I have been playing whistles and ocarinas for a while now (as well as guitars, ukes, banjos, mandos, harmonicas, etc.) and have tried out many instruments. However I had been put off tyring a Susato whistle partly due to it being a little more expensive than generation types, and partly because they seem to be not too well regarded by many on this board. I do have a Dixon tunable, though, which I love, but just now my new Susato one piece VSB high D arrived in the post. I plays beautifully, evenly, the high octave is not the struggle it sometimes feels like on my Dixon, and it it is quiet enough not to hurt my ears. Yes, it does not sound like my generations, and I can see the point that it sounds a little more towards the sound of a recorder than my Dixon, but for me (and I will qualify this by saying that I don’t by and large play ITM) it has the best bits of the tone of the whistle and the recorder. Also, it looks much more sleek than I imagined it would from the photos. And it cost me £12!
I know not everyone knocks them, but I am certainly a fan of this particular model and hope to try a few more in different keys.
All the best
Phil
www.phildoleman.co.uk
Some people really like Susato. There’s a clip of Kevin Crawford on Phil Hardy’s website that will blow you away, and he’s playing a Susato. To each his own, I suppose.
I avoid them whereever possible.
I think that most people have bad experiences with Susatos when they’re still fairly new at the instrument. It’s not quite as expensive as most of the high-enders, and a lot of new whistlers will try one when they feel like they are ready to try something other than the generation-style whistles.
Only, they’re really not that easy for most beginners to play. They’re a bit loud, and require a certain amount of confidence and breath control in the second ocatve. Beginners (who tend to be a bit more shy about their playing) tend to shriek them more in the 2nd octave, and in general hold back with them. So, much like when kids are forced to play recorder in grade school, the first impressions are not that great. And those first impressions can be lasting. I think that once you get the hang of them, they can sound just fine.
And, of course, there are folks who just want something different out of a whistle than what a Susato gives.
Congrats on enjoying the whistle! I love Susato whistles…working toward owning an entire set of tuneable ones (currently own VSB D, SB D - my main whistle - and a Bb in tuneable, plus nontuneables in E, C, A, G, and low D). They’re wonderful whistles, but like Wanderer said, some people get discouraged because they do require a lot of breath control and if you’re new to wind instruments, it’s not going to be that easy to control.
The VSB D is definitely easier to control than the SB D, which most people have experience with (VSB D came out not too long ago, I believe). They’re both lovely whistles!
~Crysania
I’ve had a Susato standard bore D for a while, but never really played it much. After getting more experience playing a another whistle with more back pressure as well as playing the flute, my breath control is much better, and I find that I’m liking the Susato more and more. It works well in the larger session that I play in.
Bob
Yep…I saw kevin Crawford in St. Louis last year tear into a Susato. All I saw was a blur of what he was doing to the Susato…that fast indeed.
I did not like the Susato for a long time. As got a little better and developed some breath control I found that I do like it. My wife thinks it sounds great when I play it. However I will usually play my Humphreys, my Alba Q1 or a Feadog. They have a sound I am more fond of even though they have a very different sound.
Ron
I think Susatos are to sessions what screaming is to conversations. Of course, if you’re on stage, you can scream and sing very loud, it’s part of the show. Also, screaming is okay when there’s like twenty of you trying to speak at the same time… 
I really always feel disheartened when I hear people say such nonsense Azalin. I think they have a lovely sound and are nowhere near as loud as people think they are (they only are if left in the hands of someone with no breath or embouchure control). Plus I figure if they’re good enough for Kevin Crawford, they’re good enough for me.
At my session, both loud and small, they’ve been well-received and people enjoy listening to them.
~Crysania
I personally don’t like Susatos. It’s the buzz on them that I never cared for.
That said, I think they are fine instruments, just not the one for me. Of course, I love my Copelands and there are folks who don’t like the sound of those. To each their own.
There are a couple of people who play Susatos at our session, and they don’t come off that way at all.
Redwolf
Susato C soprano - -
Many say this is Susatos best key. I am fairly pleased with my tunable one. Beautiful tone in the first ocatave, really. Clean and pure but full-bodied enough. SPOT-ON TUNING. In the second octave it starts to exhibit more of the shrill “recordery” edge which causes so many complaints. But still an acceptable sound for many purposes. Have I mentioned how spot-on the tuning is yet ? Susatos have well developed designs. Kevin Crawford uses this “C” model often, and they sound quite alright on his recordings.
Enat VSB - - My model is a very finicky beast compared to the aforementioned comparitively well behaved C. Needs to be tamed, but can be usefull once it is. Loud, compared to other Enat sopranos.
I like mine fine, though I rarely play it, mainly because it’s too loud for at home practicing. I’d happily play it out though.
Im at beginner/intermediate level, and I’ve never had any breath control issues with my Susato. Nor have I ever experienced and buzz from it. I love my Susato VSB! I much prefer it over any of my other whistle (Yes, even over my Nickel Generations).
I’m puzzled by the Susato=loud business. I have the VSB model (and have no experience of other bore sizes so cannot comment). It is quieter than my dixon, especially in the second octave. It is the only whistle I can bear to play right up to the top of the second octave without worrying my ears (or wearing earplugs). I does take some breath control, but the second octave is far easier to reach then on most of my other cheap wistles and my Dixon (which doesn’t like going above high G). My Susato would not be loud enough for a session, I suspect. I imagine that the SB model is louder, but it seems to me that the VSB and SB must be quite different beasts.
Cheers,
Phil
www.phildoleman.co.uk
I had a Susato and I hated it, just couldn’t stand that mouthpiece. I still carried it round as a back up whistle and would play it if my other whistles started acting up. Recently I lost my Susato and only then did I realise it had become my whistle of choice. Oh how I miss that whistle.
Both the SB and VSB are moderately loud as whistles go. Neither one is loud at all compared to even a moderately loud flute.
Whistles are very soft instruments.
Very few whistles produce volume comparable to a flute or a fiddle, for instance. Whistles are heard in the session because they play an octave above the other melody instruments.
If you want a loud whistle, Michael Cronnolly used to make whistles that were at least twice as loud as a Susato.
–James
I used to dislike the sound of the Susatos, but recently I’ve learned to enjoy it, mostly the second octave which I found quite clear, and the ornaments sound very nice… but still don’t like much the lower notes in the first octave, I have something against that buzz I think…
Anyway, it IS loud, and it takes some time to get used to it when being played very close 
I think playing Susatos in sessions is more a matter of style and taste. If you like fast driven music, big sessions with many musicians, if you listen to stuff like McGoldrick and Lunasa, you will enjoy the Susatos. If you prefer low key, quiet sessions and older style music, and you develop an ear for it, you will find that Susatos often don’t have their place. As James was stating, whistles are an octave higher, which means they have to be treated carefully. The goal of a whistle (in my own parallel universe) is not to be as loud as other instruments around. Ask Mary Bergin why she plays a Sindt in sessions, or even Generations at home, and not Susastos. Last night at our local session a fiddler friend of mine and I, and a nice guitar player, went in the back and played a few tunes in Eb. I used my Cillian O’Briain Eb whistle, which is much quieter than most high end whistles out there, and it was the perfect balance. The fiddle had more volume, which is the right thing to have, especially if the fiddle player is a great player. We played tunes with moderate speed, some reels at a speed some of you would just fall asleep on because you’re not tapping your foot as fast as you’re used to, but anyway I was very happy to have a quiet whistle and a Susato would have changed the dyamic completely.
I can understand why some of you love Susatos, but I guess it’s all a matter of taste and style.
I haven’t played a VSB D, but I had a VSB A, and it was a much quieter animal than a standard Susato.