NOJ's Tal Set--"An Anthem to the Reproduction of Chess Pieces"

@ Stauntonmaster: I used to think so. However, I've ordered a dubrovnik II from them, for about the same price, because of the excellent reviews this company has gotten, as well as their skill and customer service. My English teacher always made a point of warning against overusing the word "too" in any context. There's a significant difference between " I am late " and " I am too late." As for the set, I think the price is high, not too high, and probably commensurate with the quality of the product and the work that went into its realization.

I know it looks like that from the outside. But if you sat down and took the time make an entire chess set "by hand" (not using CNC machines), that includes turning the pieces, hand carving the knights, drilling, finishing, polishing, weighting the pieces, applying the felt, packing and shipping, how much would you charge for doing all that? Oh, and don't forget, not only do you have to get paid for your time and materials, but you need to make a profit as well.

Don't look at it as a utilitarian chess set, see it for what it is -- a functional work of art by a very skilled craftsman. Compared to the overprice tchotchkes you find in your typical high end shops and boutiques that sit on a shelf and do nothing, you have a work of art you can play chess with. Sounds like a good deal to me.

P.S. Right now, House of Staunton has over 40 sets priced at $800 or higher.

Well, you need to make up your mind.  You have complained a huge amount regarding Chess Bazaar and their products.  You have talked about how they "fool" the customer by having low, sale prices.  A number of us have told you that in this market you most often get the quality you pay for.  When you pay a small amount then you get a lower quality product.  And the service at a low price is also usually quite low.  I am talking in general and that includes all companies and businesses.  You cannot honestly have high quality, good service and a low price at the same time.

With Noj you get the highest quality along with exceptional service.  I had a collars on my dark colored Queens, yes 2 of them, both develop a chip about a month ago.  I bought the set in May of 2010. 

I contacted Gregor of Noj and he told me he would remake both Queens and send them to me at no charge.  He had me send one of the Queens back to him so he would be able to match the wood color exactly.  Now that is excellent service.

And without a doubt, the 4 sets I currently own made by Noj are the best quality sets I own.

So, make up your mind.  Do you want high quality and good service or a low price.  You cannot have it all.

Whoa ... no kidding, Ron.  You would never get a replacement after that length of time from House of Staunton without having to pay, and it would likely not match.

Regarding the pricing of NOJ sets, I have two things to say. First, I know from first hand experience just how much time and labor goes into crafting a faithful reproduction. The Tal pieces went through countless iterations to get them where you see them. Second, the money we pay for sets pays for the wages, hours, and working conditions of the people who actually make them. From what I have seen and heard from first hand, percipient witness accounts, the wages, hours, and working conditions in India where the cheapest sets hail from are nothing short of abysmal. So I am happy to support a better standard of living for the artisans who make the sets. 

You humble me, Frank. The pleasure was truly mine.

Totally agree. I'm always flabbergasted how so many people disregard the reality behind low prices achieved through third world labor exploitation...

See the discussion earlier in this thread. For months after NOJ released the Tal set, some clamored for Chess Bazaar to knock it off for less. They finally did. I wonder how many of those who clamored actually have bought it. I cannot dispute your assessment of CB's offering. 

The CB version is "sold out".I certainly did not buy one,but I guess many folks did.From what I "assume"(which may be incorrect) I think they purposely altered the looks a bit,so as not to incur any type of future litigation.......I also admit that I own quite a few CB sets and many are overall quite nice,but I had many issues along the way....Which was a major pain,but ultimately got satisfaction......If I was to do it over again(though I am satisfied with my 10 CB sets) I'd definitely have fewer sets and give companies like NOJ my hard earned dollars......I also collect acoustic guitars(well,only 8...ha,ha) and you can "definitely" see an almost exact situation with that industry.....

There are many copycat companies and some are very good value for the money,but (like NOJ) the "Boutique Builds" are superior in all areas and worth the extra cash.....Still,many folks are not willing to spend for this caliber of instrument,so they opt for the less costly models.....It's all good in the long run......and normal.......To be honest,I wanted to go for a nice NOJ set last year,but opted for a quality Martin guitar......If I was not afraid of the wife(yuk,yuk) I'd have gone for both. -

 As wiscmike is fond of quoting,

"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."

     - Benjamin Franklin

Quality costs money. I'd love to buy a new Mercedes or BMW for the price of a Ford or Chevy, or a Martin guitar for the price of a Yamaha, but that's not going to happen. I think of it in terms of energy. Quality materials, expensive equipment and skilled labor don't come cheap, nor should they. When you total it up, there's a lot more energy in a quality product than a cheap one. And money is merely energy in a compacted form. So to balance the energy equation, it takes X-amount of energy (in the form of money) to buy a product of service that has X-amount of energy built into it. And if you want to spend less money, it's reasonable to assume that the product you buy will have less energy, that is, have less quality. It's no accident that more often than not we get what we pay for.

That may be so, but no matter what strategies you employ, it's not going to produce a $200 Martin guitar.

I am sorry, Carl, but I must disagree with you on one point here. 

The original sized Dubrovnik II looks much nicer than the 4” King version, not the other way around as you fallaciously claim.

Noj pieces are certainly worth the extra money.....No doubt,but I still get checkmated on my CB sets!! I doubt my poor rating would increase on an NOJ set.-

Personally,I'll almost always opt for the better quality product,whatever it is.

I'm probably going to have an NOJ set or two down the road(pretty much finished with CB,primarily due to communication issues,but my sets are pretty nice and I see no way they deserve to be in a trash bin.)

Well, you can have your opinion and it can be wrong and that's alright.

The standard sized Noj Dubrovnik II is the best for players.  Remember that this is the set and size that Bobby Fischer bought and used as his favorite.  And he can be seen in a number of pictures and videos using that set which the standard Noj Dubrovnik II is an exact duplicate.

Now, the 4" set is alright if you are not going to handle and play with the pieces so much.

Post pics. We'd love to see your sets!

I think it's time to start calling the knockoffs Chess Bizarre sets, or Bizarros for short.

Seventy dollars used to mean something, but now you can't even get into most sporting events for that, not if you want a good seat. Hard to believe you can carve an entire set for $70, even in India. I bet it looks it too. I've never been interested in going that cheap.

In another area where master craftsmanship counts, a fine, non-production pool cue from a well-renowned custom cue maker starts at $1000, some even higher, so $700 for the superior craftsmanship of a Noj seems relatively reasonable.

VERY true. I would take an Noj set over anything else when it comes to quality.

FWIW, I received my TAL set last Thursday. The finials on the Kings were reversed, so Gregor immediately offered to make me new kings, they were manufactured and shipped within a few days and are due to be delivered tomorrow, a week later, from Europe to Canada. Good luck trying to get that kind of service anywhere else...

Also, not only is the craftmanship that goes into the turning and carving excellent, the red and brown stains applied by Gregor's father are probably the most beautiful looking stains I've ever seen on chess pieces. Most of my Noj sets are just Maple/Walnut, but I have one set w/ the brown stain and it's absolutely gorgeous.

W/ respect to prices, it's all relative. Considering you are getting true craftsmanship from an artisan, the price is more than justified and truly fair value. It's only the availability of cheap sets produced in a 3rd world country that has created the expectation of much lower pricepoints for chess sets...

Maple is more durable than box?  seriously?  Maples are mostly softer and lighter.