Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Kawai K300, Ritmuller UHX121 or Charles Walter 1500?

Which of the above three would you prefer new and how come?

I honestly don't think there's a wrong choice among those three. The UHX version of the 121 I don't think I've played yet, but the 121R has been one of my favorite new uprights for that price point (which was a lower one than the others mentioned here). The list prices on the Walter have increased a lot in the last decade - are the offered prices similar among these?

I like the Walter because it outperforms its size and it's a small, American, family-owned outfit. The looks can be a little polarizing, as the exterior design can look like a 1970s console in a way that doesn't appeal to me for some models. Warranty is transferrable. You have the choice of two different action suppliers.

I like the Kawai as being a well-balanced instrument at typically an attractive selling price/value. Other pluses include the composite action (so long as you like its performance), the transferrable warranty, and it's a well-known brand on the resale market.

I like the Ritmuller because the company (who produce a ton of pianos and have an enormous factory) seems to be trying really hard to break into higher-end production with certain product offerings, and are definitely among the more successful attempts coming from a Chinese factory. I might expect it will have a lower selling price than the others you're considering, as the wholesale price is likely lower and the brand is a less established in this market segment.

I have versions of each of these specific pianos listed in the Piano Buyer "Staff Picks" because I was favorably impressed with each.

I would prefer the Kawai as it is the only one that would be available for me to actually try in my area and I would never buy a piano without playing it. I have played a few used Ritmullers and was not impressed at all, but the ones I played were not representative of the current model you are interested in and which is (probably) a lot better.

If you do like the Kawai consider the 500 as well, this is more expensive of course but a really nice piano. And do pick the piano you like not what we would necessarily choose :-)