I did a little video about the Thompson flute I bought here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_3iVXd3yE0
First off, I'd say if you're just learning you don't really need the extra bodies, a D flute is pretty much all you need. The Thompson flute is IMO an excellent one for a beginner, it's well-made and the price is definitely right. One thing I'll note is that I've found the embouchure and feel much more similar to other Rudall-style Irish flutes than some of the other flutes geared towards beginners that I've tried. It's not necessarily "easy to play" in that the embouchure isn't super forgiving, but to me at least that's a
good thing for a beginner, since you'll be forced to learn good technique from the start (and it's not
hard to play either). In terms of session playing, I mainly bought the set to take to sessions while traveling, so I can definitely recommend it there. In a bigger, louder session it's not quite as loud as the Lehart that I usually play, but few flutes are, and it certainly doesn't get drowned out.
As for the fragility of delrin, I don't know where that idea comes from, because if anything this flute is much
less fragile than a comparable wooden flute. I'm pretty sure I could defend myself in a bar fight with it and then play a set of reels, not that I'm planning on testing that theory! To clarify, it doesn't have a "slide" really, it has a longer tenon that means you have room to tune.
