I would gladly pay $60 for the ultimate chess set if in fact all of these new improvement  implementations to make it an outstanding set were to be  put into production for the next order run. An added bonus would be to have the ivory and or cream as a choice of color, I would more than likely purchase both that's how much I like the new design of the set. I had bought 4 sets of this recent run last year. Although some of the sets had loose weights I had managed to pop the cap off the bottom and use epoxy resin to secure them and recap them and used the same felt. No shakes or rattles whatsoever. I now have 3 because I gifted one to my older brother, he loved it. Years s ago I had paid about $60 shipping included,  for a HOS collector series plastic 4" king natural and black chess set. Very nice quality and no problems whatsoever. I for one wouldn't mind paying for a quality product. I will be on the lookout for this new order run and will probably obtain two new sets bearing in mind the color and weight issues are resolved. It's ok to agree to disagree,  but trading insulting barbs and name calling must cease. 

Shelby,

We know you're trying your best. Please don't feed the trolls.

I would gladly pay $60 for the original color. 

The original color was perfect. If it's not broken, don't fix it.

I know Shelby personally and this thread is nonsense. I worked in plastics mold making and molding (injection  compression, transfer, liquid silicone, MIM, etc..) and I actually quoted pieces for Shelby in the past. The casual suggestions of insert molding and controlling flash and parting lines here are off base. China is cheap because of both cheap labor but also cheap tooling. I would imagine this mold is worn and made of a softer steel. Without investing in new tooling, you get what you get. Insert molding is out of the question without new tooling and paying an operator to run it. Lastly, I suspect the plastic being used is regrind from light resin and makes color control extremely difficult. You get what you pay for and unfortunately chess isn't lucrative enough to warrant the proper investment.

I posted previously that I'd happily pay $50 for a set that has the weight, felt, and color issues fixed.  $60 is fine too.  I'm sure there are people who might be deterred, but I wonder if they would have purchase even at $40, given that the price is already higher than other plastic sets.  Some people have said you can't charge wood rates for plastic, but I'm not sure that is true.  My plastic set does a different job than my wood sets.  I want a set that does that job exceptionally, not another wood set.  

Compete on quality and don't be afraid to claim the high end of the market.  In the realm of wood sets, HOS seems to do just fine, despite the existence of Chess Bazaar.  Be the Apple of plastic chess sets - beautiful design, flawless quality, and unabashed premium pricing.  

Do you think Snooper69 would be foaming at the mouth over any other plastic set on the market?  I'm guessing there aren't any other sets with 30+ page threads about them, plastic or otherwise.  Show this thread to any retailer who balks at $30 wholesale, and they would be a fool not to put in an order, provided you can assure them of commensurate quality in the latest batch.  

Guys, that high end plastic piece market isn't large enough to justify the costs and difficulties in producing them. See my notes above on the challenges of dealing with Chinese molders and cheap tools. To do a high end set, you need a new mold made from good, hardened tool steel. The tool requires a high grade polish that must be maintained over time. The tool needs to be really well designed because a thick piece with uneven wall sections is hard to control shrinkage and warpage. You see this in nearly every plastic set on the market if you know what to look for. 

The increase in time and care needed to assemble the weights and felt and the increase in scrap will provide issues and added cost. You would need to use virgin material, no regrind and you likely want to choose a better grade of resin and not just generic nylon or hdpe. Packaging costs will increase as you can ship nice sets in plastic bags. 

One of the biggest issues that I was trying to help. Shelby with in the past is the weights. You can't use lead anymore, but finding an affordable material with a similar specific gravity is really difficult. Tungsten is the closest but it way more expensive.

That's just manufacturing. Then you have to market a new, high end set that offers no really additional utility and likely looks the same as other sets. You have the realities of Chinese American relations right now that adds to uncertainty in supply chain. You also have to confront the reality that a well built, high end set won't have too many recurring customers because they only need 1 and it shouldn't wear or break the same.

All of this for what? I doubt you could make this profitable without cannibalizing your own sales of low to mid range products.and other, easier to manufacture wood pieces.

So unless you can show me a path to overcoming everything above in a worthwhile fashion, let's give Shelby a break. 

I think Shelby has done a lot of work to bring back a classic. I purchased two of the butter sets and the color doesn’t bother me as much to be quite honest.  I do agree with some of the general criticism about plastic chess pieces and the felt, etc, etc.  But those are minor in the big picture in my opinion.

