Customer Reviews

Scrabble Onyx Edition

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finally, a Scrabble game worthy of putting on my modern glass coffee table. Although many versions of the game look fantastic, such as the "deluxe" or the "$1000 franklin mint version", the natural wood doesn't fit for everyone. Looks of the Onyx version are sleek and elegant, and you can read the bonus squares better than on any version; not to mention the black/silver tiles are extra sleek.

Looks aside, the feel is solid, the board has a smooth turn. The tiles fit very snug in the raised dividers. The height of the board is a silly reason to give this 1 or 2 stars. It definitely looks better flush, and puts the board lower if you play sitting on the ground at a coffee table as I do. You can put your tile holders off to the side so they don't get hit. Every version of Scrabble I've ever owned didn't have sides on the holder (including some past deluxe versions). Again, a non-issue. Learn to be less clumsy. The board is built very well. Also, marking this board down for not including a distribution list is the one of the silliest things I've ever read in a review. It's like not having a hand-chart included with your poker set. You can print one off if you really want. Besides there are two charts facing opposite on the board in plain view.

Three minute timer with black sand is a nice extra. The score book is VERY nice, and comes with matching pencil which stores in the book binding. The black velvet bag is a nice size, and really allows you to shake and randomize tiles.

I also recommend the Onyx Edition Scrabble Dictionary. It matches beautifully, and it is the newest fourth edition that includes such words as Qi.

I have to say the [...] price is exceedingly high, and is not considered in my rating, as I did not get this from [...]

Length:: 1:24 Mins

I made a short video review of the Scrabble Onyx Edition and the extra goodies it comes with. It's no Franklin Mint edition, but it is a really nice product which will continue to look nice for years to come. Worth the investment if you're looking for something unique and a little more professional looking than the original deluxe version. It also has a solid piece board which will not wear out over time from folding which is a huge bonus in my opinion.

I have to say my first impression of this scrabble board is "disappointing." It's honestly not any improvement over the standard board with raised squares and a rotating base. It's pretty much the same thing with a different color scheme so it's almost insulting that they charge [so much] for this. Even though I got mine for half that I still think I paid way too much.

On top of that, the quality of the board isn't that good. The silver overlay sticker was laid on slightly crooked and the base is noisy when turned and doesn't rotate smoothly. the first thing i saw when I opened it was a nick in the wood trim around the board, and overall the entire thing is much cheaper and flimsier than it's made out to be in the pictures and description.

skip this and go with one of the cheaper models or spend your money on one of the deluxe wood ones.

I have owned just about every versions of SCRABBLE ever produced. So, of course, when this Onyx version came out, it went on my gotta have list.

While it works and is very nice looking, the biggest issue was the glare off of the silver/foil background on the board. It made it difficult to see the letters on the tiles once they were set down. My friends and I realized that we were squinting throughout the game, and after the 2-hour set, I had a mild headache.
The other issue was the fact that it does sit flush on the table and I used it on the coffee table, with narrow width. We had to hold our tile trays in our hands or risk knocking tiles off the trays.
After that night, I found that we all prefer to use one of the older sets on game night. So, the Onyx set went into the "donate" box.

Some people may like it. It just didn't work out for us.

I love Scrabble.
My Old 20+ year old version of Scrabble (with turntable base) was showing its age (and some tiles vanished over the years).
So I have been looking for a new Scrabble version!
What I looked for: I did not want the old folding board (the tiles don't stay put). So I wanted the divided style, like my old one. I loved the "idea" of a turntable, though my old one the turntable NEVER turned. Still i found the solid surface great on soft surfaces, like a bed, couch, rug etc.
I was thrilled to see so many versions available! Several turntables!! I hoped & expected the turntable had FINALLY been improved! I figured the tiles, too should be of classic scrabble quality. I saw this Onyx version, and fell in love! Beautiful! (note I saw it Online, and ordered it without seeing it up close & in personal).
What I Found:
the turntable, STILL does not turn! How disappointing.
the tile dividers, are shallow.. plus makes removing the tiles easier.. minus tiles not as secure.. but this is not a HUGE issue.
surface is "paper" somehow expected a nicer, permanent feel to the surface, instead the top looks like what you can find on an $8 version of this game.
the tiles: look like the letters are rub-on version.. not engraved. I am wondering how long the letters will stay on the tiles.. or in a few years will I have ALL blank tiles?? Wow how confusing will that be?
So I am painfully disappointed in this version. My rating is more or less average, since Scrabble will always be a favorite of mine.. i think the concept they came up with was promising, just failed in execution.. serious room for improvement. No Doubt this is not worth $50! Had I known more, i would not have paid over $30 tops.. and that I would still have to think about.

