Third Party T3I Ext Flash selection

Can some one that has a T3I make a suggestion for a third party flash? The flash is for a buddy and he is very new to the DSLR world, so finding something that is close to E-TTL II compatible is important. Manual is not an option...This is a for a newbie

Regards,

110yd

While not 3rd party, I would suggest going for a Canon 430 EX II.. I'm not saying that the third party flashes are lacking, as I have not opted to try them. I have noticed that a number of them are missing features here and there on third party flashes- so I opted out... You might look at the Canon 320 EX as well, but I would think that the 430 EX II gives one a little more flexibility..

110yd wrote in post #13388402
Can some one that has a T3I make a suggestion for a third party flash? The flash is for a buddy and he is very new to the DSLR world, so finding something that is close to E-TTL II compatible is important. Manual is not an option...This is a for a newbie

Regards,

110yd

there are lots of options, Yongnuo, Sunpak, Metz, Nissin, etc.
For the past three years I've been using Yongnuo flashes on an XSi (450D). The Yongnuo YN465 has Canon ETTL, manual controls, etc, $65.
The newer Yongnuo Flashes have more features

http://speedlights.net​/in-depth-speedlight-reviews/

Because the T3I is relatively new, I am not sure Yongnuo has solutions that are fully compatible. I have read a review or two about problems with Yongnuo and the T3I. I was hoping to get some feedback from people who had some combination of a newer Yongnuo flash and the Canon T3I.
I am going to take a look at the other suggestions.