What baroque flute is the best for a beginner

[breathejustice]

I have searched for a baroque flute for a beginner and hesitate to select the followings..

1) Aulos Baroque flute (plastic, around 500USD)
2) Hakam Dim Baroque flute (wood, 100~200USD, http://hakamdin.com/woodwind-musical-in ... oque-flute)

Pros of the Aulos may be good tuning because it is famous large company, Cons may be plastic-made...
Pros of Hakam Dim imay be wood-made and cheap price, Cons may be tuning problem.

What should I buy if I start learning a baroque flute...? (I only play a recorder before)
Or, is there any good baroque flute for a beginner except the above two?

[Peter Duggan]

Nothing wrong with plastic, but you can do better than the Aulos Grenser. Don't expect the Hakam Din to work properly.

Vincent Bernolin makes superb resin traversos (turned on a lathe rather than moulded like the Aulos) for not much more than the Aulos Grenser. You'd be doing yourself a favour by getting one:

http://traversos-bernolin.com/english/index.htm

Further comments (added c.8 hours after original posting):
Hakam Din's alleged models are not at all baroque, claiming 1800s for their standard 'baroque' flute and 1850s for the five-keyed model (five-keyed 'baroque' flute... what?). The embouchures look enormous where even Bernolin's later 'Palanca-style' embouchure is tiny compared to a regular 19th-century/Irish-styled flute, and the finger holes on the five-key also look mainstream 19th-century-sized. So please just steer clear; you have been warned!

[Jayhawk]

Hakam Din's prices are way too low. I suspect they may be flute like objects more than actual flutes.

[chas]

The Aulos matte-black Grenser is a really easy-to-play flute. The flute body is molded, but the embouchure is actually an individually cut insert. One thing I loved about it was that it has about the best separation between the F# and Fnat of any flute I've played. That said, the body is chunky (I think the walls are thicker than other Grensers, of which I've owned two), and the ABS plastic is really heavy. I have the A415 Aulos Rottenburgh, and it's a much nicer flute, but still heavy.

I have no experience with the Bernolin flutes that Peter cited, but after looking at the website and seeing who plays them and listening, I'm really impressed and agree with his assessment.

[Peter Duggan]

I have the A415 Aulos Rottenburgh, and it's a much nicer flute, but still heavy.

That's a Stanesby Jr, isn't it? Haven't tried it, but everyone says it's better.

I have no experience with the Bernolin flutes that Peter cited, but after looking at the website and seeing who plays them and listening, I'm really impressed and agree with his assessment.

I had an Aulos AF2 Grenser, but just got the Bernolin Delusse at A=415 with 'Palanca' embouchure and L3 hole offset like my Copleys for my awkward left hand. It's a very good flute.

Something to note with the Aulos models is that the head bores are necessarily compromised by the moulding process, which appears to be why Rod Cameron used to offer reamed-out examples. And the Bernolins are actually cheaper at UK Aulos prices!

Hakam Din's 440/415 corps de rechange look like a joke with most decent makers now offering only whole flutes scaled to either pitch.

[chas]

I have the A415 Aulos Rottenburgh, and it's a much nicer flute, but still heavy.

That's a Stanesby Jr, isn't it? Haven't tried it, but everyone says it's better.

Oops! You're correct.