Kerry Optima Review

[Airgead]

Okay, I know there are plenty of streams on here about the Optima..... but I wanted to start one on the basis of a pure review without diving into muddied waters about price ranges, comparisons to other whistles, and/or tangents about what notable player used to play what whistle and subjective opinions about what whistles are supposed to play/sound like. I want, here, to give a pure review about the Optima and it's qualities and nothing else. Please keep this in mind when responding and/or adding your own perspectives. So......

Right out of the packaging, I pick up this whistle and begin to play without giving any thought/expectation on how it will respond. Straight away I was zipping up and down on some finger exercises of mine with the greatest of ease. The clarity and responsiveness is well above average. The second thing I notice is how full it sounds. Now, I'm not saying it's the loudest low D whistle I've played but it certainly has plenty of volume. In fact, it's probably just above average in comparison to all my other low D's. Being that it does have the Overton fipple design with a slightly tall windway, there is not much back-pressure at all. There are pros and cons to this and back-pressure is just one of the many things that is a player's preference. Personally, I like harder blowing whistles as I feel like I can really lean into them when I want. Even though that is my general preference, surprisingly find the Optima to be a pleasure to play.

The air requirements are remarkably low despite the absence of back-pressure and what is really striking is that I don't have to blow much harder as I go up the scale and into the second octave. I have never played another a whistle that comes close to this! You can blow quite gently and get a full, beautiful tone throughout the range of notes with great ease. The whistle really tells me just how much it needs in the higher range and it's not a whole lot! There are three things I am loving about this aspect. One, I can play phrases about as long as my harder blowing whistles without getting winded. Two, it lends to a mellow, soothing tonal quality (not quiet, just mellow sounding). Three, even though the whistle likes to be blown gently and has a warm, mellow tone..... it really takes well to being leaned on in the second octave if you want a bit more volume and "bite" to the tone.

More about the tone..... it certainly has the Overton quality to it but a bit more complex. There is a general purity to the tone but just this subtle quality of raspiness underneath. I love different whistles for all of their individual qualities and personalities and the Optima really stands apart from all of the others I've played in this way too. Mostly pure, a little complex, and generally rather warm, mellow. With the plastic fipple, it does not clog much. Despite everything I've read and heard to the contrary..... there is no such thing as a "clog-free" fipple design. The physics of condensation are pretty straight forward. Air-pressure, temperature, and humidity level all work in conjunction to condense moisture on a given surface, whether it's metal, plastic, glass, or even blades of grass. Now, metal is more conductive of heat than plastic so you are always going to see more condensation on a metal surface than on plastic in a given environment. On the Optima, I do get a minimal amount of moisture right away in the first minute of playing but then it's all good. What's really cool is that it does not get to a level of clogging but just more like a haze with a few tiny beads of water mixed in. I don't even need to blow it out and, in fact, the moisture build up seems to lend itself to making an even warmer tone!

Intonation : spot on all the way up the third D. Perfectly in tune C natural on oxxooo fingering. No matter how hard or soft I blow, it stays in tune really well! The finger spacing is perhaps just slightly long with the space between the first and second being a bit longer than normal. However, I can handle it just fine and I'm 5'9" with slightly small hands. Of all my low D's, I would say only two are challenging for me on the finger spacing. The Optima is a little easier than those two and has just a bit longer than average reach for holes but well within reason.

Appearance : Very smooth, brushed finish with rounded edges all around. I believe the Optima, like other Chieftains, is factory machined. However, Phil Hardy or someone else after the machining process must do more finish work as the edges of tone holes, end of foot, and edges of the tuning coupling are very round and smooth. The fipple has soft edges all over with no hint of sharp joining or edging from the molding process. It's a beautiful looking whistle with a deep, transparent blue fipple, but the Optima is also available with a transparent red or solid black fipple.

Overall, I would rate the Optima as a very, very high quality whistle. Different players have their own tastes on how they want a whistle to play and so therefore opinions are always going to be subjective. My assessment of the Optima (outside of my general preferences of whistles), is that is plays with extreme ease and responsiveness, has little air requirements, a unique and very pleasing tone, spot on intonation, and is made with a high level of quality and detail.

4.5 out of 5 stars!!!

[greenspiderweb]

Nice review AG! All true for me as well-really nice whistle for little money, especially if you get it on sale. Come on Phil, time for another sale!!! ; ) Or even if not-it plays really well, for beginners and more experienced players alike. Just listen to how Phil makes it sound, and you'll have an idea of what it is capable of, in time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ44gbJe3LQ

Very little to no warming up needed, is one of the major attributes-and it plays well from the start to finish, for me. No clogging issues that make it harder to play, and a very pleasing tone to my ears. It's not very loud (until you get into the top of the upper register), but makes a great solo whistle, imo. Just glad I have mine. It's the first one I grab if I don't have time for a warm-up.

