The Best Designer Mah Jongg Sets

A designer Mah Jongg set is an American set with hand-painted or deeply engraved acrylic tiles, made to look as good as it plays. They run from about $158 to $485, and the look is the point: crisp color, thick tiles, and a case you leave out rather than put away. Nearly all of them share one catch, so start there.

The catch they nearly all share

Designer sets are tiles-first. Most ship the tiles, dice, and a bag or box, but no racks and no pusher, which the everyday complete sets include. Budget another $50 to $90 for racks and pushers unless you already own a set. They are still American sets with the eight jokers, so they play to the annual card just like any other.

The value pick, and the one for teaching

Amahj (about $158 to $258) is the gentlest way into designer tiles, and it labels every tile, which newcomers and teachers appreciate. It is the set to start with if you want a nicer look without the top-tier price.

The mid-priced designer sets

Mahjdays (around $279) and Mahj & Co (around $295) sit in the middle: three- to five-layer acrylic tiles and rotating seasonal prints, well short of the $400-plus sets. Prints in this tier sell out and return, so if you love a pattern, buy it when you see it.

The premium sets

At the top, Southern Sparrow (about $369 to $479) leans on deeply engraved, durable tiles; Miss Mahjong (around $375) ships with dice, a storage box, and a printed game guide; Oh My Mahjong (about $400 to $500) leads on bright, modern prints; and The Mahjong Line (around $485) is the priciest of the group. Between them it comes down to which look you want; the tiles all play the same game.

And the card

Whichever set you choose, you still need the current National Mah Jongg League card to play the American game, bought from the League directly.