Hazing newbies with bad sources, are we? That’s an actionable violation around here. 
OK, if we’re going to be a hot mess, anyway, I might as well throw this in before we get this thread locked.
First off, the Original Poster can purchase the Hammy Practice flute direct from Hammy for less, $93 (Euro 85) new & worldwide shipping included.
http://hamiltonflutes.com/Prices_Waiting_List.html
Second, while the Hammy is good for someone wanting a low entry point & to learn/practice the embouchure, it’s NOT going to be anyone’s flute for life, but WILL be good for something to stash at the office or in a car for convenience. Cylindrical flutes without keys to help the reach (as in a Boehm flute) are a trifle difficult stretch and for most of us, not comfortable for long term playing.
Third, the OP’s budget is going to be the main determining factor. Wait list time might be another limiting issue. I believe Damian Thompson might have a slightly longer fulfillment lead time than the others, but one should also check stock at any dealers they may use for the latest information, as well as watching the used marketplace.
IMHO, the best bets for affordable conical flutes that can certainly be used for years or forever, are:
A Copley Delrin D flute ($360 with no rings, $440 with rings for better appearance).
http://www.copleyflutes.com/catalog.html
A Gary Somers flute at $395 U.S. Choice of Pratten or Rudall-style. He’s now based in Ireland.
http://www.somers-flutes.com/prices-contact
Walt Sweet Shannon flute - $275.
https://wdsweetflutes.com/shannon.php
A variety of Delrin flutes from Damian Thompson can fit within that budget, probably (prices are in GBP)
https://www.thompsonflutes.com/about
Over the budget:
Rob Forbes Delrin flutes:
http://www.forbesflutes.com/ordering.html
Same for the one wood flute I could recommend, the Casey Burns Folk Flute.
http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/ff.php
Unless one gets a great used price, a Seery is currently far off mark for this budget.
Pacific Northwest has many different climates. It’s a big area. Mountains, ocean, high desert, hot rolling hills, rocky hills. Some areas have much rain, but also many periods of reasonable hmidity. Unless you live next to the ocean, you will have the same dryness issues as most other places, at least part of the year.
Yeah, I don’t get the problem. I have wood flutes from England, Ireland, and America, and some have visited other countries, too. Not particularly prone to cracking. I do have some 170-year-old flutes - sure, some were cracked & repaired, some have not. I don’t leave them lying out; they’re in cases with humidifiers.
(Waves at fellow Washingtonian!) Yes, and even if you live near the ocean, like I do out here on the Olympic Peninsula, the temperature can drop low enough in Winter that central heating drives the indoor humidity into the danger zone.
Nearby ocean water helps mainly as a temperature moderator. We’re a little bit warmer in Winter and a little bit cooler in Summer compared to interior parts of the state, due to the ocean acting as a heat sink. But it doesn’t really add any humidity if you have central heat drying out the air. I use room humidifiers during that time of year, not just for the musical instruments but also for antique furniture and general human comfort.
ETA: Right now the heat is running off and on with outdoor temps in the 30’s to 40’s F., and the indoor humidity is around 45 rh with no humidifiers running. I’ll turn on the humidifiers when it starts to dip below 40 rh. We usually only get a few weeks later in the year out here, where the temps drop into the 20’s and the heating and humidifiers are running full-time.
Yeah right!
First; incl shipping I paid $135.00 for it.
Second; As the photos show, it has an extra cut embouchure vent, and so yeah it costs more 
Sale page on this link ..
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/fs-hammy-mamilton-student-d-irish-flute/101402/1
Third; It is a matter of opinion how well, or badly, a particular flute suits a player. I have seen many a master of the Cylindrical Irish flute play far better than the other one, IN Ireland long ever before your were born. And at this time ordering from Ireland will not deliver until after Christmas, mine is guaranteed to arrive in 3-5 days US Priority Mail FREE!
Fourth; The African Blackwood I suggest has been recommended to me by a native Irish flute player who has several CDs in print, and I have no doubt but that you have one of them, Kevin, or a bootleg of one in your CDs for sale.
I have no idea what the delrin flutes you recco are like, except for reports of wimpy sounding E, B and almost silent C natural, but I guess you do. Any road up I take the word of somebody I know pretty well, and like myself grew up in Ireland, before I would that of somebody I never met but on the Internet.
So why pass on hearsay? I have just one of them (Copley), but can tell you from personal experience that it has none of those faults!
and like myself grew up in Ireland
I’m surprised you ever left…
Whut? dats not ‘hazing’ I got the reco from a published Irish flute player. 
Ok ad hominem back to ya!
Are you as nasty a player as you are a person
“The high-speed materials were used in the production to ensure that the air flows through the flute.”
Inspires confidence.
I think it’s about time we did! 
Looks like we’re certainly headed that way.
Sorry to hear that. I don’t understand where your additional charges came from - possibly bank wire and/or currency conversion fees? I would however expect Hammy to adhere to his price list.
