Question about flasks

[Orquiadicto]

Next month I'll be visiting the orchid show in Madrid and I'm thinking about buying perhaps a flask. I don't have any experience with flasks so I don't know how to tell if a flask offered contains good quality plants or not. Can anyone please tell me to which aspects should I pay attention?
Thank you.

[zxyqu]

ROOTS! and then Plant Size! There are other things to consider as well depending on how you plan to travel, but they are minor compared to the above.
Depending on how many and how large the plants are, I'd look for very well grown in roots. I've seen flasks for sale that had just been replated and the plants hadn't grown in just yet, to some that had grown in so well there wasn't any media left. Judge the plant size to roots carefully, and get the best flask. Mind you every family is a bit different, but this is a pretty good general idea. Avoid flasks that show any signs of black/brown leaf spots, and I'd be careful buying any that show yellowing/whiting of the roots. I've found these do not do well when deflasked (at least in my hands).

[Orquiadicto]

I'll be traveling by train (high speed, so three hours from Barcelona to Madrid).
Thank you for your hints. I surely will consider them. How about condensation inside the flask?

[zxyqu]

Condensation inside the flasks aren't an indicator (at least in my experience) of anything specifically. If someone brought flasks from 85 degree weather to 60 degree weather, you'll get condensation. It's merely an indication of something like that. If there's excess, maybe a yellow flag, but nothing serious.