Startone SCL- 25 Bb- Clarinet

I'm a music producer and I was looking for a clarinet I could toy around with and possibly use in very casual recordings.

PROS:
Has everything I can imagine a beginner could want.
Really nice bag, comes complete with a swab, cork grease, two barrels, neck strap. Everything one could ask for.
The tone is quite nice with a good reed (I got Vandoren 56 2.5 reeds) so make sure to order reeds - the difference is absolutely day and night. The tone is nice and I can definitely imagine myself using it for simple indie album recordings.
The keys are solid and don't make noise - that was a huge surprise, considering the price.

CONS:
The tone in the upper registers aren't bad but aren't exactly stellar either. I haven't been played the clarinet for a decade, so it could be my skills but the tones in the upper octave are slightly harsher than I'd expect.
The sponge pad for one of the keys was flimsy, although a drop of glue did the trick.

OVERALL:
I would definitely recommend it for a beginner or for hobbyists (in this regard) like myself. Good tone, solid build, and an amazing price.

This was my first clarinet, and I'm glad it let me try out this instrument at such a low cost. After 6 months of playing, I've purchased a well-used old pro wooden clarinet, and it's quite clear that the Startone can't match it for tone (even with the same mouthpiece). But I hadn't expected that at this price point. It's free of leaks, all tones play and all keys work just as they should. This means you can learn all of the technique on this and you'll just be immediately rewarded when you get a better clarinet.

I have two quality quibbles:
1. While an adjustable thumb rest is good, the screw is of very poor quality and broke when I tigthened it. Luckily my tech fixed it for free so I didn't have to send it back to Germany for repair (which might take weeks)
2. The included swab is OK, but the quality of cloth and cord is very low. The weight fell straight out of the fabric after a few months of use. Get a better swab like the BG France A32 Swab Clarinet & Flute instead.

As with most non-Yamaha clarinets, the included mouthpiece is trash. Get a Yamaha 4C or a used ebonite mouthpiece and this will satisfy your needs for much longer (and you'll be able to transfer that mouthpiece to your next clarinet which will probably also have only a bad mouthpiece included).