Now, before I start, I have to declare myself a novice, however, when I was looking for an accordion, I would have welcomed advice from another novice myself! After spending weeks trying to buy a second hand instrument, I finally decided to up my budget a bit and get a new one. This meant being tempted by the myriad of Chinese boxes around, but they are all rather heavy. When I finall discovered the Rubin it was clearly the one to buy, as it combined German hand-built quality at a very affordable price. It arrived in record time, and I love it! It has a lovely sound, is clearly very well made and is light! Add to this a 3 year warranty and this is what I call a bargain. Thoman were incredibly efficient and friendly, and I cannot endorse them highly enough. I'm beginning to get the hang of it now, and am knocking out simple tunes already!