As someone who has accumulated a small arsenal of inexpensive whistles, I am considering upgrading to a “mid-level” whistle. Any advice as far as a Tony Dixon or a Susato or the like. I’m kind of a purist, so I’m not sure how I feel about PVC/plastic whistles, although I’ve heard good things about Susatos. Any advice on a good upgrade would be appreciated.
Thenks,
HW
Can you describe a little more what are you looking for e.g. loud, quiet, pure tone, complex tone, back pressure, easy player etc. What is your favorite cheapie and why?
I have one of the plastic Dixon tunables in D which I am quite fond of. It’s currently my main whistle for practicing. It’s clean sounding with nice volume. One thing I noticed when I first played it, it sounded very different than any of the cheap metal ones I had. It sounded cleaner and required less air but maybe that’s characteristic of plastic whistles in general. I never played a Susato but I suspect my Dixon isn’t as loud as Susatos are supposed to be.
Well, volume isn’t really a concern. I haven’t reached a point where I play in public or with other musicians. I’m still an advanced beginner/early intermediate player. My favorite cheapie is a nickel Clare. I like the tone and that it is very well in tune with itself.
Thanks,
HW
For me one of the best ventures from cheapie to midrange was to buy an O’Brien copper whistle. It will cost a little bit more than a single Susato, but it has a nice sound – different enough from the cheapies to know you’ve got a real, new whistle and not just a “glorified” cheapie. (And if you save just a little bit more you can get a set.)
Here’s a link to his website: http://www.obrienwhistles.com/index.html
What exactly is an intermediate whistle? Do you mean intermediate as in cost?
I can’t offer any specific positive advice on mid-price whistles due to lack of experience of them, but I can say, with feeling, DON’T go Susato!!! - At least, not if you want to sound like a whistle player.
Susatos, for their price, are extremely good little musical instruments - robust, well in tune, responsive, loud… all the positives - except!!! - they don’t sound like whistles. They sound much more, though not precisely, like recorders. There. I’ve said it again. The R word… It’s such a pity really. If Susato would just alter the tone quality, they’d totally corner the market! We just wouldn’t need all those lovely high-end wooden etc. whistles!
I’d like to second the recommendation for O’Brien whistles. My O’Brien narrow bore brass D is my second-favorite session whistle, second only to my Colin Goldie Overton D–I rank it slightly better than my Burkes.
Also you REALLY want to check out Mack Hoover’s work. Lovely whistles, and a wonderful man: an honorable country gentleman, one of the last of a dying breed. His whistles play and sound very similar to Burkes but cost less. I have several of his whistles and they are wonderful, particularly for smaller sessions or for playing at home when you don’t want to disturb anyone.
Susatos are an oft-repeated subject here on the boards. The Susato is a hell of a lot of whistle for the money, and contrary to what some will tell you, it is controllable. If your Susato sounds like a recorder, it means you don’t know how to control it yet. If you get a Susato be prepared to spend some time–I mean serious time, months or years–to learn the control necessary to play it well.
I’m willing to walk the walk and demonstrate this to anyone, anytime, either in person or any other way you’d care for me to. Just ask Nano! 
–James
To my thinking a Freeman-tweaked Mellow Dog would be an “intermediate” Whistle, and a fine one at that. I love its tone and its responsiveness.
pastorkeith
You need to go here: http://www.kerrywhistles.com/dl.php?group=19 and find the clip of Kevin Crawford of Lunasa playing a Susato.
I have a Freeman tweaked mellow dog - in fact, it was my first whistle - and it’s very nice - even compared to all these others that i’ve grabbed up in the many months since - some quite expensive and “sought-after”.
I do recommend, too, Mack Hoover. Great guy, easy to work with and can do about anything.
Reg
There are an awful lot of players in Ireland and the UK that think the Susato is the whistle to play. I like mine. I like the Dixons too. I have Dixons in low G and low D. They are quite good. There are so many choices that it is hard to recommend any particular whistle. I like the Alba Q1 but it may be more than you want to spend. The Humphreys are also great whistles.
