Choosing Tal pieces

I'm eyeing a few different Tal sets. Anyone own one/some/all of these and have comments on their quality, design, etc? Others I should consider (except NOJ, which is out of my price range, I'm afraid!)

• HoS - The Camaratta Collection - The Tahl Series Chess Pieces - 3.875" King
• RetroMaximum - Mikhail Tal Soviet Grandmaster
• Royal Chess Mall - 1960'S SOVIET CHAMPIONSHIP TAL

I’ve recently bought the ebonized and natural boxwood Tahl pieces from the House of Staunton.  I’ve only owned them a few weeks, but so far I’m very happy with the design and the quality.  I mostly play Chess with my son, and we both enjoy playing with the HoS Tahl pieces.  Personally, I would have preferred ebony, but the ebonizing on the dark pieces is pretty nicely done and I certainly appreciate the lower price.  I’ve admired the Noj sets for a while, and I appreciate being able to get the more affordable HoS set.

Of the three quite different sets you’ve shown, I’m not sure which set is the most accurate reproduction of the original, but the most I can say is that I do like the HoS set.  I think the quality is good for the price.

I cannot wait to see the collectors get in on this discussion. Need a break from the Dubrovnik Minceta arguments. 

I don’t own any Tal sets. 

@ogbumblingpatzer - Here are few other options.

Official Staunton - They used to carry a product named "Mikhail Tal 1961" with 4.75" King but seems to be sold out. Here's a photo I saved from the old days:

Chessantiques - I believe this is a website operated by Frank Camaratta:

Among the three choices of the op, I am tied between RetroMaxium via Etsy and the set from RoyalChessMall.com. 
The alternating color finials and the shape of Bishop mitre were what drew me. 

MCH: That set from ERWoodLeatherShop looks good, too. Staining is a bit darker on the white pieces and there’s the added gloss. You’ve got to really like those two characteristics to opt for that set. 

The ERWoodLeather (EraRetro same) set is very nice. Nice antique colour of the white pieces. Red felts and magnificent knight.

I have the EraRetro set and the NOJ set of these pieces.Both very nice,though the NOJ set is finished finer.....but....for the money,I'd definitely consider the Royal Chess Mall set.

Really looks nice and very well priced.I have 2 sets from these guys and they are nicely made and finished,so if you are on a budget it's a good deal.......Good luck.

As a chess reproduction maker I would like to hear your opinion. Does it really matters for you what type of wood is used for making chess reproductions?

From the pictures the Ukrainian sets look much, much better to me. Considering the price Retro Maximum would be my pick.

Many of you long time members are familiar with the tidbit that most of the repro sets available on Chessantiques.com (CA) are usually also offered on HOS. That's also the case here with the recent "Mikhail Tahl" repro from CA & HOS (they purposely spell it "Tahl" instead of "Tal"). On closer inspection, however, finials of Tahl on CA are opposite colored while those on HOS are not. Furthermore, while browsing the Tahl gallery on CA, I've noticed what appears to be a photo of the original set, linked below:

https://chessantiques.com/product/mikhail-tahl-commemorative-chessmen/

This is the first color photo that I have ever seen of the original pieces.  Note the color of the finials on the dark-side's King, Queen and Bishops. They're painted white. Most interesting. 

In addition, if you read the description for the Tahl repro pieces on HOS, it states: "This extremely accurate recreation is based on a set of the actual pieces, not derived from images, which often belie the true size and proportions of the pieces. This is the most accurate reproduction of the Tahl chessmen in the market."

Since Frank has the original set, it must be the most accurate Tal repro out there.

Looking at the pictures I think there is a difference between the set from the colour photo and where Tal is playing. The knight on Tal's board appears more 3D while the coloured one looks flat. 
Or it might be just my imagination. 

My opinion is that the knights in the color photo were deliberately placed facing away from the camera so that their exact profiles would not be revealed to competitors. Here's what I mean:

As mentioned earlier, the description on HOS mentions that their Tal pieces are "not derived from images". They are obviously referring to those who have attempted to reverse engineer the shape of the Tal pieces from high resolution photos.