Pretty awesome set, I have been getting all my friends to play scrabble, they are dazzled by the black chips with silver letters. However, the score book is so nice we are all afraid to use it. The turntable board is incredible, makes taking turns and viewing the board very easy.

Is the Scrabble Onyx Edition really worth the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of nearly forty five bucks? (That's the price at Hasbro's site, but I can only find the Onyx Edition listed at their site if I Google the words scrabble onyx hasbro.) I think it's barely worth thirty dollars, but certainly no more than that. Mine arrived from Amazon with a scratch on the wood frame of the board, and when I opened the "deluxe" scorebook, the pad fell out as the glue attaching it to its backing had apparently dried out. (I repaired it with strong packing tape.) The timer is sheathed in cheap looking plastic (and has "Made in China" printed in raised letters on the top and bottom), and the lazy Susan mechanism that enables players to turn the board is obviously cheaply made (I once bought a lazy Susan for a few bucks to hold an old fashioned and thus heavy portable TV, and it is strong and quiet compared to the lazy Susan for the Onyx Scrabble board).

Having said all that, if I put cost and value considerations aside, or if we assume that the buyer has paid no more than what he or she considers fair for what he or she gets, I think this is a nice looking and practical Scrabble set. I personally don't enjoy playing Scrabble on boards that don't have raised ridges to hold the letters in place. The travel board is nice, but I have fat fingers and I find placing and removing tiles from the travel board less than an ideal experience. I have never seen Hasbro's Premiere Wood Edition, but the MSRP is nearly a hundred dollars, and that's more than I would like to pay for a Scrabble set with a rotating board. Thirty and under, I don't mind. It seems that no retailers at present have the Deluxe edition, which has a rotating board and a MSRP of about thirty, that they are willing to sell for less than seventy (the present price range for Amazon Marketplace Sellers is from about seventy to one hundred and eighty!).

I think the Onyx Edition would make a nice gift, but the gift giver should know going in that the look of this edition is faux luxury as opposed to luxury (like the difference between an inexpensively made pen styled to resemble a Mont Blanc and a Mont Blanc). Unlike at least one other reviewer, I don't see a problem with the fact that the board is some kind of paper that is glued onto the surface within the frame (and below the raised ridged grid). The board on the set I received is even (someone reported that the board they received was not even), and it looks like it should last for years, barring spills and abuse. The tiles that came with the set I received are wooden, as descriptions for the Scrabble Onyx Edition say they are, stained or painted black with silver letters. Some of the letters are imperfectly printed on the tiles - not to the point that they are difficult to read, but to the point that I say, what the heck is Hasbro trying to sell for forty five bucks? My guess is that Scrabble Onyx Edition has been discontinued (according to the Hasbro site one can no longer order replacement tiles to replace the exact type of tiles that come with Scrabble Onyx, though they do offer other tiles that they say fit the ridged board).

As other reviewers have noted, this edition comes in a large box (17" X 17" X 3" on my tape measure), so you need space to store it (under a bed would work), and it's not nearly as portable as the travel and Diamond Anniversary editions.

Bought this for my Mom who is 87. I play Scrabble with her every other week. This new board is beautiful! We LOVE it!

I bought this is as a gift for a friend in Calcutta where we'll be visiting again this year. My main concern was humidity destroying the cardboard boards of the other ones I've seen. This is very durable with wood base and lazy Susan turntable. I don't see the problems other people have had. And I'm jealous of my friend getting this because I've really enjoyed playing on this set.

I'm a scrabble geek. I admit it. I bought this and the deluxe turntable edition at the same time and wound up keeping this one and giving the other away as a present. The deluxe turntable edition screamed "cheap" in it's construction (despite the pricetag) and the letters weren't at all secure in their grids- overall really disappointing. However, I LOVE the look of the tiles and board on the Onyx edition, the roomy velvet pouch and the scorekeeping book. REALLY LOVE how the tiles sit securely on the board, the lower profile and the lazy susan feature. This one was the "keeper" for me! I've gotten lots of compliments on it from fellow scrabble fiends as well.