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.
