I am a newbie…yea, for me. I purchased a Clarke Sweetone D whistle about a month ago and am enjoying learning immensely. Here is my problem…the second octave sounds super “airy”. I have heard recordings of players and there second octave sounds very pure. Is this a whistle problem or a ME problem. If it is a whistle problem…which affordable whistle will give me that “a little less airy” sound in the second octave that I’m looking for?
Thanks!!! 
A good Generation should take care of that problem for you.
Redwolf
In my opinion, Sweetones have about the muddiest (dirty, chiffy, non-musical, whatever) tone of any of the cheap whistles. They also don’t tend to play the same as say a Feadóg, Generation or Oak. I don’t really care for them much obviously.
That being said, probably the clearest and most consistent top end I’ve found to be Mike Burke’s work. His pro session models in particular. Mack Hoover also makes several designs that excel in upper range clarity and ease of play, most notibly his whitecap designs.
If you have a particular volume requirement this can also help to determine which maker will best suit your needs. For example, my O’Riordans are exceptional in their tone, but rather too loud to practice on in an apartment comfortably and sometimes a bit much for a smaller session.
If you’re wanting to stay cheap, I’d look into either an Oak or Feadóg or good Generation (if you can find one).
For just a bit more ($30 ish dollars or so) a Hoover or O’Briain improved Feadóg might suit very well.
Bri~
The clark meg whistles aer very inexpensive, and i find that they have a quite pure tone, and the second octive is strnagely easy to reach.
I think the purest whistles in my permanent collection are a Glen Schultz Water Weasel a Syn, and an Alba SE. Definitely pricier than a Meg or a Gen though. 
The purest whistle I have posession of right now is a Syn in Lancewood. I’ve got it for a bit while it’s on tour. It’s a very different tonal quality from the metal whistles though. I’m definitely going to be ordering one of these as soon as I can.
Thanks for the info! So many posts to my question and so soon after posting. The whistle community rocks and reels!
I will look into the whistles suggested.
Thanks again!!
For a GOOD Generation without the hassel of going through a bunch of off the shelf Gens, I’d have to say a Tweaked Jerry Freeman Generation D. You can get them through the Whistle Shop, Gaelic Crossings or direct from Jerry.
I find the Oak to be the purest of the inexpensive whistles; if you want to go up to the $20 range, a Susato fits the bill. On the other hand, the Oak takes a little better breath control than the average cheapie, while the Susato takes more air.
Edited for a (big) typo.
I agree about the Oak. It is a little hard to play at first. For the Susato, the VSB (very small bore) has absolutely no breathiness in the 2nd octave and is fairly easy to play. The regular bore (SB) Susato is can be very loud in the 2nd octave (according to some people), and it requires more breath support to keep from slipping down to the 1st octave. The VSB is what I would recommend. It was, I believe, the 3rd whistle I bought, and it is still one of my favorites (along with the Susato SB and my Burkes).
The least breathy of all the <$30 whistles I have is my Dixon D with the brass tuning slide. The other cheapies I have include (all D) Gen, Oak (2), Feadog, Clare (1 pc), Doolin 2 pc, Sweetone, Meg, Walton’s LBW. The Dixon is also louder than the others and has a different tone - sort of woody and flutey.
Mike
Just a couple of notes on the whistles mentioned above:
Susato: Tend to be VERY loud compared when compared against other whistles and have one of the most distinctly NON-whistle like tones out there. Very “plasticy and recorderish” are terms often used to describe their tone. Also, looks-wise, the Susato seems to hail more from a tradition of industrial machinery than a musical instrument.
Dixon: Highly inconsistant. Much like a Generation some folks will have gems and others will have absolute duds. I’ve played many of both varieties in all keys. The advantage here is that if you DO happen to buy a bad whistle, you can return it directly to the maker and Tony will do his best to make it right for you. Generations don’t offer this kind of service. (It’s a shame too) Dixons tone tends to be as described above - soft and flute-like on the whole…again when you get a good one.
Oak: As for these whistle being hard to play, there seems to be some history of troubles with Oak production but from most accounts it has now been rectified. I’ve never had an Oak fresh out of a box I couldn’t play at all, or even found difficult to play in the least. Oaks tend to be soft-medium in volume and again as stated before have a nice pure “highly whistle-esque tone” I’ve never found them to require more breath control than any other inexpensive whistle myself.
You may wish to contact Mack Hoover of Hoover Whistles and inquire about a Whitecap replacememnt head for your Sweetone body. You will be hard pressed to find a cheaper and cleaner tonal replacement for your current whistle.
The best thing for you to do is to play as many whistles as possible and form your own conclusions however. Are you close to any session(s) or music stores that would make this possible??
B~
You may wish to contact Mack Hoover of Hoover Whistles and inquire about a Whitecap replacememnt head for your Sweetone body. You will be hard pressed to find a cheaper and cleaner tonal replacement for your current whistle.
I couldnt agree more (IMO). I received a generation D with his whitecap and it plays a very pure second octave. I can pretty much get mostly into the third octaves until it strats to break down. But, ear plugs are required 
Thanks to everyone for being so helpful! This is truly an awesome community!
I think I may try the Oak D whistle. Are the “tweaked” versions worth the extra money?
I personally think Silkstones are about the purest but they’re pricey. Second on my list would be a Hoover Whitecap on just about any cheap brass tube.