Well, it’s day 3 with the new Olwell Bamboo F flute and I figured I’d give my impresssions. Please remember that I am a rank amature with the flute so this is a rank amature’s view of this flute 
Hopefully it will help some others who are deciding if they should try the Olwell bamboo flutes. Anyway, here’s the review:
Ordering Information.
I ordered this flute directly from Patrick Olwell mainly by email and mailed a check. He doesn’t take credit cards so mailing a check is pretty much the only way to go. He does reply back to his email in a very timely and friendly manner. He told me it would be 30 - 60 days and I recieved it in 6 weeks so he was dead on for the time estimate. I believe the price was $74 + S&H but don’t quote me on that.
Contact Info
Patrick Olwell
P.O. Box 117
Nellysford, VA.
22958
434-277-9215
Finish
This flute is absolutely beautiful. Apparently he does some sort of oil treatment on his bamboo flutes that makes a shiny, dark brown finish that looks wet but really isn’t. It’s very smooth to the touch and has a nice feel to it. It feels delicate but really is quite sturdy and very light.
Fingerings and hole spacing
Seeing as this is an F flute and it was ordered for the smaller finger spacing, it obviously has less of a stretch than a D flute. That said, there is almost no stretch required to cover the holes on this flute. The hole side is nice and easy for me to cover. I am a big guy though (6’4") with pretty big hands so this is sort of subjective. The holes are burned but smoothed nicely with no sharp edges or places that could catch on your fingers or hands.
Playability
(Disclaimer: As I stated earlier, I am a rank amature who only has experience with tin whistles so please take anything I say as such.)
From my time so far, I think this is a really good beginner flute. Ask me in a few years how it is as a advanced flute because I can’t tell you that right now. The air requirements are much less than my Bamboo D flute by Erik the Flutemaker. I was able to play Amazing Grace, Scales, and a few other simple tunes in a day or so. The lightness and slight finger stretch make it easy to practice for some length of time. Currently I am still figuring out my embouchure and breath control so I can’t really comment on the sound too much. I am very breathy but can hit the lower octive fairly well and consistantly, other than the F. The upper octive is still an issue but that is me not the flute.
Overall:
For under $100 this is a great purchase. I think it is worth it for any beginner, and since many pros use them as well, I think that’s a good endorsement. Even if you decide you don’t like it, there is a huge market of people that would be willing to take it off your hands for pretty much what you paid for it so there really isn’t a down side to this flute. It’s possible that I will modify and repost this review as I get better and can take advantage of the flutes capabilities down the road at some point.
Hope this helps someone who’s on the fence about getting one. Do it! You won’t be sorry.