I ordered this flute for my husband and own two of the black ones (key d and c) for about nine years. I have played several other whistles for about the same price and like the Clarke Sweetone most. I have played this whistle in a folkrock band, in church and as a solo street musician.
Quality:
The plastic mouthpiece hasn't any sharp edges. The same with the body of the whistle. It's coated with a thin layer of paint. None of it is worn of after two or even nine years of usage.
It's very hard to really damage the whistle. I've dropped it several times. I think it's a nice and inexpensive instrument for children or to take anywhere with you.
Sound and response:
This whistle doesn't need very much air to play. The overblowing is quite easy to manage, even for a beginner. The sound is less airy then some other whistles, but more airy and characteristic then a recorder. The whistle warms up in about half an minute and after it little to no moisture gathers on the lip and hinders a good sound. I really like the sound and the feeling playing this whistle.
It's not the loudest whistle so and maybe it's not loud enough to play in a session with louder instruments without an microphone. But it's definitely loud enough for street music or playing together with an acoustic guitar or something similar.
Vibrato and finger vibrato is easy to play on this instrument. So are the ornamentations like rolls or cuts.
Tunable with a trick:
What I really like most is the opportunity to tune this whistle. The mouthpiece is glued to the body, but you can loosen the glue with a blow dryer, remove it and put the mouthpiece back on. Now you can tune it (to a certain degree) and have a easier time when playing together with other instruments. Other tuneable whistles cost much more.
