House of Staunton Review

Hello,

I have just ordered the Superior Grandmaster chess set from HOS so I'm hoping to have made the right decision and it is a nice set as it will be my first. I got a black slidetop box and Ebonized and natural boxwood pieces They have a decent discount on at the minute. I am also hoping I don't get any issues with shipping as I am in the UK.

k3ny0n1990,

When it comes to wood sets the HoS makes some of the best ones out there.  You should be fine with getting this into the UK as long as they include a copy of the invoice along with the package for the customs people.

Thanks for your reply, ShelbyLohrman. I had factored in the import charges with the discount they were offering at the time. What do you mean by "fine getting this into the UK" what problems have there been in the past if any with chess sets?

I've been looking to acquire a quality wooden chess set for study. I got excited by the current HoS promotion, had an eye on the Championship Series in Golden Rosewood, and have since been let down by some of the commentary here, all within a few days, ha. Think I'll just pick up some of the higher quality plastic pieces along with a mousepad board for the time being, and continue debate on the wooden pieces.  

Would RCM's Tournament Chess Pieces be the better buy? Currently $85 but it looks like they have a slightly smaller base than the HoS equivalent. The Classic II Series from HoS (also a German Knight) would be $80 witht the current discount. Maybe that's the better acquisition but I'm hesitant to pull the trigger. If anyone has any comparative thoughts or opinions, I'll take them!

Just remember that there really no such thing as "Golden Rosewood"  That was just a re-name of the Sheesham wood to make it sound better.

Shelby

I don't know, I got excited with the discount lol. And even with import duty it is a better chess set for the price I was willing to pay in the UK.

Yes, that I know. I was just using their naming convention. I'll have to dig into the forum archives to see if folks have thoughts on these lower end offerings from RCM vs. HoS. My guess is that they are just about comparable.  

Don't worry about it, like I said, even with import duty the set i have bought is exactly what I am looking for. I don't like the one you posted but thanks for looking.

Congrats! I hope your order goes through smoothly.

Thank you, I'm pretty excited to be honest. It should arrive on Monday!

I was going to purchase one of their reproduction sets (UK) which looked gorgeous but I wasn't sure about their policy: "Charges like Custom and Import Duty, VAT or Sale Tax are not included".

I emailed to get an all inclusive price but got a reply that didn't help in the slightest and mildly sarcastic so I bought a set from elsewhere.