On a tight budget…
I’d love a low whistle, not necessarily in D, but they are quite expensive, and I understand why they are, but I believe there are some out there in the £40-50 range.
I’m in the UK
Tony Dixon does an ABS/plastic one piece low ‘D’ for £57.75 (+postage), or a tunable one for £81 (+postage).
(I have one of his one piece low D flutes, it’s not a bad instrument.)
it’s not a bad instrument
Is that a good example of damning with faint praise, or what? 
Thanks. I found that one on Amazon and put it on my wishlist
For its price. 
I think my TD one piece flute sounds quite good actually, especially for the cost. 
I have a dixon low whistle and don’t much like it. It feels flimsy, and the low notes are touchy and weak. It’s very easy-blowing, and not very loud. The holes are small, easily covered, and the conical bore means they are closer together than on straight bore whistles. It might just not be right for me.
If you want an inexpensive low whistle that plays like a high whistle look at the Kerry Optima line. The holes are big, which might make it harder, but it feels more like a high whistle in playing. I got a used one for not much coin. I sometimes prefer it to my MK low whistle: it’s like a more rustic, kinder gentler sound
A fixed low D is 49 of those English monetary units for which I cannot locate the symbol
http://kerrywhistles.com/product/kerry-optima-fixed-low-d-2/
I didn’t know about those Kerry whistles, that looks like a much better deal than the Dixon, especially from the sound samples. 
Oh that Kerry looks good!
Is that kerry easier blowing than the Dixon? Someone said they were tougher to get clean notes at the second octave, but that was on an F.
It’s not as easy blowing as the Dixon, and as mentioned the holes are bigger, but I like the tone a lot better and find it easier to play. The Plastic Dixon is a conical whistle, smaller at the far end than at the mouthpiece end
Having conpared the two in a video I’m leaning towards the Kerry. And its currently on offer at £49!
AFAIK that was the same price they sell for all the time. But maybe they increase in price next year…
Edit: I don’t see anything on the homepage mentioning a sale. 49£ is the standard price. So no need to rush the decision.
I read somewhere that they’re normally about 80 quid and they’re at this special price till the end of the month. I tried finding them on Amazon, no joy
With Low Whistles you more or less get what you pay for.
I’ve not played a Low D that I thought was worth playing for under the $250-300 range.
Setting aside the serendipitous finding of a used one cheaply, of course.
(High whistles are a different tale, with ones selling for around $10 often outperforming ones costing hundreds.)
From my understanding, the Kerry one piece is only available direct, & that is its price.
I don’t have anywhere near pancelticpiper’s experience, so discount my words appropriately.
I went on a low whistle quest about this time last year. I have the plastic Dixon, a Howard, the Kerry Optima, and two expensive low whistles, both MK’s.
The Mk’s are definitely better instruments in an objective sense. They have more range and more power: they are louder but can also be played softer than any of the other whistles without losing the octave. The articulations are crisp and fast. The tone is “strong” and decisive with a solid fundamental tone. It’s a little much in the high end in a small room. They’re like a luxury performance sedan: if Jason Statham played a low whistle in the transporter movies it’d be the MK. They are a little hard to hold I find
The Howard is really cool but really odd. It has a unique tone like an organ pipe or a bagpipe, “reedy” is maybe the word. I find it easy to play and kind of love it, but it’s an odd tone: continuing the car analogy it’s like an old pickup truck or an old traction engine.
The Optima as mentioned plays more like a high whistle and the tone is more like a Generation/Feadog style high whistle. To stretch the car analogy I’d maybe compare it to a good reliable economy car. It can’t do all the things the luxury performance sedan does, but it can do most of those things
I have played low D’s for about 10 years so much of a novice. I have 5, a Dixon TD003 (no longer made) a Susato Kildare, Kerry Songbird, Kerrý Optima and a Garvie.
These range in price. The Dixon cost £49.00 (10 years ago) the Susato £75.00 special offer, the Songbird (second hand) £120.00 The Optima £49.00 and the Garvie £360.00, 4 years ago. I did have a Dixon TB003 but gave it away as it was very light and the second octave played sharp. Other comments about this whistle are on the forum
My go to whistles for a session are the Susato; fairly load, but can be played softly if needed. It is not a beginner’s whistle (just my opinion) but pays by return with sustained practise, the Dixon when playing slow air solos as it has less volumn than the Susato, but a rounder tone in the lower octave and a fairly sweet second. A good beginner’s whistle, once you become use to the amount of air required to play it ( Only available now second hand unfortunately). The Songbird (again no longer made) when with my partner who plays Hardanger fiddles, the Songbird has a complex tone and medium volumn and spot on tuning in both octaves. There is a review on the forum. The Optima is my least favourite it has medium to low volumn but what I would call a bland voice (again just my opinion) The Garvie is still a learning curve and a Professional standard instrument.
If you are able to get a Dixon TD003 (Straight bore) it will be worth the search. The Susato as mentioned is not a beginners whistle; my opinion, but as a medium priced whistle (New) is as good as any in the price range. The Optima may be an instrument useful to learn on if you are like me a novice. There are many others that forum members will have views about and no doubt more informed than me. They will be a good source of information on all aspects of low whistles.
What ever you decide upon I hope you whistle journey will be as exciting as mine.
Well I can only go by what I’ve seen and heard in videos, especially those played by the guy who makes the Kerry low D. And it sounds fabulous. I couldn’t afford or justify the cost of an MK, and I don’t really need tuneable.
I am not the whistle player that a lot of the other posters in this thread are but I am a magpie for low whistles. (I have 8 low D whistles currently).
The one I play most is a Swayne low D, but that would be outside your price point., The only whistles I have that would be anywhere near your price point are the Impempe and the Dixon TB012D and the Impempe low D is hard to get now.
A possible suggestion is to talk to Kenny McNicholl at KM Bagpipes, he has been making a nice metal low D that might suit you.
David
The Howard is not expensive and worth a look. They changed their mouthpiece recently, so the character of the tone might have changed.