This sounds like one of those arguments that can never be won because so much individual taste is involved.

I play trumpet (with a bit of piano and guitar tossed in over the years as lessons). The same arguments go on: pre-UMI vs. "real" Conn horns, Japanese vs. US vs. European, etc. etc.

Find something you can play and play it. If you have a student, outfit that the person with a instrument that fits and that they can play -- if you can, try different ones until you hit on the right one. Who knows? -- maybe this person really is the one who can make an old cigar box sound like Doc Watson.