I designed mahjong tiles for the pool. Here's why I'll never sell foam.

Every summer someone brings a foam set to the pool because it floats. I understand the appeal, but foam tiles make a ton of compromises that make the game simply less fun. I make mahjong tiles for a living, including sets built to be played in and around water, but I still don't sell foam tiles. Here's why:

Where foam falls short

Foam floats, and that part works. The trouble is that most of what makes a mahjong tile good gets given up to get there.

The first thing you notice is the noise, or lack it. Shuffling is supposed to have that clack to it, and foam gives you a soft shush instead. For a lot of us that sound is a real part of why we play, and you miss it right away.

Then there's the weight, or the lack of it. Foam is so light that a bit of breeze will nudge tiles across the table or push them around on the water, so you spend the afternoon herding your wall instead of building it.

Foam marks up easily, too. A fingernail, the edge of a lounge chair, a warm pool deck. Over a season the corners round off and the tiles stop sitting square. And once everything is wet, foam tends to stick, to the mat and to itself, so you reach for one tile and pick up two.

None of these ruins a single hand on its own. Add them up over an afternoon and you're not really playing mahjong anymore, you're babysitting a floating set.

Floating is good. Foam just isn't the only way to get there.

This is the part I most want people to leave with. Wanting a tile that survives the pool is completely reasonable. A dropped tile shouldn't end the game, and nobody wants to dive to the bottom of the deep end for one. Floating, or at least staying easy to fish out, is a genuine advantage for a water set.

The mistake is assuming that floating has to mean foam. It doesn't. You can make a tile that floats and still has some heft to it, a proper sound, and edges that stay crisp. It just takes more work to engineer, which we set out to do. 

The honest comparison

Foam gives up a lot just to float. Standard tiles are great on a dry table but sink the moment they get near water and artwork may get ruined by the water. The 3D printed lightweight tiles are the ones built to clear every row at once, which is the whole point of designing a set for the pool in the first place.

So what tiles are best for the pool?

If you only ever play indoors on a dry table, a standard or lightweight set is a great call.

But if the pool, the beach, a boat, or a breezy backyard is anywhere in your plans, look for a 3D printed lightweight tile. That's the combination that actually works outdoors: it floats so a drop doesn't end the game, the print stays put when it gets wet, it's light enough to carry but has enough weight to sit still in a breeze, the colors stay bold and readable in bright sun, and it still gives you the shuffle sound. Those are the exact criteria we set out to hit, and they're what our pool sets are built around.

The bonus is that a good pool tile doesn't have to stay at the pool. Because ours are built to be light, durable, and easy to read anywhere, they're just as fun on the kitchen table, the back porch, or a trip as they are floating in the water. A foam set only really earns its keep poolside. These come with you everywhere.

You can see the full range here: Shop the Spools mahjong collection.

Caring for your Spools tiles

These tiles are built to be played with, and a little care keeps them looking and playing their best.

• Keep them out of extreme heat. Avoid extended exposure to 122°F (50°C) or higher, which means hot cars and sun-baked surfaces.
• Rinse after chlorine or salt water. Wash the tiles and let them air dry completely before you put them away.
• Store them dry and out of direct sunlight when they're not in use.