Hm, a rating of all my whistles -- tough nuggies. For now I'll just rate the High Ds and post about the low whistles later on.
It might almost be easier to name the really bad whistles as most whistles I have, play great but there are a bunch I play more than others:
Top of the line, price-wise and quality-wise are my two Carbonys:
Carbony "quiet" model: narrow bore, tapered, plays very much like a trad-style whistle, perfectly in-tune cross-fingered C nat with oxxooo. Nice, slightly chiffy sound, tunable. Takes very little air. Top-notch whistle, well worth the price.
Carbony "leading tone" model: according to Rob Gandara (whom I met at a German music festival) it is the "session" model just with an extra hole. Differences to the "quiet" model: less chiffy, takes more air and is louder, especially at the end of the 2nd octave. Highly responsive whistle, a crann in the 1st octave sounds slightly snappier as on the quiet model. Notes can bend more due to the larger air-volume.
Generation red top: yes, you gotta buy a bunch but IMO the reason is not sloppy quality control but the molds for the injection molding wearing out. The newest Generations I bought were much better. Some Generations have nicks and dings in the same places on the head when you compare them -- those are from a worn-out mold and they suck big time. But when finding a perfect one -- it is pure magic. Well worth spending the money to buy a bunch over the years. My red top has just the right amount of chiff, that sweet 2nd octave yet strong bottom end. One of my favourites.
Of the cheap whistles another favourite is the
Waltons "mellow D" -- plays like my good Generation but slightly louder. The bore is a bit larger but it still plays very much like a traditional style whistle.
Beware of the standard model or the "little black whistle" -- they suck. But maybe it is as with the Generations and you just have to find the right one. So strangely enough -- one of my best and one of my worst whistles (little black whistle) come from the same company.
A highly underrated brand IMO (they seem to have had some issues in the past) is
TWZ (the German "tin-whistle-zentrum". I have all three of their standard models -- the "pure brass", "Al Jo" and "XL1" (which is the session model). The "pure brass" is one of my absolute favourites (in fact it would be my favourite if not for the bitter brass taste after you play it a while -- maybe I should somehow seal it). It takes so little air that you just need to breath at the beginning of a 30 min practice session
. And it has a rather chiffy sound, almost like a Clarke original but without the air-requirements. The volume-balance between the octaves is perfect and it still has a strong low end. Also tunable. Just an awesome whistle. The "Al Jo" model has all of that but is slightly louder, less chiffy and made from nickel silver. The XL1 is also nice but the bore is a bit large so tuning between octaves is not as good as on the other models. IMO it scratches the limit of bore/length ratio.
Chuck Tilbury whistles: Really great, hand made from polished aluminium tube, tunable, great tuning between the octaves, chiffy and loud but not too loud. According to the maker it is modelled after an O'Riordan model. For the price I highly recommend them.
A few more of mine:
Feádog: The "pro" is great but the standard model also nice with a bit more chiff. Doesn't have the magic of my Generation red-top though.
Clare: also good but I like it a bit less than the other "traditional" brands.
Oak: the "secret tip" -- has the same heavy barrel of the Feádog Pro but costs less. Very nice whistle (it is my "kitchen" whistle used while waiting for the coffee). Less chiff than a Generation or Feádog.
Dixon: I have a lot, I seldom play them, they are good but a bit bland IMO. Take more air than other makes and are louder. The "heavy brass" model is great (but as the name suggests heavy -- too heavy for my taste to play for extended periods) but the head moves too easily on the tuning slide. The DX001 has a great sound but the plastic feels cheap and gets "sticky" rather quickly. My favourite of the high D Dixons is the nickel "trad" model. Tunable and stable, easy to play but for daily practice, too loud at the end of the 2nd octave for my taste -- certainly nice for a mid-size session though, if your Generation is not heard well enough. They are a good mid-range brand but not much (if at all) better than a good Generation or Feádog. Good for beginners though as they don't require the refined breath control of some of the other brands and the tuning "out of the box" is better.
