What are the best flute brands?
Which one of those – Lazarro, Mendini, or Glory flutes – is the best for beginners? Let’s take a closer look.
Learning a new instrument is an amazing and fun endeavor, but it’s not fun figuring out what brand of instrument you should buy.
In this buyer’s guide, we will look at some beginner flute brands and see which ones are a better purchase.
Top 5 Best Flute Brands for Beginners:
1. Glory Beginner Flute Review (Editor’s Choice)
The last flute we will look at is Glory’s product, a well-known brand in the world of the best flutes. The instrument is nickel-plated and has leather pads instead of the double bladder pads, which generally come for flutes.
It’s a closed-hole flute and has the offset G key and low C foot joint. A 1-year warranty is provided. It also comes with a tuning rod, cleaning cloth, cork grease, and white gloves.
I have only good things to say about this flute. From a professional point of view, it’s excellent quality for the price.
The sound is excellent, and it plays nicely in tune. If taken care of, the flute should last a long time. All the pieces fit nicely together. The keys respond well.
The springs and pads held up well on the flute.
The only negative thing mentioned in some Glory flute reviews on Amazon and several other sites – people report that the case seems to be cheap, but the flute itself is charming.
Pros
- Nickel-plated
- Closed hole flute
- Offset G key
- Low C Foot joint
- 1-year warranty
- Leather pads instead of normal double bladder pads, so the keys won’t stick
- Includes tuning rod, cleaning cloth, cork grease, and white gloves
- Good quality sound
- Keys respond well
- Good manufacture; pieces fit nicely together
- Springs and keys last a long time
Cons
- Cheap case
2. Hallelu HFL-200 Flute Review
Now we will take a look at a few different top flute brands. We will look at the Hallelu HFL-200, the Hisonic Signature Series 2810N, the Lazarro Beginner Flute, the Mendini Beginner, and Glory Beginner Flute.
I will list some pros and cons, and hopefully, this will help you decide what flute is best for you.
The first flute we will look at is the Hallelu HFL-200. This flute is listed at about $100. It is silver-plated and has the C- Footjoint.
It’s a closed-hole flute with an offset G Key.
It comes in a nice zip-up carrying case, so you don’t have to worry about latches breaking, and that will protect your instrument. It includes a tuning rod and cloth.
This flute also got great responses in product reviews on Amazon. Almost every customer said the flute was easy to get a sound out of. They loved that the case was durable.
Some buyers reported that when they had problems with the keys, they could contact the company and send their instruments to them, and the company repaired them. Overall, excellent quality for a lower price.
Pros
- Closed hole
- Includes tuning rod and cleaning cloth
- Offset G key
- Zip up durable case
- Low C foot joint
- Includes tuning rod and cleaning cloth
- Good sounding flute
- 1-year warranty
Cons
- Keys start to have problems and need fixing within the first year.
- The instrument may not be any good after a good year to year and a half.
- Instrument lacquer may begin to tarnish
3. Hisonic Signature Series 2810N Flute Review
The next flute we will take a look at is the Hisonic Signature Series 2810N. It is listed at about $100 as well. This instrument is nickel Plated (silver in color).
It also has closed holes and comes in a hard latch case. The flute comes with a cleaning cloth and tuning rod as well. This flute has an offset G key and has a C foot joint at the bottom. This flute also comes with a split E mechanism.
It is a rare plus on a beginner flute. You see, high E is a challenging and very out-of-tune note for flutes. The split E mechanism helps make it easier to get the note to speak, and it makes it closer in tune.
For the most part, beginners say good things about the instrument itself, but they rarely like the case. The latch cases break easily, and if the latch ever bends or breaks, your flute could get easily damaged.
The tone quality of the instrument is superior, and the horn itself is very durable. Some buyers mentioned that some of the cork for the keys tend to fall off, but it comes with little replacement cork.
Overall, most customers said you would love the instrument to get a better case for it.
Pros
- Nickel-plated
- Closed hole
- Offset G Key
- C Foot joint
- Split E mechanism
- Good quality sounding flute
- 1-year warranty
- Includes tuning rod and cleaning cloth
Cons
- Cheap latch case
- Some of the cork make need to be replaced on the keys
4. Lazarro Beginner Flute Review
The next flute we will take a closer look at is the Lazarro Beginner flute. This flute is listed at about $90. It is a closed-hole and has a C foot joint.
This flute also comes in a latch case and includes a tuning rod, cleaning cloth, and a care kit with gloves and grease. It has an offset G key. The flutes can come in 22 different colors and a variety of silver and gold-colored keys.
This flute has the split E mechanism as well. The sound of the instrument is excellent.
In some Lazarro flute reviews, customers mentioned that they liked the horn, but their child was allergic to the material it was made of.
You may want to check and see if you are allergic to any metals or anything before purchasing. The company offers a warranty, and if you send them the instrument, they will fix it.
Overall, good instrument and sound quality for the price. Just be sure to get the regular silver one, not multi-colored.
