Very nice, authentic abacus. Only problem is that the screws are not counter-sinked into the wood so it falls over if placed upright. I realize it is meant to be used, flat on a table, nevertheless many people want to put it upright for ornamental purposes. High quality materials.

I bought a Little Soroban, but since I use 2 Chinese Abacus I needed 2 Soroban. Why? Because doing things both ways is Good! I do a set of numbers on Abacus and a set on Soroban! It's not as dumb as it sounds. In fact if you are horrible at Math like me, you see on the Abacus and Soroban a way to get better. It's funner that a Calculator!

If you are blind or visually impaired don't buy it. The beads are absolutely unstable. I have a really gentle touch and even steal the beads didn't stay in place. I ended up having to buy another one. Was just a waste of money and time in my keys.

This is a decent soroban for the price. It is a good deal larger than a standard Japanese soroban, and thus may be better for large-handed folks or those simply not used to fiddling with little beads. The finish a little rough: you can tell this thing was meant to reach a price point. Inner wood surfaces are not varnished/treated the same, and the fittings are cheap sheet metal. That said, the beads are smooth, consistent enough, and the clearing mechanism works well enough. The beads aren't exactly all the same size, so the clearing bar can't quite push every bead clear perfectly, but it's enough for practical use. I also had to tighten down a couple screws on the clearing mechanism by hand: they simply weren't driven in all the way out of the box.

Finish and detail aside, this soroban is very sturdy, and seems like it could take a good deal of punishment. I could see this being the soroban at a cash register in a market.

I wish the brown beads that mark unit columns was a little lighter: in some lighting it's hard to differentiate it from the black ones.

If you're just getting into learning a soroban, this would be a fine choice. The beads are heavy and satisfying, and the rubber feet and sheer weight mean it stays put on a table. Someone unfamiliar with using a soroban may find the standard-sized ones too small.

I would NOT get this soroban if you're looking for an "authentic" Japanese soroban. The smaller, black-framed, brown-bead soroban is the "standard" size and design. This is more like a Chinese abacus made in the style of soroban. If you're going to transport your abacus (say, to school), you may also want to look for a smaller, lighter one.

It's a fair looking soroban. Feels sturdy. The Craftmanship leaves a tiny bit to be desired, as there is glue smeared very obviously on it.

The feet on the bottom are nice but there's only one on one side and 2 on the other which makes it a slight bit wobbly.

Reset is good and appears to work well.

Beads are nice and I'm guessing resin as others have indicated, as it has a faint odor (like my grandpa who was a diesel mechanic always had on his clothes). I'm hoping it eventually goes away, but it's not too over powering. It was in my hot mail box for a while which potentially made it worse.

All around it's a good little tool and though im just learning to use it, I'm excited about having it. Would probably buy again if i had a need to.