Probably a lot more folks more qualified than me to
answer, but having played a Horner a couple of times
I think its a good box to learn on. You're not gonna
get the "sound" you get from a handmade box, but its
something to start with...without paying an arm n' leg.

After all is said and done, I agree with Joe.
You can learn on an Arriett. And if you get to the point that you are playing well enough , and long enough, to realize why the price of these instruments is what it is, then you are ready to move up to a good instrument.
Jude

I started out on an Ariette and enjoyed the heck out of it. Compared to a LA handmade is like comparing a Mercedes roadster to a VW bug, but you need to learn to drive sometime. You can learn the basic tunes, playing octaves, and everything else you need to start out. If you enjoy it, when you upgrade you will suddenly take a huge leap in your ability because you will find the high grade handmades are much easier to play, but again, I really liked my Ariette when I was learning, and now I am saving it to practice tuning on while I play my Bon Cajuns.

Hal

Ditto to the rest. I have a Hohner H114, that I was loving just fine until I picked up a real accordion. But it still plays well enough to learn on and see if it is worth getting a better one. I have had a blast with it. Just a word to the wise, dont play a good one until you are ready to buy one because once you do nothing else will do.

I appreciate the responses. I feel much better about buying this entry level accordion now. Looking forward to the day when I'm driving that Mercedes!!

If you can put a little more I would get the ha114, I find it a better accordion especially for the price. IMO