In article , An Metet wrote:
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What about their Windsor set? King 3-7/8". It is a lacquered set.


I can't answer that one. I don't own that particular set, nor have I had
the opportunity to play on one.



In conclusion, for frequent tournament use, I'd go with the plastic, and not
necessarily HOS plastic, either. Keep the nice expensive wood at home. Not
only are the weighted plastic sets much more durable for being slammed
around in a tournament setting, and are more cheaply replaced if they don't
survive, but also, after a few tournaments amongst the hygenically
challenged, the plastic is easier to keep sanitary with a bit of dishwashing
liquid or antibacterial cleaner.

I will probably get that Plastic Collector set, because HOS has it on special
now, at $40. But I would also like to consider that HOS Windsor set.


OK. The plastic collector _is_ a pretty reasonable choice. I own both the
"club-size" 4" and tournament-size 3.75" versions. While I find the 4" set
too annoying to use even for analysis because of the odd and unbalanced
feel to the pieces, I do use the 3.75" frequently as an analysis set when
I'm travelling, or simply when I want to play over games while sitting
under a tree in my back yard. While personally I do distinctly prefer the
$24.95 (at SmartChess) "Ultimate" Staunton for actual playing, I admit
that you could do much worse than the Collector plastic set from HOS.
Enjoy!

Cheers,

--Kevin