[Mikethebook]

Nice review. The rounded holes must be a relatively new innovation. I've had two Optimas and the holes were fairly sharp edged. Interestingly I thought about the Optima when reviewing the Holifield recently. They are not far apart in price and have the easy to reach high second octave . . . though the Holifield, I think, was easier . . . and even third octave A was not a problem. The Holifield had a much stronger bell note than the Optima and a much nicer build quality. But, being a Goldie man, I did prefer the tone of the Optima.

[pancelticpiper]

I wanted to start one on the basis of a pure review without comparisons to other whistles...

The clarity and responsiveness is well above average.

it's probably just above average in comparison to all my other low D's.

The air requirements are remarkably low... I have never played another a whistle that comes close to this!

...about the tone..... it certainly has the Overton quality to it but a bit more complex.

...the Optima really stands apart from all of the others I've played...

The finger spacing is perhaps just slightly long with the space between the first and second being a bit longer than normal.

Of all my low D's, I would say only two are challenging for me on the finger spacing. The Optima is a little easier than those two and has just a bit longer than average reach...

Since the OP opened the door to comparisons with other whistles, I'll point out where the Optima placed in terms of air-efficiency as compared with other Low D whistles I've tested

Most efficient > least efficient (measured by how long I can sustain G in the 2nd octave):

Goldie > MK > Susato/Dixon > Burke/Optima/Maplehead Reyburn > Polyhead Reyburn

Then there are other aspects which often become conflated with efficiency, such as the amount of backpressure, and the ease of production of the 2nd octave. These three aspects can vary more or less independently.

My biggest issue with the Optima I had was the sharpness of the 2nd octave. Even blowing the low octave out to the point of beginning to flutter and break, and underblowing the 2nd octave nearly to the point of the notes falling back to the low octave, I couldn't quite blow the octaves in tune with each other. Of course my sample size was only one! And we all know that whistles vary.

[Peter Duggan]

The Holifield had a much stronger bell note than the Optima

Surprised to see that comparing memories of the Optima to the tour Holifield which arrived yesterday. Though the only Optima I've tried was the (now discontinued?) E nat, which was great for the first octave and a half but wildly out of tune at the top.

[Mikethebook]

The Optima came to mind when reviewing the Holifield because of the similar very easy second octaves and price and that both would suit beginners well. But I considered the Holifield a far superior whistle . . . though, as I say, I did prefer the Overton-like tone of the Optima.

[Lempriere]

I picked up a blue head, tuneable for £59.00 in a sale and I'm actually surprised they are back up to £99.00 now. The V4 that was launched a couple of years later occupies similar territory (based on Phil Hardy's promo films) so I think the Optima could have been dropped to £59.00 permanently as a 'Budget Starters Whistle'

Nice enough whistle for (at the lower price anyway) but not enough back pressure and the bottom D & E were very fragile on mine and it quickly ended up on Ebay.

[Lempriere]

Nice review. The rounded holes must be a relatively new innovation. I've had two Optimas and the holes were fairly sharp edged. Interestingly I thought about the Optima when reviewing the Holifield recently. They are not far apart in price and have the easy to reach high second octave . . . though the Holifield, I think, was easier . . . and even third octave A was not a problem. The Holifield had a much stronger bell note than the Optima and a much nicer build quality. But, being a Goldie man, I did prefer the tone of the Optima.

How does the hole spacing compare on the bottom two holes Mike, Norm's looks like it has a fair old stretch to reach the last hole? (the reach was one thing I did like about the Optima)

Also you say the Optima has a Goldie 'like' tone, does the tone of Norm's resemble any whistle you've played?

[Mikethebook]

As you will have seen from my comparative photo, the Holifield's "stretch" is about the same as the Goldie's but the word "stretch" is somewhat alien to me. When I first started on the whistle I had about a month on an Optima before I switch to a Goldie (which has a much richer tone than the Optima). True the distance between the bottom two holes is longer on the Goldie (and Holifield) but I never found it an issue. My hands/fingers using piper's grip pretty much went to straight to the holes without issue on the Goldie. I wouldn't describe my hands as large either though they're not small. But I've never found that distance a stretch . . . and many Low D whistles have similar proportions. Phil Hardy I know has tried to reduce that distance to make it easier but, like I say, I never found it hard. It's very natural.

I can't compare the tone of the Holifield with any other whistle I've played but the first reviewer did provide some YouTube videos which should give you an idea. It wasn't a pure tone but it didn't have the complexity of say an MK Pro. From what I've heard it might be similar to Hamilton's Low D, not that that will necessarily help. A solid if slightly breathy tone. So difficult to describe tone. Hope this helps.

