Side by Side Comparison of: Hisonic vs Fun Express

Last year I purchased a Hisonic clarinet for my oldest. The price was right, and the music teacher was happy with it for beginner purposes. As a result of that experience, despite Guitar Center's best efforts, I went with this flute for the next kid in line for school lessons. It again seems to be perfect for at least a beginner. I helped unpack and assemble it. It seemed quite sturdy, and from what I gather it plays as expected.

I am not sure how long my son will be playing the flute so I decided to purchase this flute instead of buying another used flute that may need expensive repairs. He likes it alot.

He loves it,beautiful an professional!

We were surprised to find a good quality flute for such a deal. But, here it is! We even sent the description to a friend of ours who has played the flute for years and he recommended it to us as a first time flute for our 10 year old who is learning to play. So far, we are very happy with it.

I got this as a replacement for my daughter in Jr High - who had her other flute stolen... that didn't make me happy. I don't know anything about flutes - I couldn't tell a good flute from a good oboe from a decent hobo... that said, my daughter loves it. She was happy - she gave me many hugs and jumped up an down a bit... and I loved that.

My granddaughter was tickled to get this for Christmas because she had to play a school instrument due to family financial restraint s. Her grandfather and I promised her a new one if she wanted to keep playing and she may never be a professional but she's enjoying it now and hopes to continue in High School. The sound and quality were very good.

The kids love them!

Based on our experience, the flute is well worth the money, and more than adequate for a beginning student. We bought this flute in 2013 for my daughter, and it held up without any problem for 4 years at more or less daily use and not having done any maintenance at all. Recently, one note stopped working. The music teacher in school had it fixed, and now it plays and sounds as good as ever. However, they said that we should start looking at a better model, since this one is a beginner flute, and it is worth investing a little more for the intermediate level that my daughter is now playing at. We are looking at Yamaha and Gemeinhardt, which were the brands recommended by the teacher.Others commented already on the case, that it does not last very long, and we found the same, but even $50 aftermarket cases lasted only 2 years or so.

Good product and good price

Great price and product for beginners! It came packaged well in a nice case and the sound is great, not airy/breathy like the cheap ones. Nicely made!

I was super impressed when it showed up I wasn't sure what to expect with the cost being so reasonable but it is beautiful. Nice sturdy case and cleaning cloth included I did find it had a strong "new" odor but I left the case open and now it has almost all disapated .My son doesnt know how to play yet it is for school in the fall but it seems great and that is the only reason I gave it a 4 star .

Seems like a solid flute for a beginner. The case is nice as it is hard-sided. Arrived on time and in excellent condition.Definitely a better choice than paying a monthly rental fee!

My daughter's band teacher said the flute sounded good. So, we are happy. Like other reviews, the case lining is black, not blue as in the picture. The cleaning rod looks so ugly, but maybe it needs to be plastic, so it won't scratch the flute ?

fun time, satisfied.

good product

Needed several of these for a play. They were inexpensive (Cheap!) and were actually somewhat "play-able." I have nothing more to say but had to fulfill the required number of words to post a review.

A few keys didn't work when we got it so we had to take it to a shop. A week later, some keys stopped working again.

The case is made out of cheap material that falls apart just sitting on the shelf, looks ugly now.

This flute worked very well for me through marching band. It had a few minor issues such as the thumb B flat key constantly developing a leak, but it was no problem to adjust it when necessary. I was pleasantly surprised by the tone of this flute and how it remained in good working condition throughout the marching season. Many other flutes that I have owned have not fared so well. This would make an excellent flute for a beginner or a high school student in marching band. I doubt that it would be a good choice for an advanced player however

I really like the flute but when I got it (which was in 2 days after I ordered it) it smelled horrible.. Like almost really strong cleaning fluid and it gives me a stomach ache so I can't play it for too long. I'm glad that the shipping was only 2 days and it was supposed to be at least 5 days so it was a big surprise! Only the smell and that it doesn't even come with a name tag or something to put your name on so you don't lose it. Hopefully that smell will go away..

