It can take several years to get a multi-keyed flute, so I was thinking that in addition to putting a downpayment on an 8-key flute, I would get a flute with 1 Eb key.
In other threads, I have read that the crossfingerings work best with small holed flutes. Is this correct? So then, if I wanted a fully chromatic 1-key flute from Casey Burns, I should get one of his small-hands flutes with an Eb key?
In addition to small tone holes, would a smaller bore be a good idea too? So, then, it should be a Casey Burns Rudall for small hands with an Eb key?
Smaller holes are better for cross fingerings, but I’d simply call Casey and ask what he thinks is most chromatic.
Or, you could buy my baroque aulos flute which is fully chromatic…whoops, did I say that? 
Eric
Yes, definitely call Casey.
(Also there is the option of half holing
on flutes with larger holes.)
Yes but the half holing doesn’t go so well when the flute walls are thick as they are with wooden flutes, regardless of the size of the tone holes.
You can compare the half holing effect on a thin walled D bansuri (always large tone holes) with any D wooden flute with large tone holes. At speed, the thin walled respond faster and easier.
From the little I have read and I have read a lot 
cross fingerings work best on the Baroque style flutes and I reckon my next D flute may be one such. I am not able to cross finger any but the 7th very well on my small tone hole wooden D flute (Seery). Its going to cost me a bit to have keys added. I play in a band that does D Lydian (G# needed), D Phrygian (Eb, F, Bb and C needed), D Harmonic Minor amongst others. Of course I have other flutes, mostly bamboo, that enable a variety of D scales but it would be lovely to be able to do most of them on the Irish flute.
So if I were you, Headwizer, I would get a Baroque with Eb key and play that while waiting for the 8 key Irish concert flute.
Good Luck with whatever you decide.
Post-Baroque and one-keyed classical flutes (in other words, all the flutes commonly used for Irish trad, including the “small” holed flutes, such as Rudalls) were and are not designed to be played with cross-fingerings. The keys make such flutes fully chromatic, and while you’ll be able to get some of the accidentals via cross-fingering, they will not all be available.
I formerly owned an old german 8 key flute, but it had small tone holes. I could cross finger Cnat, Bb and G# as well as I can on my baroque flute. Only Fnat didn’t cross finger well, but it could be half-holed, anyway.
Eric
