Hi all, I used to post here a long time ago and now I'm back.

I used to have 10ish whistles, but after a couple of moves, it appears I'm down to two: a Clarke Meg D and a Generation nickel Bb. (both purchased pre-2005) Of course I can't only have two whistles, so I'm in the market for more. I used to have a Clarke Original D and SweeTone C, plus an Acorn D and a Walton Little Black Whistle. Not sure of the others.

Are these still the go-to brands for inexpensive playing? I don't want to miss out on something good.

Two of the best cheap whistles in my experience, are the Waltons Mellow D (I don't like the little black one, but maybe I was just unlucky with my specimen) and the Oak. I think the Oak is different enough from the Acorn to try one, even if you already had an Acorn. AFAIK they are from the same company, but the Oak has a thicker barrel (same as the Feadog Pro but the Oak is cheaper) and is tunable out of the box.

I for sure never had an Oak, so I'll put that on the list. And I'll check out the Mellow D.

I dont have one but Killarney look and sound wonderful, so if you were looking to add something nice and shiny with a higher price tag to your whistle stash, could be a great option. I also like my dixon d trad, is only a tad more expensive than generations and stuff.

Wow, the Killarney are really pretty!

I might have to buy this Walton, just because it's pink.

In the low price/high whistle category I have, Generation brass & nickel, Feadog, Walton little black, Clarkes Sweetone & Meg, Tony Dixon Trad brass & ABS one piece.

(Slightly higher priced I have Tony Dixon aluminium whistles.)

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Keith.
Trying to do justice to my various musical instruments.

I have never owned a Feadog. I should probably have one.

Another low cost whistle to look at is the Clare. The easiest way to order one is through eBay (they have a store presence). I have a two-piece Clare that is pretty good. YMMV, but I find the Feadog to be a little raspy.

I have a Generation brass D on the way and one of the pretty Generation Auroras--couldn't help myself.


I've heard of Clare, but never owned one. I will definitely look for their eBay store.

I'm finally getting ready to release my own line of Classic-Generation-inspired high whistles, which I've mentioned a few times in the past here. It's been slow going during the pandemic due to burnout both on the project and my day job. However, I rallied some energy recently and am finishing up the tonebodies for E, Eb, and D, and I'll be sending them on a whistle tour if folks are interested here. These whistles feature a powerful low octave (you can even honk the bell note a bit) yet a sweet high octave that doesn't stray into piercing if one plays with good technique. My "red top" model is the closest to an old Gen, and has a lot of nice scratch and 'free articulations,' which is what I call those distinctive crossing noises they make. The "blue top" model is a little mellower and rounder sounding, although with fewer free articulations.

Oddly enough, the tonebodies are the part that's been the most head-scratching to me. My headjoint design took a long time to dial in, sure, but I understand a lot more about how the key dimensions interact with each other there than in the barrel. Always more to learn!

I am interested in participating and have sent you a pm.

I really hope you intend to include some industrial strength sanitiser with that.

I'd be happy, and curious, enough to give one of these whistles a spin, should the opportunity arise, but am not convinced this is the right time to send windinstruments from one person to the next.

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My brain hurts

Looking forward to hearing more MadManWithaWhistle!

As for me, I have a couple of Generations coming my way (a brass D and Aurora). I've also ordered a Feadog C. Super excited!

No need for industrial strength sanitizer, just a simple solution of 70% or better of alcohol and water will kill the virus per the US CDC if my memory serves me correctly. Since this past May I have bought over 3 dozen whistles. About 80% of them were used. I treated each one as though it hadn't been cleaned and gave them a good washing with the sanitizer before they ever touched my lips. No problems.