Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I ordered this Go set and will review it. Note that I own other Go sets, and recently reviewed the YMI bamboo 2 inch board, so I will use that for some comparison. This set is not by Yellow Mountain Imports, but instead from a company I have not heard of before. BryBelly. The importer is in Indianapolis, Indiana, per the sticker on the box. The bamboo board weighs about 3 pounds. It looks nice and does not have any dings, scratches or blemishes. The lines are etched into the board and then painted, this is different than the YMI bamboo board where the lines are painted only. I prefer etching then painting for long term wear, and the lines give the stones a slight ability to stay in place in the etches. Even the star points are etched. There is a 13x13 etched grid on the opposite side. I placed the board on a flat granite countertop and the board rests perfectly, no wobble, no warpage. The set came packaged as seen in the photos, and had an outer Amazon shipping box that I did not photograph. It was well packaged. The stones are nice, they are Bakelite, which seems different slightly than my melamine (plastic) stone sets. Bakelite is a tad less shiny and has a touch better consistency in size. The size and thickness of the stones seems identical to my YMI melamine stones. I prefer semi-convex for stability during club play and for teaching (flip stones to play off a base pattern). The Seigen style bowls are well fashioned, but there is no carrying bag for the bowls. I placed this board next to my 2” YMI bamboo board, and they look similar. I think the YMI board is a touch lighter in color, but that may change over time. The finish is smoother on the YMI board, but the size of the board seems identical. The Yellow Mountain Imports board is with a more refined look, less varnish on the finish, just more elegant. That said, it's 15 pounds (see my review of that board if you are considering it). This an awesome set to bring to Go club, which is where I intend to use it. If a person does not have a Go carrying bag for the stones (I do), then they may want to purchase a bag separately. I will update if the board de-laminates, fails, cracks, etc Happy for the purchase. Addendum: Nov 7: I have owned the board for approx 12 days and it’s warping and cracking. There are distinct cracks along the bamboo lines, and the board now wobbles slightly on fiat surface. I'll add a photo. I’m thinking the bamboo was too green when this board was made. I’m going to watch it for another week, then must fish or cut bait on return. Very sad. Note: my YMI bamboo board is not cracking at all in owning it for three months. Hmm. My shin kaya boards have no issues either (but spruce is a soft wood, though). Addendum: November 11. Fail. Cracks are wide now, there are at least four, maybe more. The crack in the photo is worsening, which is distracting to play on as it’s in the middle of the squares. I did not photograph the longest crack, which is at least 13 squares long and thin. I feel like one of the etched lines is getting wider now, too, but I can't be certain that its cracking there. Absolutely avoid this product. Note: my YMI 2 inch bamboo board is stored in precisely the same room, right next to this one, not a single problem at all. This baby is going back to Amazon, and I’m glad I saved the box. I mentioned this experience to a gentleman in my Go Club, he bought this same set 14 months ago,, exactly the same cracking experience, says he couldn’t return it so it’s in his basement game room now. I would not suggest anyone buy this Brybelly set.