You don't
have to get a solid wood uke for $200.
I know solid wood ukes sound "better", with more resonance and tone.
But in the $200 range, a well made laminate uke may "overall" be a better instrument than a solid-wood instrument, from other features.
I didn't notice a huge difference between a laminate Koa Kala uke and an all-solid mahogany Kala uke, which were both priced around the same from MGM.
If it were my money, I would get the Kala Flame Mahogany Tenor with the new electronics and built-in tuner.
It may sound a bit gentler than a solid-wood uke, but it's just packed with features, is well built and looks pretty
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Flame-mahog...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4cedf79187
And yes, a good uke like the ones mentioned so far in this topic is a SIGNIFICANT upgrade from a Mahalo.
You form a new set of 'minimum standards' once you've tried something better.
And by no means is the Mahalo representative of laminate ukes, there are great laminates and the not-so-great.
Apparently the Kiwaya laminate ukes outperform most solid ukes in its price range. I also heard great things about the Flea/Fluke.
There is also the added bonus of not having to give a stuff about humidity over a $200 instrument if you go with laminate.