Vento Flutes

Music Factory Direct asked me to try their Vento flutes and share my opinions about them and evaluate them for my recommended flutes resource page.

When I first received these flutes I was pleasantly surprised to see how well-made they seemed. You could tell the engraving was hand done (a sign of a good flute), and there was absolutely no side-to-side wiggle in the keys. I also found that my students were able to play every note perfectly in tune with these flutes.

The 4 criteria I consider when evaluating a flute are:

1. Is it reliable? Here I am evaluating the initial quality of the flute. You don't want to have to suffer the constant frustration of having things like springs popping loose, etc.
   
   Based on my experience with these flutes, and the opinion of a local technician who carefully inspected them for me, these flutes passed my reliability test.



2. Is it durable? How long will they last? You might expect that the more you pay for a flute, the longer it should last. However, the flutes with all of the bells and whistle will not necessarily outlast a student model flute without all the extras. For a student model flute, I think it's reasonable to get up to 10 years out of it. Keep in mind that all flutes will eventually need an overhaul. An overhaul (last I heard) costs around $1000, so any flute you buy for less than the cost of an overhaul is considered disposable. The depreciation of a "disposable" flute I suspect would be around $25-$100/year.
   
   Since I have only had a month with these flutes, I can not yet personally say how durable they are.



3. Is it fixable? If the flute is a brand you have never heard of, make sure you talk to a technician before you buy it. They will need to be able to get the parts to repair the flute should it need repairing at some point.
   
   The technician I had evaluate these flutes tells me that she can readily find any parts for this brand of flute if necessary.



4. Does it come with a warranty? Enquire how many days you will have to decide if you want to return it for a full cash refund. Also how long will they back the flute and allow you to exchange it should it break.
   
   Guarantees and warranties offered on any flute are up to the music store selling these products. You should inquire with the music store you are buying from about any guarantees/warranties offered.

Vento Flutes

The Vento flutes are easy to put together. I found they had a darker tone. The notes on the entire range of these flutes were clear and easy to produce. I had the same technician look at these flutes. Again she noticed the engraving on them was hand done and the keys did not move side to side. The quick action of the keys for the two more expensive model Vento flutes were good, but the Vento that is advertised for $200 (though really impressed with it for the price) had a stiffer mechanism. I'll be holding on to the $200 Vento to see how durable it is and I will be posting updates on this.

Overall, I feel I really put these flutes to the test and was really impressed by what I found out. Please feel free to email me your concerns, if any, after trying these flutes.