Review of reasonably priced Go equipment

I found the best offers at Yutopian, though their shipping costs appear to be considerably higher than those of Ishi Press International (based in Menlo Park California). Only two Ishi Press products are mentioned:

1. The cheapest folding board (B83) I was able to find.
2. A vinyl board priced only about a dollar more then Yutopian's, while its shipping cost is much, much lower (though its dimensions are not specified).

For all other comparable products, Yutopian seems to have clear advantage: the base price of the products is considerably lower, and as far as stated statistics (i.e. dimentions) are concerned - product quality seems to be equal and often higher. But if Shipping/Handling costs cannot be reduced or eliminated (i.e. S/H becomes a part of base price), this clear advantage tends to dissolve, and another review shall be required to determine the best offers for quality sets. Unfortunatly, in that case it would prove difficult if not impossible to get a good set for less than 50$ (~250 nis).

Vendor information:

Ishi Press International

1. Ishi Press is not currently set up to take orders over the internet. Orders can be made through a US toll-free number (1-800-859-2086) FAX [(650) 323-6998] or snail-mail (Ishi Press International 851 Hamilton Avenue Menlo Park CA 94025)
2. Shipping & Handling (S/H) costs given are for surface shipping outside US. The costs for air shipping outside US are twice as high. However, shipping costs for US surface shipping are a third of the stated costs, and US air shipping costs twice as high as US surface.
3. Minimum Shipping charge for all equipment is $5.50.
4. Prices do not include local tax and duty for countries outside US.

Yutopian

1. Yutopian has an online ordering system which accepts payment by credit card (Visa, MasterCard).
2. Shipping & Handling (S/H) costs given are for surface shipping outside US. Other shipping costs can easily be obtained from Yutopian's website.
3. Prices do not include local tax and duty for countries outside US.

Boards
Picture	Product ID	Dimensions	Price	S/H	Notes
	TT001 Wood Go/Chinese Chess Board	N/A	$7.00. Made in Taiwan.	$14.00	19x19 Go board on one side, Chinese Chess board on the reverse side.
	TA001 Vinyl Board 19x19	N/A	$8.09. Made in America.	$10.50
	19x19 line vinyl board (B46)	17" × 18"	$10.00. Made in US.	$1.95
N/A	TK001 1/2 Inch Wood Go Board 13x13/19x19	N/A	$15.00. Made in Korea.	$24.50	One side for 13x13 the other for 19x19 game.
N/A	TK015 1 Inch Wood Board 13x13/19x19	N/A	$22.00. Made in Korea.	$24.50	One side for 13x13 the other for 19x19 game.
	19x19 Folding board (B83)	18" × 19" × 1/2"	$20.00. Made in Taiwan.	$18.00
	TC030 1 Inch Ing GOE Board 13x13/19x19	16.8" × 17.95" × 1"	$25.00. Made in China.	$25.00	Cypress wood with painted lamination. One side for the game of 19x19 and the other for 13x13. Official Ing Cup board.
Stones
Picture	Product ID	Dimensions	Price	S/H	Notes
	ST001 Full-Size Stones with Plastic Bowls.	N/A	$7.92. Made in Taiwan.	$12.25	These stones are very cheap, but note that they are also very thin: only 4mm
N/A	ST030 10mm Official Stones with Plastic Bowls	21.5mm dia. 10mm thick	$20.00. Made in Taiwan.	$28.00	The official stones of the Ing Cup International Tournament. 180 white & 180 black. Made with plastic material with a metal inserted in the middle of the stones. Seems like the only difference between these stones and the ST060 (which cost 7$ more) is that ST030 comes in simple plastic bowls like ST001, while ST060 comes with the fancier measuring (stone counting) bowls shown in the photo.
	ST060 Official Stones with Bowls	21.5mm dia. 10mm thick	$27.00. Made in Taiwan.	$31.50	The official stones of the Ing Cup International Tournament. 180 white & 180 black. Made with plastic material with a metal inserted in the middle of the stones. Comes with in measuring (stone counting) bowls. Click the photo for a larger one.
Sets
Picture	Product ID	Dimensions	Price	S/H	Notes
N/A	ST300 1/2 Inch 13x13/19x19 Full Size Board Go Set (TK001 + ST030)	See above entries for TK001 & ST030	$33.00. Made in Taiwan.	$49.00
N/A	ST400 1 Inch 13x13/19x19 Go Set (TK015 + ST030)	See above entries for TK015 & ST030	$38.00. Made in Taiwan.	$52.50
N/A	ST500 3/4 Inch 13x13/19x19 Ing Go Set (ST060 + TC030)	See above entries for ST060 & TC030	$46.00. Made in Taiwan.	$56.00	Strange that this set is named "3/4 Inch" while the included TC030 board is explicitly stated to be 1 inch thick.