I finally caved in and bought some transparent mahjong tiles. So here’s a little review I put together about it.
As shown in the link above, I got the set from Mahjong Mart. The case itself is pretty nice with the dragon print you see up there. No handle, but that’s not a big deal.
On the left is my current mahjong set, and on the right is the set I bought. I understand the site had a disclaimer that the actual set may vary, but this was disappointing since I was hoping the tiles were regular-sized.
The tiles themselves were of fair quality: a little rubbery to touch (possible due to the plastic wrapping it was in before), light in weight (since they’re small), and the characters on the tiles were of uneven quality. Some are off center, some colors bleed into areas where they shouldn’t, and they just feel cheaply made.
Some size comparisons between my tiles and the transparent set. I personally like big tiles better since they sound louder when they’re slammed down on the tables, they have a nice clink, and they feel weightier than smaller tiles.
Even the point sticks are smaller! Though I guess that’s not a bad thing. It’d be easier to carry around.
Overall, I wasn’t very satisfied with this purchase and would like to sent it back. The thing is that the shop has no return policy, and I’m unlikely to be able to send it back. I should have been wary of the lack of detail (1.8 kg? It didn’t even feel like 500 g) and don’t overpay for something like this. All in all, don’t buy mahjong sets from that shop though I do recommend the Junk Mat if it ever comes out. Portable mahjong mats are always welcome.
I’m going to try this place next. I just hope they ship to the US.
Oh, so you’re interested in playing Washizu Mahjong then? (I just hope you don’t end up buying a blood pump as well…)