I was interested in a similar question about ten years ago. Here are some direct
and indirect data points that may be perhaps of interest.
Glass stones: Japanese vs KoreanAbout ten years ago we compared with a friend a set of Japanese glass stones and
a set of Korean glass stones:
Japanese glass stones Kiseido S224 9mm -- could be these nowadays
Korean glass stones (M1 or M2? don't know anymore) 8 mm -- could be these nowadays
The packaging box of Japanese glass stones S224 was essentially identical to
S225which seems to be identical to the packaging box of
Aoyama Gobanten glass stoneswhich seems to be identical to the packaging box of the
Nihon Kiin shop glass stones.
This seems to indicate that the Japanese glass stones come from the same
manufacturer, hinting at a negative answer to your question "Would Aoyama
Gobanten glass stones be any different than Kiseido or Utopian?".I don't remember the packaging box of the Korean glass stones, but I recall they
were either M1 or M2, and so could have been produced by SixBrothersBaduk. (One
of the best Korean manufacturers.)
What we found out is that the Japanese glass stones seemed actually a bit more
irregular than the Korean ones. This was surprising, since going contrary to the
popular belief. I have measured with a caliper a random sample of about 25 or 50
stones from both sets, calculated the mean diameter and thickness values and the
standard deviation. Unfortunately I don't have the numbers anymore, but I recall
that the Korean glass stones were more homogeneous than the Japanese glass
stones, confirming our feeling.
Some probable and improbable hypotheses of why this could be: (1) small sample
size, hence not significant result; (2) it may be easier to produce homogeneous
thinner glass stones than thicker glass stones; (3) it may be easier to produce
somewhat "flatter" glass stones than properly "rounded" ones (see pictures
below); (4) the glass stones may be more popular in Korea than in Japan, so the
Korean manufacturers may pay more attention to regularity, since in Japan the
quest for regularity usually means upgrading to shell and slate stones.
Regardless of the actual reason, this shows that the rule of the thumb saying
that Japanese glass stones are usually a bit more regular than Korean glass
stones is to be taken with a grain of salt -- at least for this particular
sample we have been testing. It's best to test each concrete set.(Note that sellers are usually very collaborative and replace any too abnormally
irregular glass stones.)
Glass stones vs Yunzi vs SlateEven though I don't find anymore the caliper measurements, I found some photos.
Here is a comparison of the Korean glass stone (M1 or M2) with Kuroki Goishiten
slate stone of equivalent size:
You can see somewhat "flatter" top side of the glass stone, plus somewhat
thicker rim.
Here is a comparison of a Japanese glass stone (S224) with a biconvex Yunzi
stone and a Kuroki Goishiten slate stone of equivalent size:
Again the rim is much thicker for yunzi and glass stones, with yunzi being the
worst shape here. (The lead controversy aside.) Note also that the Korean glass
stone above seem to resemble the shape of the slate stone more than the Japanese
glass stone here; perhaps due to additional thickness here.
SixBrothersBaduk glass stones size 36I have a sample of SixBrothersBaduk glass stones size 36 from the GoGameGuru, so
let's see what happens if the thickness of stones increases even more.
Here is the similar comparison with Kuroki Goishiten slate stone size 36:
Note the less rounded shape of the glass stone, but rather "contained"
rim again.
One can see that in all cases -- thin, medium, thick stones -- the common
problem of glass stones is an
"inelegant" shape and a rather
thick rim. This means
that it is actually harder to manipulate glass stones of certain thickness when
compared to slate stones of the same thickness. To me, the SixBrothersBaduk size
36 glass stones are more slippery and require more grip than the Kuroki
Goishiten size 36 slate stones. The slate stones, thanks to their better rounded
shape and thinner rim, can be placed even with "tips of fingertips", if you know
what I mean. The glass stones require much stronger grip.
The second significant difference is what I would call the
stability or
sturdiness of slate stones on the board; they are less likely to move when
compared to the glass stones. However, would the shape difference, the grip
texture, and the stone stability difference matter to you?
Sample stonesOnly you can tell whether this difference matters for home use. The best
would be to get some sample stones and see for yourselves.E.g. GoGameGuru sells a
sample of SixBrothersBaduk size 36 glass stones for USD $5 only.
The GoGameGuru's stones are rather nice and I think they constitute an excellent
value for money. However, the stones may feel perhaps too thick, perhaps too
slippery, or perhaps too irregular to you, depending on your home use criteria,
so it would be best to get a sample and test for yourself.
If your quest for the best glass stones won't give satisfactory results with
several samples, you can perhaps consider getting a
used set of shell and
slate stones?! This may perhaps provide an economical and ecological(!)
alternative to seeking "the best glass stones" out there.
P.S. I have never handled Phoenix glass stones; I would also be interested in
hearing whether anyone did compare them?
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