I've had my old goban for a while now, it was purchased at It's Your Move and immediately went home with me for some atari go. This was a relatively long time ago, before I really got interested in Go. When I did start studying, I took that set with me every weekend for 4 months while visiting my parents. It's a relatively small board, with plastic bowls that have lids that should hold the stones in but never do, and small one-sided glass stones.
My dad, who originally was the one who taught me chess and likes the pursuit of anything intellectual, saw how much I enjoy playing go, and wanted to get me a new go set for Christmas. He researched into boards, stones and bowls, but didn't know what to get, or what I would like. Instead, he gave me $300 towards buying a new go set. Combined with my Christmas bonus from work, I was suddenly poised to get an awesome set!
The three 'pieces' of my set are as follows:
The pictures on the website are of much better quality than my webcam pictures (you can see the shell stones really well in Samarkand's pictures), but that won't stop me from showcasing a couple of pictures! :D
(Warning: these pictures are dark, my webcam didn't like the lighting in my room.)
Here is the whole go set, with one of my favorite corner openings.
The bowls, stones, and board, with opposing stones to show contrast.
A close up of one of the lids and some stones. I wish you could see the shell stones.. they're absolutely beautiful.
Even though this picture is fuzzy, you can see the grain on the bowls. A really nice touch.
I'm extremely happy for this set. Originally I was a bit worried about the thickness of the stones, but in handling them, I think that they're a nice size, and should be easier to hold for any beginners whom I play with (cough: my friends).
Everything came in perfect shape, and Samarkand shipped everything in a HUGE box with tons of packing peanuts and bubble wrap. They were informative and prompt with all of my status requests, and also informed me when things were being delayed (such as their shipment getting held up in customs.)
I definately recommend this set to anyone who is looking for a moderately-priced go set. :)
