Buffet Crampon Prodige Bb-Clarinet 18/6

Overall the instrument plays really nicely, the keys all work smoothly and are very quiet! It's already survived tipping over from standing upright a couple times and is still fine, it's sturdy which is something I value in any instrument. It's also as far as I could see the only plastic clarinet currently available anywhere with an Eb lever which is nice to have.
I find it has a nice tone in both the higher and lower registers, and I can even do some glisando on this which I struggled with on the clarinet I used to borrow.

I only really have two complaints and two nitpicking comments about this package.
The first is the mouthpiece, which wasn't quite to my liking, I struggled with the notes in the second register. This is of course subjective, it might be perfect for a beginner. I switched it for a 4C mouthpiece and any problems I had with playability were gone. The reed that came with the clarinet wasn't exactly good either, but I already had other reeds to use

The second is that the case doesn't have much room for anything. You can just about squeeze in the swab and one or two reeds(forget about a full pack) and grease. The larger pocket can barely squeeze in a marching stand and even a small lyre is too thick to fit neatly inside. And the dangling metal pieces on the zippers made too much noise so I clipped them off. That said, the overall small size of the case is very practical for traveling! You can use the straps and wear it like a backpack, or remove them and easily put the whole case in a schoolbag along with a music stand and sheet music with room to spare.

My nitpicky comments, which don't affect my rating at all, is that the bag pictured on the product page is slightly different from the one I received. It doesn't have the flap covering the sheet music pocket, but not having the flap is actually an improvement in my eyes. The second is that I didn't get the Buffet Crampon branded pencil in my case.

I bought Prodigy 18/6 mainly as an instrument for outdoor playing. It's made of ABS resin and is not prone to cracking although one should keep in mind that low temperatures do impact the resin and make the pitch go noticeably down — it's not metal or plastic, after all. But also in the indoor situation, the instrument has shown every characteristic of a regular professional grade clarinet, lest the "woodiness" in tone that was missing there. The latter could be noticed while comparing Prodige back to back to my regular wooden Bb (Selmer Privilege), but outside of that comparison, it was just perfectly fine. I specifically asked my orchestra pit colleagues: they liked it a lot and had no problem blending and otherwise playing in ensemble with me on the Prodige.
Ergonomics-wise, it's totally fine. Trill keys are differently positioned than those on the Selmer, but that sort of comes with territory. It's totally usable. Keywork quality is okay— but you can't complain for the money. Again, it works fine.
I tried to experiment with various boutique barrels I had handy, but what I found out, was that this instrument plays with the stock barrel just fine. Just use your regular pro setup (mouthpiece + ligature + reed) and you won't be disappointed. It's a keeper.

Voila un instrument comme je les aime : une très grande qualité de fabrication et un prix raisonnable. De plus le plastique de l'instrument est très résistant et ne risque pas de se fendre. Une clarinette tout terrain. Certes la sonorité n’est pas la même non plus. Mais elle n’est pas désagréable, juste différente. Et avoir une clef de Mib sur un instrument de ce prix c’est vraiment un plus.
En résumé : très content de mon achat ainsi que du service Thomann