I’d like to get some quality go bowls and get them laser etched for a present.
Two part question:
What is the best source for a gift quality go bowls?
Do you know of anyone who sells etched go bowls?
Preferably in the US and/or with good shipping
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Kuroki Goishiten
Kuroki Goishi Ten is probably the most well known Japanese Shop for high quality (and quite expensive) go-related items.
Go Board and Stone
A third generation member of the Kuroki family has set up this shop. Whenever I take I look I always see beautiful bowls.
Meaekawa Kayagoban
This shop is also in Japan.
Please note, shipping from Japan is rather expensive these days and import fees and taxes are buyers responsible. Packaging is second to none.
Solomon’s shop
Last but not least, the Baduk Club has a nice collection of used and refurbished items in stock. Most bowls come with stones but I’m sure you can work something out with Solomon. As far as I can tell the prices are fair.
Good luck with the search!
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By the way, I can not recommend any of these shops specific for your definition of “gift quality”. That seems very personal to me. For someone who uses tupperware boxes for a set of stones a pair of relatively cheap chestnut bowls will be considered a valuable and thoughtful gift. Be prepared though, your mind will be blown if you start looking at Japanese hand crafted Go bowls 
On the etching: You can ask the Japanese shops if they provide that service. If not, try to find someone local who has the right equipment. You should take into account that the bowls themselves are a piece of art and have a harmony of their own. The bottom or the insides of the lids are probably the most suitable spots for a personal message.
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Interesting. The price and caliber of some of these definitely well exceed what I would consider acceptable or possible for gift prices. I like the idea of engraving on the inside of the lids!
It seems that @Issa_T already provided a lot of great suggestions. I will only offer one more suggestion, Aoyama Gobanten, which admittedly has a somewhat dated website.
I have not heard of any vendors that offer custom laser etching of Go bowls, but you may be able to find this as a separate service from woodworkers or others that specialize in engraving and etching wooden products.
However, I would recommend that you carefully consider whether etching might be something that the recipient would really want. I think that anything modifying the exterior would drastically affect the aesthetics. Some Go players might dislike something like that, even if does carry some thoughtful message or intention.
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Considering that I thought $30 go bowls were nice 2 weeks ago, I have learned a lot. I got some decent go bowls but rest assured I won’t be laser etching bowls that are handcrafted artisanal accomplishments.
Thank you for all the input
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