Hi there peoples. I am in the market for a low D whistle, and I’m not wanting to spend much money. I want to find a nice high quality whistle. The focus of my search revolves around [nontunable] Dixons and Susatos. I am hoping that some of you can help me decide which is better. Things like how in-tune they are, and craftmanship are a plus to me. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
It’s been my experience that Susatos have better intonation than Dixons..the few Dixons I’ve tried have generally been sharp in the 2nd octave.
That said, a lot of people like the tonal qualities of the Dixon better.
So, your trade off 
How about the individual finger spacings for each? I’ve seen pics, and the Susato’s look like they have a lot of finger stretch.
The finger spacing on the Dixon is way easier than on the Susato. I have both, although I haven’t played either in a while, and my hands tire much more quickly when playing the Susato. In fact, I never really have gotton comfortable with the Susato, whereas I can play a little on the Dixon.
The bottom note on the Dixon can be difficult. It breaks up kind of easily, but then there could be a bit of operator error involved.
Buy both and play them side by side. You will like one better and take the other back. 
I have a Dixon Low D, bought a Susato Kildare Low D for my niece. Wanderer’s right … I’m one of those who like the tone of the Dixon better. The Susato seemed to have a fairly easy reach - but I had already ‘practiced’ on the Dixon. I did have a hard time playing the Dixon at first. The pipers grip was (and is) a pain to learn (for non-pipers). Haven’t compared them side-by-side for tuning.
For an alternate suggestion, Daniel Bingamon makes a Low D in PVC that has an easy reach, sounds good – and costs less than the Dixon or Susato. My niece also has this one and plays it more than her Susato.
But, this is my opinion only, tastes vary. (Standard Whistle Opinion Disclaimer 
)
Judy
Great advice all - just sent my no-name low D into the “give it to someone I don’t like” pile after trying the Dixon duo. I’d love to try the Bingamon and the Susato ('though my neighbors across the lake hate my Susato high D - loud sessions only!).
On another note, does anyone know any good whistle-building instructions online for making low D’s out of PVC??
This website might be a good place to start, even if the plans are for copper & aluminum … or this website, called "The Low-Tech Whistle, which does use PVC. The main webpage of C&F also has some links to whistle-building plans.
You might want to read this thread here on the Chiff for more ideas, too – if you haven’t already.
Have fun, MommaTune!
Judy