GoHokies

Some very interesting points brought up so far by many of you that I have not seen in other threads. Both of you make great points about the price and the prospect of buying another concertina in the future to upgrade. I guess it is a certain type of fear factor that is keeping me from pulling trigger on a more expensive model. I do get a pretty substantial raise come January so maybe I will just have to wait until then to afford a Swan (or Minstrel but again that is a 33% rise in price and from what i can see the Minstrel is comparable to the Swan). I definitely want to learn the concertina so I will just have to budget and wait a couple of months! Additionally the first two posts were a little concerning when it came to the similarity of the cheap Chinese models vs the Rochelle (and even the Wren). Hopefully new players will see this thread and learn from my mistake! I really appreciate the feedback so far and anymore knowledge on the subject at hand is appreciated.

Hello all! About a month ago I started to explore playing an instrument and the concertina caught my eye. Being a little too eager I purchased a "cheap" Chinese Bonetti "concertina". Soon as I picked it up I knew I made a mistake by cheaping out. I do not know much about the feel of a concertina but the reeds were extremely hard to push/pull and sound was not the best. Luckily I am able to return it for a full refund and with the assurance I definitely do want to learn the Anglo concertina! (Got some light practice in too) After doing some more proper research I have found some more quality concertina options online. Although my budget is limited (About $500 USD) I have seen multiple recommendations for the Rochelle and the Wren 2. I am leaning towards the Wren 2, because of a couple negative comments about the Rochelle's bellow being "stiff". If anyone has any recommendations between the two (or in general) I would love to hear it. I am a complete novice, but I am excited to join the music world! I have seen some other similar threads about this topic, but wanted to see some new opinions/share my experience. Appreciate the help!