Affordable thick glass stones from Japan?

Jnkstry · Post by **Jnkstry** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 6:24 am

Hi everyone,

I am located in Germany.

I have some korean glass Stones 11mm from Hebsacker, they are okay, but not very uniform and also do have some minor flaws.

Are japanese glass Stones really better? where can I order affordable thick (10,4mm or 11mm) stones, made in Japan, that are more uniform and beautiful?

Your help is appreciated.

SaiLens · Post by **SaiLens** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 7:21 am

Probably at the same place where you can get high-quality kaya tables at most affordable prices.

Jnkstry · Post by **Jnkstry** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 7:24 am

SaiLens wrote:Probably at the same place where you can get high-quality kaya tables at most affordable prices.

I'm not sure, but it seems like sort of sarcastic. Could you name a place like that?

SaiLens · Post by **SaiLens** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 7:46 am

That depends. Are you familiar with the concept of an "eierlegende Wollmilchsau"?
Your request sounds unreasonable, so I used the good old hyperbole to attempt to get that message across.

If you had just asked if anyone knows a shop that sells perfectly uniform Go stones , no complaint there.
If you had just asked if someone knew where to get Japanese Go stones, no complaint.

But you first say that you have Korean stones (as opposed to stones made by Korean company X) that have "minor flaws", state that you don't know IF Japanese (as opposed to stones from Japanese company Y) stones are better and go on to ask for Japanese stones anyway, but you don't just want high quality, you'd like them to be affordable (without even giving a price range).

Jnkstry · Post by **Jnkstry** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 8:16 am

well okay, then i am sorry for my unspecified question.

so i'll put it this way:

- are japanese stones of better quality concerning uniform appearance and low rate of flaws? opposed to korean stones / stones made by korean manufacturers
- is there a shop selling thick stones? (10.4mm or thicker?
- affordable price would be around 150$ incl. shipping

hope this generates some useful answers

Vesa · Post by **Vesa** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 8:45 am

This might be the closest thing to your requirements: Schaak en Go Winkel 9.8 mm stones http://www.goshop-keima.com/spelmateriaal/glazen-stenen/s225-japanese-glass-go-stones-98mm.

I have an old Nihon Ki-in shop catalogue, and even there the max. thickness for glass stones is 10 mm.

Cheers,
Vesa

xed_over · Post by **xed_over** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 9:15 am

I'm sure there are differences in quality consistency between different manufacturers, but its probably the same for Japanese manufacturers as it is for Korean manufacturers.

gowan · Post by **gowan** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 9:18 am

In my experience, all glass stones have some variation of the roundness from stone to stone. The best level of uniformity is with slate and shell stones, again in my experience. I've owned Japanese glass stones in 8 mm thickness and 10mm and, compared with slate and shell stones the glass stones had slightly irregular shape. The Japanese glass stones I've had had few flaws like chips, dimples, etc. Glass stones are made by using a mold to shape the stones from molten glass. The slate and shell stones are shaped from solid material, allowing for more control over the shape and not subject to distortion as the melted glass experiences as it cools. I think the glass material is somewhat different from manufacturer to manufacturer, with different chemicals added to help the consistency and strength of the glass. Of course the slate and shell stones are much more expensive, especially the 10 mm or thicker stones.

sybob · Post by **sybob** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 2:53 pm

I wish you luck in your search.
But, even if you can find what exactly you are looking for, it might be costly.
For the same (or less) money, I'd prefer a decent set of slate and shell. Not as thick, but IMHO better looking.

daal · Post by **daal** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 4:02 pm

I'd like one of these too, if only it laid go stones instead of eggs.

Bonobo · Post by **Bonobo** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 7:09 pm

OT re: Eierlegende Wollmilchsau

Jnkstry · Post by **Jnkstry** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 3:21 am

i understand your sarcastic / funny answers to a certain point, as my question could have been a bit more specific, but somehow i am dissapointed as this was my very first post to this community and i have always experienced go players as very helpful and respectful...

daal · Post by **daal** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 5:31 am

Jnkstry wrote:i understand your sarcastic / funny answers to a certain point, as my question could have been a bit more specific, but somehow i am dissapointed as this was my very first post to this community and i have always experienced go players as very helpful and respectful...

Fair enough, though there were quite a few on topic/helpful responses, and that is indeed what you should generally expect here, along with some occasional ribbing. Also, as you probably know, we German-speakers are somewhat prone to pointing out Ungenauigkeiten.

calantir · Post by **calantir** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 2:48 pm

Jnkstry wrote:Hi everyone,

I am located in Germany.

I have some korean glass Stones 11mm from Hebsacker, they are okay, but not very uniform and also do have some minor flaws.

Are japanese glass Stones really better? where can I order affordable thick (10,4mm or 11mm) stones, made in Japan, that are more uniform and beautiful?

Your help is appreciated.

I have a set of these: https://shop.gogameguru.com/glass-go-st ... -biconvex/

Very uniform, no flaws, all around beautiful stones. I love playing with them. Not sure where they are made, but as you can see they have many positive reviews. And currently on sale!

Life In 19x19