Pretty sure most consider bottom heavy pieces to be a plus. However, plastic is lighter than wood so it would stand to reason that the weighting would be more even with wood. I do notice that my ebony pieces weigh more than their boxwood counterparts, but I don't notice that the weighting is more even. I'm not a speed player, but the whole idea of bottom weighting is probably to minimize the chance of knocking over a piece in rapid play. Any local chess clubs you could visit and get the feel of different sets? Don't know if there are any chess stores in your area, but that's also a possibility. Good luck! I probably didn't help much; anyone else care to help?
Weighted AND Balanced Chess Pieces
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I have the Marshall plastic set, also from HoS. They were marketed back then (more than a decade ago) as the heaviest plastic set they have, but I never felt they are bottom-heavy at all.
Pretty much all weighted sets have the weights in the bottom. The reason being the benefit of less tipping of pieces. There are full solid plastic sets that are not weighted and you can buy. I know this due to a teacher friend of mine that runs a school chess club. It's practical for a chess club due to durability but weighted chess pieces IMHO are nicer to play with.
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Are there any weighted pieces that are also well balanced throughout? I like the weight, but I don’t like having really bottom heavy pieces.
Thank you in advance.