Thank you for the open and honest review backed up with good photos. It’s an interesting set and it shows how difficult it is to produce fine and consistent carving. I’m with you on the thick gloss - it is not ideal. As you say, and interesting set but there is some way to go to match the finesse of other sets available.
Big, Unweighted Set from "Game of Roi" in Pakistan
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This is a 60mm field size board, the largest one I own. Unfortunately, I don't have a table that can accommodate a bigger board.
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The question remains why you added that glossy lacquer to the pieces, which wasn't on the displayed set, which is what I ordered.
That set is clearly matte finish.
The finish does not look like the single discrepancy: that displayed set appears to be much more refined, thinner and more elegant, with a nice patina. My guess: it is an original set, used as the model for reproduced sets (which is what you got). Was the offer clear about the purchase of a repro? If so, no concern...
No, no one told me about the gloss, and I had clearly said that I wanted the set in the picture (without the board). The basic style is the same as the one in the picture, but that gloss makes everything look thicker ... and cheaper.
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Certainly looks fantastic.
Perhaps they can figure out a way to both add weights and provide access to the weights to the customs folks so they don't have to drill. Drilling, what a shame.
It looks 'cheap' indeed. I would ask for full refund because item was clearly misrepresented. Manufacturer should make it right.
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Tried my luck as a "beta tester" with a set by a small company from ... Pakistan that advertised their sets here on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/hand-crafted-wooden-luxury-chess-sets-for-sale
With no homepage or Etsy shop. They agreed to send me a set to a contact in my town in Germany and that I would only have to pay it when I pick it up. Communication with my company contact "Abdullah" via WhatsApp was consistently excellent and polite though.
After a number of delays (caused eg by the recent kerfuffle surrounding ex Prime Minister Imran Khan), the set finally arrived yesterday. And it was nothing like I had expected.
If you're entertaining the idea of something even close to the precision, uniformity or heft of an Indian set, you might wanna look elsewhere. The large pieces are made of diodar wood (which is somewhat similar to olive wood in appearance , with lively grains and and plenty of inclusions in the wood from twigs etc) ...
... and the black piece are sheesham,; they are unweighted (the manufacturer said "weighted" in his ad on chess.com, but what he meant was "balanced" - which the pieces are), glossily lacquered, and remind me more of a "folk set" from Mexico or the Philippine Staunton sets from the 1970s.
The kings are 4.85" tall, but only weigh 48g. Very thin felt paper under the pieces, too.
Customs (probably in Northern Ireland, where the set was first sent to) felt it necessary to drill holes into some of the pieces to check for drugs. After all, Pakistan is a big exporter of heroin and marijuana (sourced mostly from Afghanistan), so I understand why customs would be extra suspicious.
The knights remind me of the wild ones that came with a set I had ordered from antiquechesscrafts (https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/images_users/tiny_mce/chessmaster_diamond/phpqGl3Zo.jpg), but are much less substantial and intricate. They feel more like a blueprint or clay model:
There are notable differences in height and even base diameter between the same groups of pieces, especially in the bishops:
They do have a certain charm, but I had expected something more substantial. I also would have preferred if the manufacturer had told me in advance that the pieces would sport a fairly thick glossy lacquer. In which case I would have hesitated to order them. OTOH, the set cost $150 incl. shipping and customs (the hole-drilling came free-of-charge
), plus the contact here in Germany was nice and reliable, and he made it easy for me to pick up the pieces.
The set is certainly unique though. But if the people from Pakistan aim to rival the makers in India, they have a long road to travel from here ....
If you're looking for a "folksy" Staunton set with lively-looking white pieces and an offbeat charm, and you don't mind imperfections too much, you might give the company a try.
Am I disappointed? Well, more surprised than disappointed, actually.