Ron
You’ll need a whistle made of tin then, won’t you?
Shaw it is then! 
I have a few suggestions (which have already been suggested). I have all three of these, and I would probably be considered “in transition” from beginner to intermediate.
All three of these are great whistles.
Mellow Dog. It’s a bit of a soft blower, so it takes some practice to keep the low D in the first register, but it’s not terribly difficult. It’s relatively quiet and has a very pure, sweet tone. This one plays cleanly and easily up to the third D (and probably higher with practice). If you get one, spend the extra $5 and get a C body as well.
Hoover Whitecap (mine is usually on a Feadóg or Oak body). This one has about the same volume as the Mellow Dog, but has slightly more chiff, or character. It’s still a clean tone, but not quite as clean. This one has more backpressure than the Mellow Dog, so you can lean into it a bit more. This takes a bit of getting used to, because you may tend to honk the high A and B if you’re not used to more backpressure than the standard cheapies. You might also check out Mack’s Blacktops.
O’Brien (I have a nickel-plated copper C/D set). This one is louder than both of the others. The tone has significantly more chiff than the other two - quite a bit more complex. It also has more backpressure than the others, and obviously more than a standard cheapie. The response on the O’Brien is very fast - cuts are very quick and crisp. Physically, it’s also a much more substantial whistle, quite thick and heavy. It almost feels like a piece of equipment.
I really like all three of these. Of the three, the only one I’ve had much of a problem with is the O’Brien - and it’s just me needing to continue to get familiar with it. I still get more honks than I like on the high A and B. Plenty of others (with more experience than me, I’m sure) have had no problems in this area, so it’s not the whistle. Also, I’m getting better with it. Interestingly, I think I like the tone of this one the best, and the poppy ornamentation is great.
In addition, all three of these makers have been very friendly and easy to deal with. I wouldn’t hesitate to order another whistle from any of them.
Hope that helps.
Jason
I will add another vote for the O’Brien.
O’Brien copper is well nice, lovely, interesting tonal character. I haven’t tried any of David’s other whistles.
Also to consider is the Dixon trad. Not sure whether this is classed as a cheapy or an intermediate, or maybe it’s an intermediate-cheapie or a cheapie-intermediate being sort of on the boundary betwix the two?
I’d also put the Burke as an intermediate. My DASBT is a lovely, easy playing, beautiful sounding whistle that is really not that expensive - some whistles are more than twice the price.
I met a woman a couple of months ago who played a Susato high D. It certainly did not sound like a recorder in her hands. A well nice sounding whistle. Have to admit that i can’t make the damn things do anything nice sounding - but i haven’t really given them more than a few minutes of my time.
Just to throw another whistle in to the mix … you might consider a Dixon Trad, too – as well as all of the above.
So many whistles, so little time to try them all. 
Eh, I’m quite certain Susato’s “sound like recoders” simply because of their construction, not because “you haven’t learned to control them yet.” Although I do agree there are some aspects of playing a Susato that one needs to learn in order to really bring out the Susato’s capabilities, (I think this goes with any whistle personally) however a Susato is still going to sound like a Susato, the rest is up to the player. Any alterations to the whistle is beyond this scope.
As for intermediate priced whistles, Susatos (oh dear) and Syn’s come to mind. Susato’s given their tone, are yes, great whistles for the money, but also a bit loud, unless that’s what you’re going for. Syn’s are great whistles with quite a unique tone to their own, and they have a bit of backpressure as well if you don’t mind that. But as someone mentioned Burkes which now start at 170 US dollars brand new, I guess intermediately priced all depends on your wallet size…
It takes hundreds of hours to learn to play a whistle well. If you like the sound of more expensive whistles (not all do), then $100-200 is not a lot to pay, given your time investment. (Especially since these whistles retain most of their value indefinitely).
My top picks would be Burkes at the high-intermediate range, and Mellow-Dogs at the low-intermediate range. There are many that I’ve never played, though.