Dear Richard:
Thank you for that photo, “a “photo” is worth a thousand words”… 🙂 …(not to denigrate the value of language…), and from my perspective the hole size and positions are quite similar, though I can see that the Bernolin IS just a bit larger in all outer dimensions…(and yes, the foot joint certainly beefier).
From a very inconsequential, aesthetic perspective, I would like to the Bernolin to be manufactured with the “ebony” resin for the majority of the body of the instrument, with the “ivory” resin used for the beak, as well as “joint reinforcer” rings/bands as well as the foot joint cap, a la the Ecodear, however, I realize that THAT might drive the cost up prohibitively…
Yes, for all those reasons, I would stick with the “A” 442/Modern pitch recorder, as it IS a touch smaller, as well as will play nicely with other modern-pitch instruments, and down here in southeast Florida, I know of no-one who plays at “A” 415, or 466 for that matter!…lol…
I once again revisited Sarah Jeffery’s video on the Bernolin, which continues to whet my appetite. I trust that you DID find the Bernolin to be substantially superior to the Ecodear in its sonic/play-ability qualities…??…and the “fight to the finish” was simply a humorous reference to the “vs.”/contest wording… 🙂 …
Peace/Namaste,
Tim K.