Hi folks. I've had my Bernolin white alto resin recorder (442) for 3 months now, and I want to give some additional impressions about it. I haven't changed any of my earlier feelings about it sounding GREAT, and loving the easy hole positions.
But I have encountered one problem with it - it clogs. I was skeptical about reports that it never clogs, and my feeling is that it only seems that way when you first get it because it has been treated with Bernolin anti-condensation fluid. Once it wears off, it starts to clog. I'd say that it clogs worse than any wooden recorder I own, and worse than any Aulos plastic recorder I have (Aulos is good in this respect), and somewhat worse than the Yamaha Ecodear.
I think that this is because the Bernolin does have a narrower windway than most plastic recorders (except the Ecodear), which makes it prone to clogging vs other plastic recorders, and the entire area surrounding the cedar block is plastic, so you aren't getting the absorption that occurs with wooden recorders.
The clogging is especially true with high C# and D, where it was driving me nuts. So I finally splurged and got the LM77 anti-condensation fluid sold by Bernolin:
https://www.bernolin.fr/english/lm77.htm
I can report that it works. It really seems to prevent almost all clogging (assuming you warm the recorder under your arm before playing). This is why it was so surprising to me when it started clogging.
The question is how long the treatment will last. Judging by how long I had it before it started clogging initially, I am hoping the treatment will last at least 3 or 4 weeks. This is much longer than conventional detergent-based fluids, of course, but it really did last several months without clogging when I first got it, so I have high hopes. I probably used less fluid than they do at the shop, so it may not last as long. He has a YouTube video about how to use it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqE93LdqhmI
It is expensive - about $15/bottle after the exchange rate (I got 2), so it is important that it lasts awhile at least. He says that a bottle should last an entire year, so that would be great.
Anyway, I'll let you know how well it seems to work after I have more experience using it.