Hello. I just found this forum and it looks pretty interesting.
I have a Bernolin white resin alto (442), and like it VERY much. It sounds MUCH better than any regular plastic recorder I have ever played (and I have them all – Yamaha 300s, Ecodear; Aulos Haka, 509, 509B; Zen-on Bressan; G-1A; etc, etc).
As I understand it, since it is a Stanesby Jr design, it favors the low to middle ranges. As such, the higher notes (high C#, D, E, etc) can be slower to speak than on some other recorders. I don’t want to place too much emphasis on this, because it is very good on such notes, but some people criticize it for this. Again, the Stanesby Jr design is deliberately made this way (from what I have read).
Regardless, the sound of the recorder is much fuller and richer than anything I have ever played (including Moeck Rottenburgs in maple and palisander, a Dolmetsch rosewood model, etc; plus all those plastic models). It kind of surprises me every time I play it, especially if I have been playing regular plastics recently.
So, as far as I can see, it is about the best bang-for-buck in recorders. You can tell by examining it that all the holes have been adjusted via shaving within each hole; this, of course, is the way high-quality recorders are made, and the amazing sound shows the result.
Finally, I have small hands for a guy, and was VERY pleased that the Bernolin’s holes have about the easiest placement of any recorder I own. For exmaple, the reach for the left ring finger is nicely narrow (relatively), and the right-hand holes are excellent too (I actually have to bring my fingers together some after playing a regular plastic recorder). This is somewhat surprising because the recorder itself is somewhat LARGER than others, being about 2 ounces heavier, with a fatter center barrel and quite a large foot section.
As far as the Aafab/Coolsma polyester models, I had never heard of them till I read this post. They look very interesting, but they don’t tell you much on their website, so buying one would be a pig in a poke, IMHO, especially considering how very pricey they are. Buy one and let us know! 😉 Me, I wouldn’t even consider it without reading some things about it.
Sarah Jeffery has a YouTube review of the Bernolin black resin alto here:
She doesn’t say too much about how well she likes it, but I have noticed that in more recent videos she often uses it (and waves it around in her normal manner), so I think she is liking it pretty well.
Hope this helps. If you have any questions about it, feel free… 🙂