Chiff and Fipple Forums

Hello, Fellow Whistlers!

I have been meaning to purchase a Bb whistle for a while now, and after some consideration I have decided that I want to purchase a Susato Oriole one. Unfortunately, many sites do not ship the product to the country, in which I live, and the few that do, often have less than sympathetic shipping prices. Susato's website does ship it at a (relatively) reasonable price, however the site itself seems very unpolished, which makes me worry that it is not safe to order a whistle from it. Does anybody have any experience with ordering from their site? Is it reliable?

Thanks in Advance!

The website: https://www.susato.com/collections/oriole

I live in Virginia, which borders North Carolina where Susato is located. I have ordered whistles from the Susato web site and they have been very prompt in processing the orders. You can also order Susatos from The Whistle Shop located in Illinois.

I concur: I've ordered from Susato before and have had only good experience with them.

Depending on the location of the OP, it is worth considering postal rates. US postal rates are, as far as I am concerned, generally prohibitive when you're outside the US. It may be well worth considering ordering elsewhere: Feadóg will send Susatos from Ireland, using An Post rates, for example (and they don't list any restrictions with regards to destination). Amazon and many others also carry Susatos. Loads of options.

Do note, the quick google I did threw up some less favourable opinions about the Oriole Bflat.

I got the impression that the Joe is okay with their shipping rates, as he says the rate is "relatively reasonable".

Though I do think you're just slightly off your rocker as far as US postal rates go! Generally prohibitive!? I had to pay $25 to post a knit cap and a little bag of sweets to a niece in London last Christmas!!!

Generally prohibitive has got to be the understatement of the millennium. It sure doesn't cost very much to post a small packet from Europe to the US. An Post can send my hat & treats from Ireland to the US for €9; Royal Mail can do the same for £6.

So I agree fully: look for a source in Europe somewhere if you'd like to avoid high postage costs coming out of the US!

[Politics removed - Mod.]

@ Mr Gumby
very interesting link. Thanks! I was always skeptical of these whistle sets with one head and different bodies down to Bb. It's clear that the ratio between diameter of the tube and key is less than optimal on those. Even cheapo Generations have different tube-diameters for different keys.

I'd say the best Orioles are the C and the Bb, with the D and Eb at the same tube size lagging behind. I actually like my Bb quite a lot.

Mr.Gumby wrote:Depending on the location of the OP, it is worth considering postal rates. US postal rates are, as far as I am concerned, generally prohibitive when you're outside the US. It may be well worth considering ordering elsewhere: Feadóg will send Susatos from Ireland, using An Post rates, for example (and they don't list any restrictions with regards to destination). Amazon and many others also carry Susatos. Loads of options.

Funny you should mention Feadóg, as they're the other site that ships to my country (Israel, in case you wanted to know) and somehow the shipping is slightly pricier despite the shorter distance, and the whistle itself costs more, probably since Feadóg has to order the whistles from the US.

I know there are some complaints about the Bb Oriole, but those come mostly from people who have ordered the four whistle set, which uses the same mouthpiece for all bodies. I intend on buying the Bb on its own, which, from what I've seen and heard, is a good and liked low end Bb whistle.

JoeIsAFlamingo wrote:I know there are some complaints about the Bb Oriole, but those come mostly from people who have ordered the four whistle set, which uses the same mouthpiece for all bodies. I intend on buying the Bb on its own, which, from what I've seen and heard, is a good and liked low end Bb whistle.

It's exactly the same Bb either way.

To the original question... I have ordered from the Susato website MANY times. I've never experienced any problems at all. I live on the opposite coast of the US. Never any issues.

Susato's website is a bit dated, it's true.

But I've never had an issue with them with my past orders. They're a well known company.