After struggling (as a beginner on flute) for 3 weeks on a Chinese made $300 flute, I bought myself a new Yamaha 211 ID. Now I can actually get reliable notes from E down to bottom C and can even start a bottom C. This was very very difficult on the Chinese flute and impossible to start on bottom C. The Chinese was fine for key registration and could hold pressure, even better when I tested it, than the Yamaha (which is brand new) but it still failed below E - fine otherwise on LH fingers but poor on RH.
The Yamaha is a lovely instrument for the money - this 211 1D is the latest model and is actually made in Indonesia. It cost me around $600 delivered, in UK.
No looking back now !
IanR..................
.............still trying to become a musician at 66 years of age !
Congrats! I have delt with some Chinese in my studio, and to be quite honest, this is a case where a cheap flute can hinder a player's progress. I see it happen a lot.