I've had this flute for about three days. This flute would be perfect for a beginner only. It's been twelve years since I last played. The key pads were a tad sticky and the case it came in is very poor quality. I literally have to force the flute into the box to make it sit right. Also, the cleaning rod is basically a thick plastic stick that when used with the cloth it comes with, doesn't even fit inside the flute! I will have to buy a new rod and cloth. If you don't mind a cheaply made case and cleaning kit, then the flute works for a beginner as opposed to renting or buying a higher priced flute. It is a good price for a student though!

I was really happy I could find flutes here in USA. It was required for my son's first Krishna theme birthday party. It arrived on time and served the purpose. The paint was chipped from here n there. Didn't look very neat at first.

I purchased these as party favors for my daughters' Zelda birthday party. I needed flutes that would give a woodland/elvish feel and these did the trick. They were a little cheaper than the plastic recorders and the theme worked better, so I thought I'd try them out even though they had a bad review. They are bamboo, so they won't last long with your typical child handling them, but what party favor does?These will disappoint if you are looking for a real flute (as the other review said), but for something like party favors, I thought it was a good value.Oh, make sure to order early and check them when they arrive. I ordered 2 dozen and only 1 was broken when I unwrapped them. But if more had broken during shipping it would have been bad news b/c I didn't order with time for an exchange before the party.Hope this is helpful. :)

It arrived broken, I couldn't play half of the notes. It is a lovely instrument though, too bad it couldn't be played.

it plays okay but its damages are a hassle its already having to get the padding replaced and it rusted and ive only owned it for 6 months. Save yourself and go to an actual store to purchase a flute.

Worked awesome until it got dented inside the case jn my daughter's backpack. Careful and would be fine for an adult. I know it was cheap and I could easily tell it was.

This may be a good flute for grown ups but if you are planning to buy for your kids band, then it may be better to just rent one. Just after 3 months getting this flute, my Son's teacher started complaning about it. We can't even fix it locally.

This is a bad quality instrument. After a few months, the air was leaking out of one of the keys. I couldn't play an "F". I took it to the repair shop, but they said they wouldn't repair it because it was a bad quality instrument and it was too cheap. Also, the real instrument looks different from the image that is shown.

It stop working properly after 6 mths

Exactly worked for 1 year, then springs and solder came out and broken

This flute is simply garbage. my daughter has been in marching band for 8 years spending the last 4 of those years as a section leader in a school that took State once and Grand champions in all categories twice so believe me when I say she really knows how to play. When the pads gave out on her last flute we found this one two be a comparable replacement. when we got it, it looked ok but felt very cheap and played horribly. shes had it two weeks and it is still lousy. I beg you not to buy this piece of crap. Spare yourself and your kids the dissapointnent.

Purchased 6 months ago for wife. Due to health issues, she was unable to use until now. When trying to use the flute, the sounds did not come as expected, so I had a teacher come to provide lessons. The teacher was a university music professor who plays the flute. She said the problem is not your wife, it is a bad flute, leaking air throughout...she had never heard of this brand. So, I am writing it off as a mistake and will purchase a new name brand flute. DO NOT RECOMMEND BUYING this brand.. Ron

I purchased this flute for my daughter and it only has 1 sound. No matter how many keys you push, in what order the tune never changes! She is crushed, she has wanted this for 2 years. :(

This flute came with a piece missing. Wrong case and it seems very complicated to return. The flute also does not look new though it is pretty. Items from Amazon are usually great.

very bad product

poor quality but the price was right for the garbage.

I had 4 out of 12 broken upon delivery.

Smelled like paint, tasted like poison. You get what you pay for. I returned them for a refund. Carnivals wouldn't even carry this stuff.

I would give this product a zero star if possible.This is my worst purchase from Amazon and I could not believe Amazon actually sells this product.There are not real Dizi or flute. All products are made of crapy bamboo stem. All of them had been coated with a thick layer of unknown substance with very strong smell.We washed them many many times but still could not get rid of the smell. You really can not help but thinking what the manufactuers had done with these bamboos. You can not give them to your children.I am wondering if Amazon can accept a free return...Stay away this junk.