[Peter Duggan]

I can't compare the tone of the Holifield with any other whistle I've played but the first reviewer did provide some YouTube videos which should give you an idea. It wasn't a pure tone but it didn't have the complexity of say an MK Pro. From what I've heard it might be similar to Hamilton's Low D, not that that will necessarily help. A solid if slightly breathy tone. So difficult to describe tone. Hope this helps.

Don't want to start my Holifield review here when this is the Kerry Optima thread and I'm also planning to do video, but the Holifield's soft-focussed, breathy and full of air noise. More like a Chieftain V3 than anything else I've tried or owned, though I no longer have the V3 for comparison. And that's as much of a teaser/trailer as I'm prepared to do!

[Lempriere]

Since I was asking you to compare hole spacings between the Optima and the Holifield , the photo of the Holifield next to a Goldie is of little consequence really.

The concept of "stretch" may be "alien" to you but I'm sure will a little imagination on your part you can grasp the concept? To me the concept of "stretch" is very real, if you look down the front page I recently started a thread about a joint fusion I had to my right thumb, as my hands are now at the point of requiring joint fusions (left wrist planned for 2016), I can assure you I have great difficulty with large hole spacing.

True the distance between the bottom two holes is longer on the Holifield)

That's all I needed to know Mike, as fascinating as it was your low whistle journey is again of little consequence to me.

It's very natural

To you perhaps, to me less so (see above)

I can't compare the tone of the Holifield with any other whistle I've played but the first reviewer did provide some YouTube videos which should give you an idea. It wasn't a pure tone but it didn't have the complexity of say an MK Pro. From what I've heard it might be similar to Hamilton's Low D, not that that will necessarily help. A solid if slightly breathy tone. So difficult to describe tone

Yes I saw the videos, I think I actually commented on them, however I was still interested to read your opinion.

Hope this helps.

In parts yes, thank you.

The Holifield's soft-focussed, breathy and full of air noise. More like a Chieftain V3 than anything else I've tried or owned

That's really helpful Peter, thanks.

[Mikethebook]

In relating my experience I was merely trying to show that with medium-sized hands the gap between the bottom two holes on a the Holifield shouldn't be an issue, as it wasn't for me on it or a Goldie. Obviously with the difficulties you face that is not the case, but I hadn't seen your thread.

[Lempriere]

Obviously with the difficulties you face that is not the case, but I hadn't seen your thread.

No problem Mike

[Airgead]

Again, I want to state that my point in this thread is to make objective observations about the Optima..... not subjective opinions. To say that another given whistle is superior or inferior to the next is a matter of opinion and not helpful here. If you are going to use specific whistles/brands as a gauge to compare specific OBJECTIVE qualities like pancelticpiper does in assessing "air efficiency" as described, that is somewhat helpful. I also must respond to pancelticpiper, though, in highlighting specific passages I made using "comparison" in my review. I never used other specific whistles (with the exception of Overton as it certainly applies considering the Optima is modeled after it), as comparison but in fact always state "average" or "other whistles" as a general reference to the RANGE of whistles out there. I do this specifically to assess objective qualities/characteristics of how the Optima plays and sounds and NOT to infer opinions or ratings compared to other specific whistles. We all have our own tastes and opinions. Even referencing the price of the Optima seems unimportant to me. If your a fanatical lover of Picasso, you'll pay whatever price you can afford for an original of his. If your favorite food is truffles, you'll pay whatever you can afford for some. If you're a classic Corvette lover, you'll pay a hefty sum to get your hands on one even though you know you'll be working on it the rest of your life. If your favorite guitar is a Martin, you'll pay top dollar for one even though though are numerous other makes out there of comparable quality. It's a matter of taste! The Optima is not my favorite low D of all the whistles I have played. I would probably put it somewhere in the middle of my list if I wanted to make this thread about that..... which I do NOT. I can be unbiased in saying that the inherent qualities that make it a whistle are all there in top form. To rate any of those qualities in the context of "good/bad" or "better than/worse than", is what I'm trying to stay away from.

Basic objective assessments :
1. How is the intonation?
2. How balanced is it between the octaves?
3. How responsive is it?
4. How does it's specific back-pressure in conjuction with air requirements affect it's playability? Phrasing?
5. What are it's tonal characteristics? Does it sound more like a recorder? A flute? A trad whistle? Or something else?
6. Are there any quirks with fingering spacing and/or specific fingerings that make it more or less difficult to play?

I think I address all these questions quite clearly. To the first 3, the Optima is outstanding! To #4, very low back-pressure but also very low air-requirement AND despite this still has a moderate volume level. #5, Fairly pure (like the Optima it's modeled after), but a bit more breathy, raspy especially in the lower octave and overall quite mellow sounding. #6, slightly stretched finger spacing but well within my abilities as a person with fairly small hands.

[Lempriere]