I know this is an older thread, but I recently got the chance to play a B&M Bowley.
I never even considered it before walking into the shop, but for the money it's a real winner, which is why after a long time spent playing almost every uke in the store (Southern Ukulele) I ended up buying one!
All solid spruce, Aquila strings, made in China.
It really is VERY light but it has a fantastic sound. The funky headstock, vintage styling and matte stained look really appealed to me too. There were a couple of very slight finishing issues but nothing major and certainly nothing to complain about on a uke of this price.
Yes it's got geared tuners, but I am too heavy handed to use friction tuners effectively! lol