Shaw: the "improved" Clarke original, takes huge amounts of air. Quality is much better with a nickel silver body and the seam in the back is not as noticable. For the purist who wants the very traditional sound. I hardly play it because of the air-consumption.
Parks "ghost whistle": Looks strange but is actually the best plastic whistle (not counting the Carbonys which I wouldn't call plastic whistles) I own -- loud but not too loud, perfect backpressure for my playing style. Snappy ornaments are a breeze. Handmade but not tunable. I'd love to try one of the other Parks but they are much more expensive than the "Ghost". The plastic also feels much nicer than that of a Dixon DX001 -- not sticky, the tube is thicker and feels much sturdier.
Another great plastic model apart from the Ghost is the
Qwistle V.2. Tunable with a rather clear sound, great responsiveness, snappy ornaments, moderate to low air consumption. It has a strange "twist" however and that is one of the reasons I don't play it as often as I would like -- the cross-fingering for a well in tune C nat is oxoooo. Too much of a hassle to switch between fingerings therefore it gets rarely played. But if you can get used to the tuning, which does also have its advatanges, it is a great whistle. The material is 3D-printed Nylon which feels very nice and smooth. According to the maker it is also used for recreations of antique recorders. And it is slightly poruos so can absorb moisture to an extent. Doesn't clog therefore. But Donald WG Lindsay is taking a sabbatical from whistle-making anyway so I don't know if it is available at the moment.
Shearwater soprano D narrow bore. Very stable whistle, easy to play, a bit rough around the edges. I'd rate a Chuck Tilbury higher and it is not much more expensive but the craftsmanship is definitely two steps up. Still a great workhorse that simply performs without much fuzz.
Susato Oriole: very similar sound to the Dixon heavy brass model. Stiff and loud 2nd octave but good quality for a plastic whistle, definitely higher quality plastic than a Dixon DX001 but the Ghost far outplays both brands if you want plastic whistles.
Susato "Dublin" model: I have the one with the white plastic and it is not really good. It produces a buzzing, plasticky sound. Tuning is great though but the sound puts me off -- I almost never play it.
Cheapo
"Thomann" whistle, also sold under "woodi" or "recorder workshop" brand. The worst piece of sh*t whistle I ever played. Not even worth the 5 bucks they charge for it. Money better spend on a Sweetone. Yes, it can produce a proper sound in competent hands (look for the review by Martial Benoit) but it is simply not worth playing.
Some others:
Thunderbird "mezzo" D -- monster of a whistle but great quality. Needs air-plugs for daily practice. The C is rather nice and much better balanced though. Still loud but manageable.
Sweetone: nice sound but I hate the seam in the back, so I don't play them.
Honorable mentions: A
Gold Leaf whistle from Canadian whistle maker Ianick Leroux. I think it was from the first batch he ever made so it has some minor issues. Tuning could be better but I can play it with other without noticing that it is slightly out of tune on some notes. The great thing is the carbon tube and the clog resistance. Also the balance between the octave considering volume. It is in fact one of the best of my whistles in that aspect. The 2nd octave does not get that much louder than the first. And it is completely clog-resistant when I play it. He has since changed the design and I haven't tried any of the new ones. Thinking about joining the waiting list though. I think he is up to something here and they can only get better the more experience he has. They are already pretty good.
One might wonder why my
Killarney is missing from the list. Reason is, I don't really like it. I have a love-hate relationship with that particular model. I like the sweet 2nd octace but the 1st one is simply weak on mine -- all my cheapos have a stronger bottom end. It just sounds fuzzy, unfocussed and airy on the 1st octave. Maybe I got a "monday model", I don't know. But it does not get played much. I might give them another chance however and buy the nickel model and hope that mine was just not as good as the others being sold. I see them recommended all the time but IMO a Chuck Tilbury at about the same price (without shipping and taxes of course) is a much better deal.