Show off your BOWLS

[tenarofatuan]

Hi folks, I've been searching around a bit for bowls, but I'm not sure what I would like to get. The bowls I have came with the stones I bought (secondhand), and are both cracked. So: for research purposes, please share pictures of your bowls!

[bogiesan]

Just scroll back through this forum for a couple of years' worth of posts. You will find many user photos and discussions and links to external sources like imgur, google, painters, and retailers. Most of the links are still valid but some of the retailers are no longer in business and those links are probably dead or misleading.

I can tell you shopping for bowls is great fun but you've got to have an idea what you want to spend, $50 or $500? How thick are your stones? You cannot stuff a full set of #32-40 stones into a medium-sized bowl but you might enjoy all the extra room in super-sized XXL bowls for a set of diminutive #24-30 stones. Do you want your new bowls to blend stylishly with the color of your board or contrast dramatically? Are you transporting this set to club or does it stay home? Maybe you want to impress someone? What would you like to have in your set?

One more thing: it is almost impossible to get new, high quality go equipment in the States. The better retailers and online shops have closed or sell only mid- to low-class gear. This can make finding bowls frustrating or it can be a fun and engaging challenge. My recent go equipment purchases were from etsy, craigslist, and Ebay.

[tenarofatuan]

Just scroll back through this forum for a couple of years' worth of posts. You will find many user photos and discussions and links to external sources like imgur, google, painters, and retailers. Most of the links are still valid but some of the retailers are no longer in business and those links are probably dead or misleading.

I can tell you shopping for bowls is great fun but you've got to have an idea what you want to spend, $50 or $500? How thick are your stones? You cannot stuff a full set of #32-40 stones into a medium-sized bowl but you might enjoy all the extra room in super-sized XXL bowls for a set of diminutive #24-30 stones. Do you want your new bowls to blend stylishly with the color of your board or contrast dramatically? Are you transporting this set to club or does it stay home? Maybe you want to impress someone? What would you like to have in your set?

One more thing: it is almost impossible to get new, high quality go equipment in the States. The better retailers and online shops have closed or sell only mid- to low-class gear. This can make finding bowls frustrating or it can be a fun and engaging challenge. My recent go equipment purchases were from etsy, craigslist, and Ebay.

Hi bogiesan,

I've done a fair amount of research up to this point, although I feel like I only hit a breakthrough today when I discovered yahoo auctions Japan (through a user's comment on another thread topic, iirc about stones?), which has given me a lot more to look through. (I've gone through the forum pretty thoroughly on the equipment side, and certainly found a wealth of valuable information here, although a bit less about bowls specifically.)

I still haven't decided what kind I'd like and will probably have to settle for an option I can actually get, especially since I'm looking for somewhat smaller bowls and my favorite kinds tend to come for the larger sizes of stones (mine are a humble size 20).

I also still kind of hope I might stumble upon some "salad bowls" on Etsy, but alas, that's not usually my luck. I'd still think it'd be fun to see what other people here have. There are lots of folks that have posted pics of their nice boards and stones, but I think you're the only one who has posted a thread showing of a few sets of bowls!

[bogiesan]

It is a long and frustrating (or fun) process finding go equipment on eBay. I do not know how to use any of the automated search robots but I've heard from folks who have had success looking for items like espresso machines or stained glass supplies.

When (not if) you find your bowls, please come back and tell us about the experience and post some photos. All the best of luck!