by Howard Fosdick © FolkFluteWorld.com
This is a review of Focalink ceramic seedpods. It is based on my ownership of their C Soprano, Alto C, and G Tenor pendants.
These ocarinas are of the type called wan-wan -- the style of seedpod shown in this photo.
You might also hear these called "TaiGie type".
The orange Alto C measures about 3" tall and 2 3/4" wide, while the green C Soprano is about 2 1/4" tall and 2" wide.
Both fit pleasantly in hand and are easy to finger.
They come in a variety of bright, monochrome colors. Each includes an attached lanyard (neck strap).
(I wrote a separate review of the G Tenor seedpod, which you can read here.)
About Focalink
Focalink is a company headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. It's also known as Focalink-Stein, since it sells through the name of Stein internationally. It's known locally in Taiwan as Feng Ya Pottery.
For international purchases, access the Stein Ocarina website. In Taiwan, use the Focalink website. The important point is that Stein and Focalink are one and the same.
Focalink makes a very complete range of ocarinas. They come in both high quality plastic and ceramic, in all sizes from high sopranos to the low basses, in single and multi chambered configurations, as transverses or 4 or 6 hole pendants, and in a myriad of shapes.
If you like to collect pendants, they offer an astounding variety of cute designs and themes.
The common denominator with all Focalink ocarinas is that are quality musical instruments. You can buy an oc from them and rest assured that it will look flawless and play fully in tune.
You can't say that about many ocarina manufacturers. Some make high quality ocs for the top end of their line, but they also compete in the low priced ocarina marketplace where they really can't assure quality.
Other vendors lack good quality control procedures. They make "hit or miss" ocarinas... perhaps you'll get a good specimen, or maybe you won't. When working with fired ceramics, this can be an issue if you're not careful.
And finally, there are many manufacturers who don't care about the musicality of their products because that's not the point. Their goal is to produce cute collectibles, not musical instruments.
With Stein/Focalink, if you buy a cute collectible you'll know it's also a true musical instrument.
As administrator of this website, people often ask me where to buy ocarinas. What I like about Stein/Focalink is that I can recommend them without hesitation.
I don't have to worry that the inquirer will receive anything other than a quality musical instrument. Even if they buy a fanciful little C Soprano design, I known that it will play well and in tune.
Packaging and Shipping
Given that they ship worldwide, Focalink packs their products in two boxes (a box within a box). The outer box is rugged for shipping purposes, while the inner box is the pretty printed cardboard you would expect to see if you encountered the product on a store shelf.
If you've ever seen how packages are handled at the airport, you know it can be pretty rough. But with Focalink's ready-for-the-wars packaging, I would estimate the chances of a damaged shipment to be extremely low.
Inside the box you'll find your ocarina. I don't know whether this applies to all their pendants, but all those I've seen come with attached lanyards (necklaces). You'll also find a fingering chart.
Playability and Sound
At this point I think you know my opinion -- you can depend on Focalink when it comes to quality musical instruments. I love the sweet, mellow sound of their ceramic pendants.
But everyone has their own personal preference when it comes to timber and tone. So you'll definitely want to listen to any ocarina before you buy it.
One good source of sound samples is Youtube. Click here to search on "Focalink", or click here to search specifically for "Focalink seedpods".
Where to Buy
You can buy from either the Stein Ocarina website for international orders, or from the Focalink Taiwanese website.
Various of the Focalink products are also carried by Songbird Ocarina, STL Ocarina, and Amazon.
You can even find them on Etsy, and in used condition on Ebay.
The Stein website offers all Focalink products. Outside of Stein, distribution is a bit uneven. What each vendor carries varies, and even what they carry at any specific time often varies.
So if you're looking for a specific color, style, or key, it's easiest to buy directly from the Stein website. Otherwise you may have to search more than one vendor to find exactly what you want.
A key point to understand is that prices vary a lot. They depend on currency conversions, shipping fees, tariffs, and of course who you buy from. Shop around and you can save a bundle when buying a Focalink product.
For example, when I bought my Alto C pendant, the lowest price I encountered was $12 USD, while the highest was $30 USD. Some prices included shipping, handling, and tariffs, while others did not.
So even if you don't consider yourself a "bargain hunter," it's worth being cognizant of these price variations.
Review Summary:
- Style: 6-hole pendants, wan-wan style
- Maker: Focalink
- Composition: Ceramic
- Sellers: Stein, STL Ocarina, Songbird Ocarina, Amazon, Etsy, Ebay
- Pitch: All common pitches are available. The most popular seedpods are the C and G Sopranos, Alto C, Tenor G, and C Bass.
- Range: All 6 hole pendants have a 10 note range, all 4 hole pendants have an 8 note range. All pendants play all chromatics within their range.
- Fingering: Standard pendant fingering
- Price: Varies widely