where to buy good chess set

I just read the Staunton Castle description of these pieces:

https://stauntoncastle.com/products/championship-series-3-5-ebony-wood-staunton-chess-pieces?_pos=2&_sid=2e28e1aae&_ss=r

I'm in New Zealand, so no wonder I liked them!!

"This chess set is perfect choice of chess collectors and chess hobbits."

I have ordered from Staunton Castle (3 times in the past year and a half) and have never had an issue with the quality, or the customer service. Plus they ship free all the way from India. King height is a persona preference, I prefer the 3.5 king. 

This might not be what you are looking for but recently picked this up online for the kids and camping trips-- $23.

  16"x16" (2" squares) 

@MCH818. First, I am new here and have followed many of your helpful posts. A few questions, please. I thought Staunton Castle and The Chess Empire actually produce their own sets, whereas Chess Bazaar sells sets produced by others. Does HOS craft all (or any) of their own sets? They advertise they are made in the United States. Also, what does "OS" stand for? Thanks in advance.

Staunton Castle and Chess Empire do produce their own sets.  They used to make sets to wholesale to retailers like The House of Staunton and Official Staunton Company.  Both companies produce better quality sets, possibly 2 of the top 3 or 4 manufacturers in India.

The House of Staunton, Official Staunton, Chess Bazaar, and a number of other retailers do have other manufacturers make the sets they sell.  
OS stands for Official Staunton Company out of London.

The House of Staunton is located in the USA and does not have any of their own manufacturing facilities.

Chess Bazaar is located in India and has access to individual and company manufacturers there in India.  Some or all of them may be dedicated to only CB. 
There are some sets from the various retailers that are not available anywhere else.  HoS has a few, for instance.

Chess Empire and Staunton Castle offer set designs they used to make for HoS and OS.  These seem to be identical.  The Mechanics Institute set is an example of this.

@Eyechess. Thanks so much. Very helpful. I just received a clearance Zagreb set from CB and thought it was quite nice. I saw a few minor issues but the set more than delivered for the price. I am waiting on a nicer set (with board) that I ordered from Staunton Castle. It has been about three weeks but I understand they may be flooded with orders. I was a bit irritated that the price went up as we were working out a misunderstanding via email but hopefully the set will exceed expectations and I will forget about the extra money. SC sells a wood-like board that I ordered with the set. I have not seen it discussed here. Maybe I will post about it after I receive it. As you know, as I am starting to look at all of these sets - they have so much character - I keep lusting for more. Spouse is not pleased

Hobbits... haha!

I'm glad you like my posts. I am also glad @Eyechess was able to answer your questions. He has way more experience than me and is a good resource for information regarding chess equipment. I hope your chess set and board from SC works out well. Post photos when you get it.

3.5 is a bit small. I was really shocked to see my SC 3.5" Morphy set when I first received it. The stems of the pieces are extra thin in that set which made it worse. I had three 3.75" sets before that one, so it took some effort to get use to it. Luckily my HoS Fischer Spassky is a bit stubby for a 3.75" set. The king has a very tall finial, so all of the pieces are more like a 3.5" set. This made the adjustment to the 3.5" Morphy set a little easier. Unless you have other 3.5" sets or you find one that you really really like I would suggest you find a 3.75" set if that is what you want. That way you won't have any regrets.

For only £650 you could buy the genuine Jaques of London reproduction set:

https://www.jaqueslondon.co.uk/products/1855-edition-3-5-chess-set-in-mahogany-box

But I agree, 3.5" is a bit small. I don't know how HOS got a 3.75" set of these, they must have commissioned them specially. Jaques have a 4" version too but that's a bit more expensive!

The Jacques set looks nice but I wish they would post more photos. I wouldn't feel comfortable unless I saw more of the set.

As for your comment about the 3.75" being commissioned specifically were you referring to the HoS Fischer Spassky set or all of the 3.75" sets from HoS in general?

No, I'm referring to my set which was called the Leeds set at HOS. It has a 3.75" king rather than the 3.5" that the others have, but otherwise looks the same:

https://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-leeds-series-luxury-chess-pieces-3-75-king.html

Now I remember this set. I wanted this one too and a few others like the Congress set, Cooke Luxury, and Centurion. I went with the Collectors over all options because I just loved it since I saw @Cgrau's post about his 4" version. Anyhow, it looks to me that HoS specifically requested larger sets for the 2.25 board. Their original Cooke set was 3.625". They later came out with a new Cooke that was 3.5".

House of Chess has the best prices for the selection they have. Popular Staunton would be my pick for a basic set that will not break the bank.

https://www.houseofchess.com/wood-chess-pieces.html#top_cat_id=2&sel_cat_id=8&seo_title=Wood+Chess+Pieces&chk_sub_cat_id%5B%5D=8&chk_model_id%5B%5D=14&page_num=1

Here is a borderless tournament board that is very reasonable.

https://www.bestchessset.com/zelus-borderless-tournament-chess-board-with-inlaid-mahogany-wood-large-18-x-18-inch-board-only/

I believe House of Staunton is now the best place for buying chess equipments. They offer free shipment as well and their price has been moderated making them the best price for quality as well. 

As you can guess from my other posts, I strongly disagree with you! Based on their reviews they used to be very reliable but not any more. Their service level is extremely poor (I'm still waiting for a response after 7 weeks) and I wouldn't say their prices are very good either.

My advice would be to tour the jumble-sales and the second-hand stores where good old fashioned wooden weighted chess sets come up for sale on a fairly regular basis. Something used with a bit of character to it can be found at reasonable prices.