I get where you're coming from. I'd do the same within prerequisite characteristics parameters. Its really just a short train journey or drive to a major city from most parts of the UK, so you'll have plenty to try and choose from at one of the prominent or chain stores one of whom will feature large near where you live. i.e. Dawsons in the NW, Andertons in Guildford, PMT who are everywhere, or the online boxshifters.
From that bewildering array of competing brands they'll have to present and add to the choice confusion, frequently with pricing based on heavily marketed emotional comfort factors like brand familiarity and perceived peer approval prestige, don't underestimate Cort. The brand doesn't have the name prominence for its own name that it deserves. At the price point mentioned, IME, at any price point they are as a rule even better quality than Yamaha who set the reliability plus value standard. They offer wide range of tones as they offer a selection of model body size, construction styles and woods. Thomann stock Cort and have that SFX-1F listed BTW. You should check its specs. Just different enough from the APX600. Lubbly jubbly!
As an aside, I live 300km from a major capital city myself. Even when on a flying visit to it, I'm not an in store shopper myself. In the US with their 'customer is king' attitude to retail and sheer number of stores supported by its massive population with advantage of a number of big name brands selling cheaply on home turf regardless of being imports now manufactured in PRC, SEA, Korea, Vietnam, Mexico et al, I would be more tempted by the in store experience. Here, I don't care for the highest margin or biggest distro kickback push-sell, nor the "just buy now from what we have in stock now" sigh, or get a faceful of barely diguised disinterest accompanied by a '(you're a) PITA time waster' 'attitude' from a range of equally unwelcome all too prevalent 'attitudes' seemingly the norm in so many LMS employees today.