But, what is unfruitful and counterproductive is to insult someone’s business acumen and product development if you don’t have personal experience and/or resort to name calling.  You can disagree with how a business, office, practice or industry is run, but why comment to knock someone down?

They are working in their own space and dealing with their business..if you are not in that business just relax.  Offer your suggestions and move on.  No need to tell someone “how things really are” As a lawyer I can relate to a client “knowing the law” but the reality of how things work are drastically different than how they are supposed to work.

I guess what I am trying to say is (1) its good we are so passionate about this set because we can all agree the design is fantastic for a plastic set and (2) we hope whatever issues we have with the current version are resolved, (3) we are glad creators/producers are taking the time to chat with us and hope conversations generate products we can enjoy in the future.

With all these issues, I'm glad I still have an original Ultimate set. I thought about selling it once. Glad I didn't. It's a classic, and the oldest set I have in my collection.

Shelby,

DON'T READ THE COMMENTS!!!

You're welcome,

-Matt

"Raise crows and they will peck out your eyes"

I have the original set too, i'm thinking about selling it on ebay.

Here's the answer for you.  Since you are so well off, buy a wood Chess set.

If you buy the wood Ultimate set from The Chess House, you will experience the high quality of the Ultimate design as well as the higher quality of a wood set.  And at $150+, this is an affordable price.

I own 2 wood Ultimate sets that were sold by The Rochester Chess Center.  They're great.

Also, the Chavet 2.0 reproduction by Chess Bazaar, which I received this week, is just as nice as my wood Ultimate sets.

Also if you do buy a wood set then we will no longer have your inane diatribes and insults to Shelby on this forum.

I respect the fact that getting these supply chain issues worked out is hard, especially for a small company working with small order sizes.  However, I am surprised by the way new information is disregarded by folks in this thread.  

Some said that no one will pay the $60 retail which it would take to manufacture a quality set, then 4 potential customers responded that they would happily pay $60.  Many people pay $50 a year for diamond Chess.com memberships.  Many will pay $60 once for a high quality OTB set.  

Some said that no one would pay wood prices for plastic, yet multiple potential customers responded that plastic does a different job than their wood sets, and that they own both wood and plastic.  I own 12 wooden sets, but still own a plastic set for travel.  

Some said that a durable set means only one sale, but multiple potential customers have mentioned that they buy sets as presents and donations.  I have purchased 16 plastic sets in the last 18 months, 12 as donations to a club, 3 as gifts, and 1 for myself.  

Some said that the distinctive color will drive more sales by standing out, yet multiple potential customers said they want cream.  I mentioned that I noticed the set for the design, not for the color.  

As a Product Manager for a large corporation, I know how we obsess over customer feedback, regardless of the way it is delivered, and also how one bad aspect of a product can ruin the entire experience/brand for a customer.  I guess I live in a certain bubble, but it's odd for me to see such resistance to feedback. 

I also know how powerful good design is, and how it can be the hardest piece of the puzzle to nail.  Manufacturing and marketing can be improved incrementally, but brilliant design can be harder to land.  The Ultimate Chess Set has that "it" factor... I just hope it reaches its potential, and doesn't fall silent for another generation.  

Looks like I'm late to this party (my set arrives on Friday). I've seen some different combinations of the new pieces with different roll up boards. Anyone have a particularly good contrast combination that they've found? Shelby, the pictures so far look amazing!

@AlphaMelon -

Check out the following threads for ideas on roll up boards....

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/light-blue-roll-up-board

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/new-mousepad-chess-boards

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/the-chess-house-flex-pad-club-board

Shelby, any chance we could see some pictures of your new chess mat boards (the ones Russbell linked above) with new ultimate chess pieces?

Look on amozon for stauton style chess peices

they are heavyweight and compact and durable

but it is currently out of stock but it is awsome

get it when you can!

Stunned. Stunned at how beautiful these pieces are. And the weight....  really well done. I was kind of worried about the contrast when I put them on my green tournament board, but when I used my new gray one from chesshouse everything just felt perfect. They are more yellow than the original but it's actually a really nice butter color with no shine (see image below comparing the pieces to very yellow plastic). Sorry for the picture quality. You will not regret your purchase. I would recommend inspecting your pieces. My bishops were slightly warped near the top. Overrall five stars!!

Alpha - Where did you get the blueish gray board?