Pros
- Closed hole
- C foot joint
- Durable latch case
- Offset G key
- Split E Mechanism
- Nice quality sounding instrument
- Warranty for one year
- Includes tuning rod, cleaning cloth, cork grease, screwdriver, and gloves
Cons
- May be allergic to the material
- Laquer may start to tarnish after a couple months
5. Mendini Beginner Flute Review
The next flute we will take a look at is the Mendini Beginner Flute.
This flute is nickel-plated (silver-looking). You can also order it in multi colors, but I would recommend getting the nickel-plated, as I stated earlier.
It’s a closed-hole with an offset G key and the split E mechanism. It also includes a durable zipper carrying case, joint grease, cleaning cloth, tuning rod, and a pair of gloves. It has a one-year warranty as well.
It also comes with a foldable flute stand and a flute pocketbook with fingering charts, solos, and daily studies for a bonus. Now that is a lot for under $60!
It sounds like a great buy, but let’s look at the customer product reviews. A few of the reviews say that the lacquer on the instrument comes off quickly.
A few said it’s hard to produce sound on the mouthpiece or not a good quality sound. Sometimes people have problems with the foot joint not fitting on the instrument’s body, and they sent it back to the manufacturer to be fixed.
The service quality was good, but the company fixed the instrument in part they asked for and then didn’t work elsewhere. It seems like there are a fair bit of complaints about the quality of the instrument.
Is Mendini a good brand for flutes? My answer is “yes.” Usually, Mendini flutes are exquisite and can be recommended for anyone; however, if you ask me if Mendini flutes are suitable for beginners. I would not be so sure.
If you did want the flute, I would recommend it only for 4th or 5th-grade 1st-year beginners and if they continue to play the next year, get a better flute.
Pros
- Nickel-plated
- Offset G key
- Split E mechanism
- Durable zipper case
- Includes joint grease, cleaning cloth, tuning rod, and a pair of gloves
- Bonus items include a foldable flute stand, a flute pocketbook with fingering charts, solos, and daily studies
- 1-year warranty
- Good timely responses from the company when getting instrument fixed
Cons
- Laquer tarnishes quickly
- Prices may not fit correctly or maybe challenging to put together.
- Sound quality may not be the best compared to other flutes from this guide
Buyer’s Guide to Purchasing the Best Beginner Flute
Here are a few things you should look at when purchasing a flute:
Offset G-key vs. Inline Key
All flutes have either an Offset G-key, which means the key is not in a straight line as the other keys. It comes out a little farther, and this makes playing notes that require that key easier. The Inline key means all the keys make a straight line. For young beginners, mostly elementary and middle school, playing an Inline key will be more challenging.
Tuning Rod and Cleaning Cloth
Most flutes come with a tuning rod and cleaning cloth. When you first buy a flute, you must use the tuning rod to ensure the head joint is in tune. If you are looking at buying a flute and there is no tuning rod and a cleaning cloth. DO NOT BUY IT.
Open Hole vs. Closed Hole Flutes
Flutes come either with open-hole keys or closed hole. Many closed-hole flutes come with cork or plugs that can go into the holes, and as the student gets more comfortable reaching the keys, you can remove the plugs. That is what I would recommend, but you can do closed-hole flutes if you prefer.
C or B Foot Joint
Most beginner flutes have the lowest note that can be played is a low C. Some flutes have a trigger at the bottom so that the lowest note is B. The B foot joint is more for intermediate flute students, but it’s a good tip to know.
Multi-Colored Instruments
Now more than ever, you will see companies shifting to designing instruments that come in various colors instead of the traditional colors they were made to be. You can get any horn in a lime green, pink, blue, or yellow.
They did that to attract the kids to their brand. What child wouldn’t want to buy a colored flute or clarinet? Most band directors will not appreciate having students play a colored instrument, especially if they plan to continue playing in middle school and higher.
I would recommend for flute that you get a Nickel plated (silver looking) instrument. If the student is playing for fun and isn’t going to take it to school, then if you want a colored instrument, that would be ok.
Flute Brands in Terms of Repairing
After comparing a few instruments that you find, take a minute to see the differences and similarities. Find the options that you feel would be better for you.
I want to bring to your attention all of these flutes that most of them are made abroad.
There is nothing wrong with this, but if you need to have your instrument repaired, you won’t be able to take it to a shop.
Most shops will not fix or even look at these instruments because they are not from a well-known brand, and usually, you can’t replace the parts.
You must take care of your instrument, and if you need it repaired, you can ship it to the manufacturer, or you might have to do some self-repairing.
The Best Beginner Flute: Our Verdict
Overall, I think that all of the flutes are decent beginner flutes. If I were to recommend any brand, it would be Glory because it has leather pads.
Leather pads will last much longer. This flute has no the split E key, but most beginner flutes don’t have that key anyway.
If you think you would like to have the split E key, I would recommend the Lazarro or Hisonic flutes. However, if you choose Hisonic, be sure to be careful of the case or buy a good zipper case.
If you choose Lazarro, make sure you aren’t allergic to any metals, but overall these are good quality flutes for the price.