Suppose you can own between six and 10 whistles but no more than one in any one key. Each whistle has to be by a different maker. Which would you choose. (Say why if you want to.) Here’s my choice to get things rolling. From high to low:
Eb: Generation
D: Busman
C: Thin Weasel
Bb: Sindt
A: Abell
G: Burke
F: Grinter
Eb: Overton
D: Copeland
C: Howard
My choices are going to be much more limited than when I was in Houston. My singers required a few different keys that I no longer need, so I really only have needs for D’s and C’s for session
Accordingly, here are my 3 choices.
soprano D: Copeland. I like the Burke better, but the Copeland has a wider range of uses for me (outdoors and loud bars, especially)
Soprano C: The only one I have is a Generation. I’m considering a susato or a burke, but I only use it for like 3 tunes at session, so I don’t really know why I should spend more than the $4.00 I already have to get those three tunes. 
Low D: Chieftain new style. I’d really love to give the Copeland another whirl now that I’m more experienced, but until then, I’m really happy with that new cheiftain.
I should say that I found this exercise really quite hard. In some keys, certain whistles chose themselves, but in others I found I often couldn’t choose my favourite. The more you include, the harder it gets.
From high to low
F Generation
D Thin Weasel
C Burke Brass Black Tip
Bb David O’Brien
A Copeland
G Abell
F Overton
D Chieftain (this would have been another Overton …)
I don’t know how I could answer this. I haven’t played all of them yet. Of course the other thing is which day. My favorite changes from day to day and sometimes from tune to tune.
Ron
F: Generation (only one in F)
E: Syn (although my homemade is a close second: note, the fipple for my
homemade is an Eb Gen, see below, the body is aluminum tube, very
thick walls)
Eb: Generation (the Syn Eb really has a lot of backpressure, and I just
love the fipple on this one, however, as it is sometimes on another
tube, it can be challenging)
D: Walton’s Mellow D. It’s what reach for all the time, but the Syn is a
close second.
C#: stupidly, I didn’t get a Syn body in C#, so none.
C: This is a toss-up: Oak C or Syn C.
B: Syn: this is my favorite body for the Syn. It is sweet, easy to play (ie
not too high of backpressure) and great tone.
Bb: Syn I guess, since my Generation is raspy.
A: Syn, although it is really getting too low for that mouthpiece (my other
A is homemade, and is great, but it takes too much air and is sharp,
slightly…
Ab: none
G: none
Gb: none
F: one homemade, not good at all
E: I have a couple homemade ones that are all right, but they are quiet, breathy, and heavy
Eb: none
D: Kerry Pro Low D: the only “professional” low D I own… it’d be an overton, but I am poor, and I got it used
D: Really, I should say flute.
<D: nothing further down…
For all of the missing ones, I would really love to have a favorite… hint, hint, hint… 
I don’t know. Haven’t compared that many.
Ditto.
Eb: Generation
D: Sindog/tweaked Generation
C: Overton
Bb: Generation
A: Overton
G: -
F: Alba (don’t have an Overton F yet )
D: Overton
I am more a flute type than whistle.
My best whistle is the Sweet high D in maple.
I wouldn’t have any other D.
I am thinking of getting an Alba low F.
I would also be getting wide bore G and A tubes with the one beak once it is developed by Gary Humphrey.
I would like a Vietnamese bamboo high C whistle (A440).
the B burke rocks. if i never had to play with anyone else (or if i could play only with flat pipes, or for that matter, a guitarist who can put a capo up a few frets and pretend they are in G) i would not need another whistle.
meir
the B burke rocks. if i never had to play with anyone else (or if i could play only with flat pipes, or for that matter, a guitarist who can put a capo up a few frets and pretend they are in G) i would not need another whistle.
meir
Eflat - Copeland
D - Burke Black Tip Brass
C - Sindt
Bflat - Abell
A - Copeland
G - O’Riordan
F - O’Briain
D - Copeland
Generally high whistles are Burke composites and Dixons
Low whistles are Overtons.
D: Burke narrow and wide bore composites. With a Dixon brass slide comming in third.
C & Bb: Dixon
A, F, and D: Overton.
The only whistles I’m still locking for are Low E and C.
With my choices being Dixon or Overton depending on how much money I end up scraping up for each (Or weather I can find one used at a discount that lets me pretend the money is a well spent investment - WhOA rationalization #39)
I haven’t tried sufficient makes of whistles to be able to come up with a list where each whistle has to be by a diff maker. I do however have a list of whistles in diff keys that I’m happy or would be happy with.
Eb - Gen (it’s good, chiffy, crisp and responsive, don’t need anything else)
D - Gen (good chiffy crisp responsive), switch to whitecap mouthpc for sweeter sound
C#/Db - My new Syn (just arrived 5 days ago!) (in tune, responsive, nice open tone, nice back pressure)
C - Dixon tunable (as good as my Gen C bluetop, though slightly less chiffy, with added benefit of being very much more in tune)
B - Syn (got a B barrel as well. See under Db. Played it in church on Sunday. Was loud enough to be picked up by mikes near, but not next, to the whistle)
Bb - Dixon tunable
A - Dixon tunable
G - Dixon tunable (Bb to G - in tune, easy to play, nice tone, responsive, respectable volume, decent price)
low F and below - I would go for Overtons (I have low F and D). Nice tone, good volume (some low whistle makes are easy-playing but too soft), good backpressure, pretty responsive. Plus, they come in all keys. Not cheap, though.