I started playing the flute 35 years ago, and I played for about six years. I was very good at the time but changed schools to one with no outlet for woodwinds. I took my old Bundy flute out a few times over the years, but honestly, it needed a lot of work, and since I had no real outlet for playing and was trying to de-clutter, I donated it.

I'm now in my early 40s and have only recently gotten back into music performance, specifically vocal, but it was suggested to me that if I could get my flute skills back up to par, it could be useful to the music program I'm involved in. We have another singer who also plays the flute and had some duets she wanted to collaborate on. I'm not sure if that's a reasonable goal, but I did love playing, so why not try? At worst, I improve my music reading skills, my knowledge of music theory, and my breath support for vocal performance (because we all know how much air the flute requires).

I only say all this to set the scene, so to speak. Suffice it to say that I needed an instrument. I had my sights set on a Yamaha, but even a used one is expensive, much more than I want to invest in a flute when I'm not even sure how feasible this whole plan is, even though I'd probably make back most of my money upon resale.

Anyhow, I decided to choose an inexpensive flute to start with, figuring that if this plan worked out, I could either sell or donate the cheaper flute and invest in something better. I found a bunch of flutes around the hundred dollar (or less) price point on Amazon and read reviews carefully, then settled on this one. With the coupon promotion running at the time, plus a good return policy, it seemed like a no-brainer.

Honestly I was surprised at the quality of the instrument itself and the case for such a low price. You get a lot for your money. You get the flute, the case (with strap), a cleaning cloth, a cleaning/tuning rod, a polishing cloth, gloves, a stand, and a tiny screwdriver. It has everything you would need as a beginner starting from square one, and then some.

I have one very minor complaint about the case. The cleaning/tuning rod doesn't have a slot so that it sinks into the case. It's plastic, so I don't need to worry too much about damaging the rod, the flute, or the case, but it's a bit annoying.

On the plus side, the case is very secure and looks surprisingly nice for the price. It zips up, then has a velcro cover for the zippers, then the two short handles are also held together with a cover that wraps around them and is secured with velcro. There's also a strap in case you want to carry it over your shoulder.

My only complaint about the flute itself is that they keys are, well, noisier than they should be. I know some noise is to be expected, but this seems to me to be excessive. I was running B-flat scales through two octaves and found that when I moved from C to D, I could hear the pads hitting the holes loudly. I know I'm rusty, so part of that is likely my inability to move as smoothly between those two fingerings as I used to, but even when I focused on smoothing out that transition, I kept hearing the excessive noise when I moved to the D. I know my ear is right there, but I felt like it would be audible to someone sitting across the room as well if there were no other sound to hide it. I don't know if it's the pads or if I need to adjust the screws but I am loath to start messing with it too much when the pads aren't really "broken in" yet and when I need to get my skills back in order.

All that to say that you really can't go wrong with this flute for the price, at least what I paid (just under seventy bucks). The etching on it is pretty, too, which is a nice bonus. I figure, if my plan doesn't work out, I'm not out a lot of money, and if it does, then this flute will do just fine until I decide to upgrade.

Its a beautiful instrument. Very good for beginners. My daughter uses her for beginner band in elementary school.

This was worth the money. It was just as I expected it to be. It sounds great. They keys move right. I'm glad I got this. I loved my old flute but I couldn't fix it. I just needed something to play because it is just for me to have fun. This is a lot better then I thought it would be. I even love the color. It is a beautiful instrument.

Its cool

Sounds good so far. I saw a lot of reviews were people are disappointed that it is missing the stand. The stand is in the flute. Pull out this little tube with the orange cap. My son didn't know what it was and was going to throw it away. I decided to unscrew the orange part and realized that it had the stand inside.