Most hedge trimmers I’ve played have a wonderful, edgy, tone but they’re really hard on the lips.
Doc
lips? I thought they was percussion!
One of the “relative” reviews is mine about Hamilton practice flute.
I’ve been playing guitar for 45 years, and wanting to learn whistles and flute i bought some of them in the entry level. Probably i have an ear able to understand a good or a bad sound. I think i can say something relative to my beginner level, as much as i can spend money for the instruments.. 
Since i always and only see wonderful reviews about one single maker’s cheap flute, and i was not so satisfied of it as a customer…i think it’s a good idea to put a beginner review about a flute for beginners…how can I say? a customer review…
Forgive my many defects…I’m italian, i speak a poor english, i’m a beginner…but as a customer i think i can give a public feedback about some makers and some products i met along my way.
Just as a customer, not as a reknown musician.
Best regards…
Sergio
Buying a ‘good’ flute is a large commitment - at least three and into four figures in cost, often months or years of waiting, all of which has to be decided before you even get to the point where you can tell the difference, anyway. In many places, there aren’t even more experienced players around to help, or whose flutes are available to be fondled. (As it were.) No wonder newbies come here and elsewhere and ask plaintive questions. The wooden flute world demands a lot and gives away little.
yes, I guess a flute player should always strive to improve embouchure.
After you get it you should come 'round to my dooryard and lay down a clip…
Rob
The Old Bush?
I don’t think that this is the way to test a flute, the player, or anything. I want to hear straight arpeggios up to the fourth D, bending of notes in 3 octaves, and a few other drills, not someone playing a tune. One exception, I cannot remember who, but they had like more than twenty different instruments with a sound clip of the same tune. I gained respect for the low D whistle because of it.
I think I have done one review here and I stand by it without any sound clips.
I would much rather pontificate* on the virtues of my favorite flute (Reviol 6 key) and have you just take my word for it. Now I have to prove it? I would, but you see, recording equipment just can’t pick up the brilliance of my technique. I’ve listend to it before and I sound like a hack which can’t be the case. 
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- to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic way
In the spirit of my “stupid stupid stupid” posts regarding myself: When I was about 15 or 16, I worked for an elderly woman, doing cleaning, gardening, etc. Her house was right on the water, and occasionally people would ask me for directions if I was out working. One day a guy asked me when I was trimming the hedges (with a Black and Decker trimmer, so it’s on topic, although those were the days before cordless trimmers). I pointed the way. With the hedge trimmer on. And my shoulder in the way. It was one of those really cool wounds (actually, four of them), where you see the white of the flesh and really thick blood just kind of oozes into the wounds. A little hurt, no pain.
So be careful with that hedge trimmer, no talking with your hands while it’s on. 
Clearly, this is much more the sort of considered review we need:
You must be using the same brand recording gear that I use. 
Best regards aye,
Kirk
My favorite reviews are by the people who just received their flute in the mail 20 minutes before they wrote the review. There is nothing like on the spot reporting.
I went to a silver flute website a few times. Boy are those folks hung up on embouchure. You can’t say hello there without saying how many years you’ve been working on your embouchure and pity you if it’s been less than 20 years. There were 15 years olds who had been working on their embouchure for 14 years and had no trouble at all dissing 25 years olds who had been working on their embouchure for 10 years. Called them upstart newbies they did.
yeah… you’d never see anything like that around here.
be well,
jim
People on this forum are into flutes so it’s nearly always interesting to read what folks write about their instruments, but you have to use your own common sense. Modern flutes by the top makers are all very good instruments, so I don’t think choosing an Olwell Pratten instead of a Murray, or a Wilkes, or a Williams, or a Hamilton or whatever, will make you a better flute player. You just have to get your chops together, do that, then you’ll sound good on just about any flute.
I don’t think soundfiles are much help either, not even if you could get a master player such as Crawford, O’Grada, or Tansey to play the same tune on a selection of flutes by different makers. They would sound brilliant on all of them. Whereas a lesser flute player would not be able to realise the full potential of a quality instrument before she/he has the chops. No disrespect intended but there is a soundfile of someone playing an Olwell Pratten which could give a newbie the impression that an Olwell Pratten is a rather weedy sounding flute. Practice, practice, practice that’s what’s important
Hey, at least you’ve been offered the opportunity to form an opinion! Using your brain, as you have, you’ve assayed the poster of said clip as being less than on top of his or her game; what better basis to use for evaluating this person’s online advice? We should trust the ‘newbies’ to be able to perform the same trick.
I’m also against the anonymous posting of anything, but then I’m an iconoclast, apparently.
Rob
I’m against posting. 
A trait to be cherished, pending attack. OK, here ya go. You were gonna hear it all anyway.
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Hey, have the courage of your convictions!
R
Fair play to you, C.T.! Three great tunes.
Rob
I do!
