Mendini by Cecilio 16 Keys Closed Hole C Flute Kit for Beginners - Black

I am an advanced (but not professional) flute player with over 25 years of experience. For reference purposes, I own a $2500 dollar Pearl open hole/b-foot flute, and a $600 Yamaha student flute. I honestly bought this Mendini simply for the cool black color. Reviews are mixed, but it was cheap and had a return policy which eliminated any concerns about wasting money on a piece of junk. I had low expectations for quality playability, but I am more than pleasantly surprised! The pros: This Mendini has a beautiful, clear, and consistent tone across it's entire range. The high register is crisp, clean, and effortlessly responsive, which is unusual in cheaper flutes. It has offset G keys (easier to reach with left ring finger), and a split E mechanism (makes high E - a notoriously difficult note in the flute world - easier to play and control). These are features that usually drive up the price of student and professional models by a few hundred dollars. The key pads are decent quality with no leaks, no airy sound, and no stickiness. I daresay the Mendini surpasses the performance of my Yamaha, and comes decently close to my Pearl. This flute is perfect for a beginner through intermediate/early advanced player, and will carry a student through middle and high school bands, orchestras, marching band, ensembles, and chambers. It would also be great for a casual hobbyist or adult learner. The case is durable and functional, and the flute fits snugly with no wiggling (but it's tacky as heck...see cons below). The accessories are a nice addition, and would cost about $40+ to buy separately if they weren't included. The colors are a cool option. I LOVE the black body with silver keys. It looks unique, but still respectable. The cons: The black body color is a plastic-like coating which might peel right off if scratched or damaged (think shrink-wrap). The lip plate is nickel, which will probably cause a bruise-like stain under my lower lip after repetitive use and exposure to sweat/moisture - don't worry, this cleans off easily with an alcohol or baby wipe, and can be prevented by applying a layer of clear nail polish or tape to the lip plate. The case that is included has a massive and tacky logo embroidered on the front, and the zip pouch is too tight to hold the cleaning rod, cloths, and stand that is included. These cons are purely aesthetic, have easy fixes, and don't impact the sound quality of the instrument. I stand by my 5 star rating. For less than $100, this flute far exceeded my expectations. It's perfect if you have a kid interested in playing, but don't want to invest a lot of money in case they lose interest, and it's cheaper than rental programs. I would also recommend this flute for marching band players because it's cheap enough to not worry about damage from weather, being set down in the grass/dirt, and from drops or collisions. It would be great to have as a reliable back-up flute to keep on hand in case your main instrument is in the shop for repairs. Ever drop your flute 2 days before the recital, and have to watch as your rival plays the solo you practiced all semester?!?!...Never again! In my opinion, the nay-sayers that gave negative reviews fall into one of 3 categories: Elitist flute snobs expecting the quality of a $14,000 Nagahara or custom Powell for 75 bucks, poor players, or someone who received a genuinely defective instrument. "It doesn't play in tune" is not a defect, its a skill issue - adjust the headjoint and correct your lip position like all flautists have to do! LOL.

This is a flute perfectly for beginners. All keys work and there are no air leaks. No adjustment or fix are needed, which is especially important for a beginner who doesn't have any knowledge of the mechanism of a flute. The beginner only needs to concentrate on how to produce the right notes but not the other issues such as some keys not playable. I would say this flute is an excellent choice for new flute learners.

This is just fine for beginners, but not much more. It also comes with grease, but for flute, that is not supposed to be used. The stand is basically a "throwaway" because it is so flimsy (this seems to be the case for all Mendini/Cecilio instruments). A good buy overall, but if you are beyond the beginner level and can afford to, it may be better to purchase something of higher quality. However, a cheap flute beats no flute at all.

This is a beautiful instrument and seems well-made. Having said that I can see why some complain that it breaks when used by children. I would not expect it to stand up to harsh treatment. It comes with nice accessories and the case is well-made if a little small to fit all the things that come with it. I know they were in the case when I got it, but I was not able to put them all back in again. The flute and most important things fit just fine. I am a beginner so I can't say anything about how it plays or the sound yet. I have not received incentive to write this review.

It has a nice sound it is perfectly balanced it has good pitch it's not all that heavy or not that light either I like the case and the stand keeps it in a place where nothing will happen to it but unfortunately the paint chips after a while and that's something I do not like so please return my message with a solution to this problem see if we can put our heads together see what we could do thank you for your time and have a blessed day

Great for beginner. My son in 7th grade is learning with this flute and it works just fine! I myself play flute and I've played on it connoisseur to my Pearl. Its not PERFECT it doesnt have the sound an expensive flute would but it works and is great for any beginner!

It's my first flute, and it plays perfectly. The action is smooth and no leaks. The case protects, the stand is handy. What more could you ask for? You could pay more than this just to maintain a more expensive flute every couple of years. (If any of this was helpful, kindly click to say so. Thanks!)

Flute sound good the first week of school, then just started to slowly going downhill with different parts having issues, separately. Meaning, correct one thing, next thing, then next, would go bad or off, rendering it unusable. For example, the cork started coming loose, the pads started to leak air, the head piece would not stay tight, keys would start wobbling. I wish I could return, or get a replacement and use it as a backup but right now it’s unusable and no shop wants to touch/repair and Amazon flute.

Muy buena flauta para aprender