Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I recently ordered 5 different ukulele models while researching products for my senior adult choir at church as I wanted to give them a few options. Okina UK100 Soprano Ukulele with Rosewood Fingerboard - Natural Diamond Head DU-150 Ukulele, Natural Mahalo U-30OR Painted Economy Soprano Ukulele (Orange) Lanikai LU-11 Soprano Ukulele Kala KA-15S Mahogany Soprano Ukulele The Okina, Diamond Head and Mahalo were all under $30 at the time and within $2 price of each other. Of the three, I thought that the Mahalo was the best offering both visually and in terms of tone quality. The Okina had a poor sound quality even compared to my own 20- and 40-year-old ukuleles (which had the original strings). A string upgrade to Aquila strings helped significantly, but even then, the Okina still had a far worse sound quality at this price level. The Diamond Head and Mahalo both sounded better even with the stock strings, and each includes a nice (for this price) little gig bag. The Mahalo has the most "island" look to my eyes and the best sound. Much of the sound can probably be attributed to the strings which are more substantial than the Diamond Head's. That being said, it still makes financial and practical sense to get the Mahalo since it's so near the same price (compared to the Diamond Head) and has heavier strings already installed. I've also reviewed the Lanikai and Kala on their own pages. On an almost irrelevant note, the Diamond Head was the only instrument of the 5 to arrive in something close to actual tuned-up string tension. It takes several days for these nylon strings to stretch and settle in, but I didn't have to retune the Diamond Head so much because it was already virtually in tune. This would not be my primary concern with purchasing an instrument for myself but may be a significant headache-saver for a non-musician parent purchasing a ukulele for a young child.