimports black set for a while, it's decent and does it's job but I'm looking for something with better quality.

Even the Take set is good, I've played with it couple of times. I'm not that concerned with the costs, but I'd rather have some other options than just Take sets. Especially since the tilebacks are only in yellow . japanese-mahjong.com used to have some variety but there's only basic sets, Take set and instantly goes 100-200$ more expensive with the high end sets which are a bit too much for me. There used to be a "King" set with several options which was around 130$ but it's not sold anymore, and hirohurl hasn't replied to my emails about if he's going to get more of them.

But yeah, I'm picky

[Tom Sloper]

http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/wheret.htm
http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/whereg.htm

[burke]

Anyone know a vendor which would ship outside japan and have some variety in their selection?

I've bought mahjong and hanafuda stuff through this site (Goods From Japan). They don't list any mahjong stuff on their site, but if you mail them a link of the set you want, they can get it for you.

Rakuten is a good place to go looking for mahjong stuff. I could not find the King set, but there are lots of others in the $130 price range.

[FixxeR]

Rakuten is just what I was looking for, thanks a lot!

[burke]

Rakuten is just what I was looking for, thanks a lot!

You're welcome. Be aware that Rakuten is just a market place for independent sellers all over Japan, so you might still have to go through a third party (Goods From Japan or similar) to actually get the stuff shipped outside of Japan. Still it's a good place to see what's available.

[hirohurl]

Sorry for not being specific enough. I already have experience on Mahjongmart sets - I used to have the "Dragon tile set" but it was so poor quality I had to get rid of it. Tiles were very small, it had a distinct smell similar to thinner which took around a week to air off.. And the paint jobs were horrible. I've had an YMimports black set for a while, it's decent and does it's job but I'm looking for something with better quality.

Even the Take set is good, I've played with it couple of times. I'm not that concerned with the costs, but I'd rather have some other options than just Take sets. Especially since the tilebacks are only in yellow . japanese-mahjong.com used to have some variety but there's only basic sets, Take set and instantly goes 100-200$ more expensive with the high end sets which are a bit too much for me. There used to be a "King" set with several options which was around 130$ but it's not sold anymore, and hirohurl hasn't replied to my emails about if he's going to get more of them.

But yeah, I'm picky

Hi RixxeR,

Hope you found a good set.

Sorry I didn't get back to you via email. The King set is no longer available. There is a nice alternative with blue or green backs, but closer to $165 for a set, mainly due to the weakness of the dollar against the yen.

[Gamegrunt]

My wife and I have totally enjoyed the ownership of our Take Set, now over a year old, but I can't help but experience a bit of envy when I watch the Japanese Riichi sessions available to watch on YouTube - those sets are thicker and the designs are sharper. I realize they are the sets that work with automatic tables, but the colors and dimensions look really appealing. Still, there is nothing whatsoever to complain about the Take so I'll probably Take it to my grave.

Gamegrunt

[Tom Sloper]

Still, there is nothing whatsoever to complain about the Take so I'll probably Take it to my grave.

Very punny. Dajare wa yose!

[FixxeR]

A bit late announcement, but I managed to get a suitable set with an affordable price. Here's the set I got:
http://en.item.rakuten.com/offer1999/10024024/

It exceeded my expectations! Tiles look and feel great. The tiles are heavy and there's no glass beads in the red 5 pins, which I appreciate. The total cost with land delivery was a bit below 70 euros, so it's a bargain if you ask me. The set did take 2 months to arrive with the cheaper option, but I was prepared for that.

[Gamegrunt]

It looks like a nice set, and for 42 American (plus some significant shipping) it's definitely attractively priced.

I love the broken English syntax on that page...

"...but that the back of the black in a few decades ago seems to have been popular recently, is very small type."

BTW, please don't call them "glass beads." What you speak of that happens to grace the red fives in my Take Set are genuine faux diamond rhinestones and we quite appreciate the elegance and beauty that such a splendid bauble lends to the overall effect.

Congrats on finding your set.

Gg

[Barticle]

A bit late announcement, but I managed to get a suitable set with an affordable price. Here's the set I got:

Looks great and nicely presented too. As you may know, the 白虎 (literally "white tiger") on the box is read as Byakko - one of the four gods in Chinese astrology, as seen in the Mahjong Fight Club video-games.

genuine faux diamond rhinestones

[Jiazzz]

I ordered a Take set (http://en.item.rakuten.com/trendone/1470423/) and I finally received it today (and a Junkmat). But I noticed a slight difference in weight between some tiles (4m is heavier than others), have others also noticed this?
And the rhinestones of the red 5p tiles were sticking out a bit. One of them was also a bit loose, so I removed it, filed it a bit and glued it back in. The other one I pushed and turned a bit so it doesn't stick out anymore and ruin my junkmat.
I got the 7m keychain, I was hoping for a chun or hatsu
And something was stuck in the carving of a 6m, so when I tried to get it out, some paint went with it. What kind of paint can I use to restore it?

I forgot to keep the import taxes and other expenses in mind, so it did turn out a bit more expensive than I planned...

EDIT: It seems like there's something in a 1s. If I shake it, I can hear something moving. Also in a xia and in a hatsu. And probably more tiles.
EDIT2: I checked all my tiles. The ones shaking are:
1p 2p 4p 5p 9p
1s 2s 5s 6s 8s(2x)
3m 4m 5m 8m(2x)
haku, hatsu, ton, nan(2x), xia(2x), red 5p
That's 24 tiles! I expected these tiles to be of some high quality, but these inconsistencies prove otherwise. Ah well, I don't think it's damaging and during play it'll hardly be noticed... But they do make another noise when rubbing them to feel which ties they are or when tapping them...
But it leaves me wondering how these tiles are constructed...

And while I'm at it, the thickness of the tiles isn't that consistent. While most of the time it is hardly noticeable, two stacked haku are pretty easily distinguishable from eg two stacked hatsu.
The wind indicator/Dealer button is a piece of paper framed in plastic and the dice feel cheap and there are no special marks on the red fives (except for the embedded jewels in the 5p tiles) for blind players.
Good set for casual play, but I'd recommend another one if you want to play more at a competition level.
6.5

EDIT3: So I went with a hunch and put some of my strong magnets besides them. It turns out the tiles contain a ferromagnetic metal (no magnets themselves, as they do not react differently to other polarities), probably causing the noise.

[Tom Sloper]

It's a shame that quality control seems to be lacking in recently released Take products.
Someone asked me about rattles in his Take tiles recently... http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/bulletinbd.htm