Wondering what members opinions are on which is the best Irish Flute and why. Thanks for sharing. Slainte
nike (swoosh)
seriously, itm flutes are sorta like running shoes: finding one that fits your stride is the best one for you. it all depends on how you run.
I like Pat Olwell’s flutes but you will have to wait a long time. His waiting list is legendary but there is a reason for that.
It’s going to be highly individualistic, and a lot has to do with what fits you, and what you’re looking for in sound. Quieter flute, sharper ornamentation, booming sound, blackwood vs. boxwood vs. cocus vs. satin vs…etc etc.
Best thing to do is make friends with a lot of flute players, and beg/borrow/steal their instruments for a few days and see what suits you the best.
John
The best flute for me is whatever one is in my hand.
Olwell makes the best flutes
Jane Austen was the best novelist
Moliere was the best playwright
The habanero is the best chile pepper
Asics are the best running shoes
Fenway is the best ballpark
Glad we got all that straight.
Puffery (in more than one sense of the word). 
Chas - don’t forget Victoria’s secrets 
actually Trojan is a very good example, but were not going there !!!
Eilam, Eilam, get control of yourself, man. We’re talking about the best flutes…FLUTES!! Try and stay on topic.
I nominate the all-wood, blackwood Olwell pratten that you sold me a few years ago as one of the finest flutes made for Irish music.
Paul
Oh…
I thought the best flute was the one I haven’t got yet.
M
(JK, I already have the best flute for me, for now, anyway )
Paul, yes it’s a great flute. i replaced it with a Cocus, Nicholson model, un-lined head but with a slide, i love it.
i’m lucky i have a few flutes i really love.
In my humble opinion, Thomas Aebi makes the best flutes around, for their weight, intonation, and beauty.
My other flute is an Olwell.
~MB
Agreed on the first item. Not so sure on the last. Fenway is like an antique flute. Wonderful to look at and contemplate but not very functional and not tuned to concert pitch.
could someone make a bumper like sticker for flute cases ?
" MY OTHER FLUTE IS AN OLWELL "
a bit like , my other car is a Rolls/Merc/Lagonda etc.
Mr Baggins , just jesting .
Mr Murphy , Hammy Hamilton is making nice flutes , as is Glen Watson and Martin Doyle . all of them have a reasonable waiting time .
http://homepage.eircom.net/~hammie/
http://www.kiwicelt.com/theflutes.htm
these flutes i know
i thought Martin had his own site , but i see he is linked through Kiwicelt .
here’s hoping you get the instrument of your dreams .
It really is a very intimate and subjective decision. I’ve played an enormous number of flutes…including multiple incarnations of all those so far mentioned.
I would rate many of them as fabulous but none has swayed me from my one true love.
My advice would be to do a lot of listening and identify a sound that really moves you. Also, play a few flutes and see how you sound on them.
That will get you a bit more information to work on. Then you play a few flutes and and see who moves you.
If you’re a beginner, any good flute will suffice for several years. The first couple of years, work on sounding great on the fute you have, then go out and see if there is something you like better.
Doc
What do you play, Doc?
And, btw, Tennessee Williams was the best playwright. 
Terry McGee Grey Larsen Preferred.
I’m am sometimes tempted by great Rudalls. But the GLP has a dark, focused tone that just does something to me. I have a boxwood Rudall here right now that just boggles my mind. Every time play it I’m sure I like it better than the GLP. Then I play the GLP and ahhhh…I’m home again. 
Hmmm, maybe I need a boxwood GLP. 
I think I could die happy with any flute by one of the “Well-Regarded” but my GLP suits my style best.
Doc
If i could have only one flute, of all the ones I’ve played,
it would be the Olwell Pratten.
It’s light, it has an extraordinary sound, it has very good
volume…
There may well be better flutes I haven’t played,
but I’ve played a good number of em by now.
YMMV.
One thing for sure–it’s hard to go wrong with Olwells.
Yup, nuttin’ wrong with those babies. I’m too lazy to ever form a permanent relationship with a Pratten.
Doc
What shape is an Olwell emboucher?