I got a Xaphoon a couple of Christmases back. It's enough like a recorder to cause confusion. The stretch is wider than a recorder, and it took a while to get used to the reach. Because of the stretch, it's less comfortable than playing a recorder.
Unlike the recorder, the back hole isn't an octave hole.

It didn't take long to decide to replace the bamboo reed with an artificial reed. That certainly didn't help the tone, but it lasts a lot longer!

I found intonation to be a challenge, especially in the higher register. I never got that good at it, and haven't played it in a while.

For the price, it's definitely worth getting.

If I had the money, I'd probably get a Clarineo instead. I've not had a chance to play one, but I've got a Nuvo Flute by the same company, and I'm pretty happy with it. From the sound samples, the Clarineo sounds a bit more buzzy and plasticy than the Xaphoon, but it's probably worth it for the expanded range and chromatic scale.

-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?