I apologize, though. This is what I thought might get us locked, as my comment on pricing is, I think, against the board’s CCCP. BTW, kudos to the board mods for that particular choice of abbreviation. whose significance I missed until now. Further evidence of a quirky sense of humour.
I thought the cutaway was on older models, not how they are made at this time. But I see your there.
I’ll grant you that there were & are good players of cylindrical flutes, usually Boehm or Radcliff models - totally different finger/hole coverage situations.
You must be remarkably long-lived. 
I couldn’t say what Hammy’s delivery times are. I have received in-stock items from Ireland (including antique flutes from auction houses) within 1-2 weeks.
I would be curious to know. The only player I’m aware of that has promoted certain low-cost flutes to students as decent was Dave Sheridan.
Not so likely.
We’re both welcome here to share our experiences and opinions.
Perhaps a little closed-minded, but understandable. We rely on our relationships. I guess ours is not going so well. Happens. 
So you say. This being the Internet (as you have pointed out), it is for the reader to take your word for it, or not. In any case, if you think I’m going to be dazzled and abandon doubt because you call your supposed source “published” and “Irish”, think again. I’m sure I’m not the only one around here who takes a dim view of having their intelligence insulted.
I suggest you take into account the overarching climate of board behavior on this site. It has evolved into what it is out of majority preference, and you might also notice that people freely uphold and call for its observance. The board rules reflect this climate, and it is in your best interests to acquaint yourself with them and take them to heart. Fun is one thing, but tossing stoats into the chicken coop to amuse yourself is quite another.
I just love the holiday season… peace, joy, and good will to men (and women and children too).
Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it.
Best wishes.
Steve
And to you, Steve. Happy Holidays.
Now THAT’S a different take on trolling.
I’d like to add some explanation & apologies all around, and maybe let’s get back to the business of fluting.
First, apologies to Fildafluter for jumping on their For Sale posting. I’m not supposed to based on the board rules, specifically #8. ( C&F Consolidated Concordat on Policy (CCCP) - Whistle - Chiff & Fipple ). I certainly can’t claim inexperience with the forums. I am clearly in violation and accept any punishment. I got a bit heated because, in my opinion, that flute did not meet the OP’s desire " I would like to have something that I can grow into and not outgrow in six months."
C&F Consolidated Concordat on Policy (CCCP) - Whistle - Chiff & Fipple
I also reacted strongly to the music store link, because of the site’s operator, Muhammad Umer Prince, and his considerable spamming of (& subsequent removal from) thesession.org, where he refused to participate in any useful way. Just incredibly pushy about selling. The same may or may not have occurred on C&F. I don’t recall, and the moderators here are quick to clean up.
I recall the testimonials on that site as being somewhat suspect (“Peter Gabriel” - musician, & Jack Dorsey, which I think is the name of the head of Twitter). The instruments themselves, & the product selection, seem to be of Pakistani design or origin, and perhaps Mr. Prince might even have relocated himself and/or workers to Germany from there. He may source them carefully & has found himself a reliable supplier of better quality than we have conventionally associated with that region. Another topic already discussed in the pinned thread ( Beware of cheap ebay flutes! - Irish Flute - Chiff & Fipple ). BTW, I gifted Alan, who began that thread, a decent playing Pakistani flute (about 20 years old) from Lark in the Morning.
Again, apologies for being so hot-headed.
Kevin Krell
If only Casey worked in Delrin… a Delrin small-hands Folk Flute would be a dream… sigh
See this recent post: https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/cp-channeling-maccaferri/101426/1
Casey is in the process of evolving the Folk Flute as a 3D printed flute, which would be a synthetic material.
That last seems indeed to be the case. I must point out that Muzikhaus seems to put a lot of well-done effort into marketing itself webwide, but its prices are so unbelievably attractive that common sense should scream a warning through their litany of pretty words like “best” and “innovative”. For those of us who recognize Pakistani product when we see it, that in itself explains much. We have noted several attempts at joining C&F by Muhammad Umer (apparently “Prince” is his putative rank, not part of his name proper) and/or by his representatives, and the variable nature of the attempts only serve to convince us that his company is not as on the level as we in Admin would like to see. It is clear to us that any attempts by him, or parties on his behalf, to join C&F are motivated solely by commercial gain, and we don’t permit that. Of course some of our members trade actively in flutes and other instruments on a strictly independent basis, but corporations dedicated to the practice are quite another matter. Added to that is the fact that the source of Muzikhaus’s instruments will in many cases (if not all) point to Pakistan, and the informed Trad flute world has plenty negative to say about that, and rightly so. If the sweatshops of Sialkot City are cleaning up their act and now consistently putting out a level of quality suited to serious playing, instead of bad instruments intended for preying on the innocent, I for one will need proof of it.
And that is why I accused Fildafluter of hazing. I’ll allow he may not have been aware of Muzikhaus’s recently suspicionable reputation around here, but it’s not as if we’ve been whispering in the shadows about it, either.
It’s known that Pakistani quality is hit-or-miss at best. I personally have never yet been pleasantly surprised, much as I would like to be. If Fildafluter’s source has solid info that can sweep away our misgivings, then let’s have it.