Era Retro and Noj Tal reproduction

Again, I'm w Stum, played on Thompson st. very cool vibe 'back in the day'. Back to the Tal style pieces, I really like the set on HOS right now, Tahl II. I like that the king is 3.875". And from the pics, I like the shapes too. For the price, it looks like a very nice option . . .

https://www.uscfsales.com/the-tahl-ii-series-chess-pieces-3-875-king.html

Looking again at the differences between these two beautiful sets - specifically their size - which has the most accurate dimensions compared to the original Tal set between the Noj and Era Retro? 

The answer would be none of them. However, the Noj version is better crafted and is the best copy around. 

Currently on clearance, even! I got the set for my wife recently.

https://www.houseofstaunton.com/catalog/product/view/id/34697/s/clearance-the-tahl-ii-series-chess-pieces-3-875-king/category/1392/

Here are two photos of the set. I tested out a few different boards and I think this one is a great fit, albeit 2.5" squares is a bit too large; I ordered the same board with 2.25" squares.

I like the robust shapes and thick bases of this set. The knights seem fairly accurate to the '59 Tal set. The finials aren't in the opposite color like the HoS Tahl I set, but I might paint the finials myself if my wife prefers the pieces that way. The miter cut of the bishop is too steep compared to the original, but alas. I knew I wasn’t getting the most accurate reproduction, but it’s a beautiful set in its own right.

Here a closeup of the bishop and its steep miter cut.

I love that burl board!

Beautiful sets, both (or all 3 with the revised NOJ knight). I love the original NOJ with the simplified knight.

I’d just point to another Ukraine maker as well, RetroMaximum (on ETSY) -

“Handmade chess pieces, full set plus 2 extra queens (34 pieces).
Chess pieces are felt cushioned and weighted.
All pieces including knights are made entirely of natural wood (beech wood and maple wood).
All pieces are hand turned and finished. Knights are hand carved.
Several layers of special coat and final polishing applied.”

I ended up replacing the red felt - it looks nice in pictures, but I found it distracting to play with.

Thanks! Yeah, it’s a beauty. It’s on clearance on the HoS website.

I think the board in my last photo that I tried the pieces on looks beautiful as well, but the black pieces kinda disappear into the black squares. Brown squares offer a really nice contrast.

Beautiful set! What color felts did you end up replacing the reds with?

Not the spark for photo ops, but playing, you don’t have red highlights poking you in the eye. But that’s just my preference, of course.

Nice! I like that it’s quite dark and desaturated green. I’m not a big fan of the lighter green felt.

My own Noj and EraRetro Tal sets.

Honestly, it just doesn’t get better than NOJ…. Other sets are excellent, but having a NOJ in hand is a different experience…. Beautiful sets, Magic!

Wow, the EraRetro Tal set looks amazing on this board!