SMARTWOODI Set of 2 Irish Whistles Wood Grain Key of C & D ABS

I got interested in Irish whistles on a whim - wanting something cheerfully to play while walking or hiking or just something to create simple tunes with. Nothing too complicated or anything that would cause my fingers to reach too far. I am sooo glad I bought this set! They have a very delightfully bright sound and encourage creativity because of the ease of playing and the limited scale. However, you can reach for a higher octave by adjusting your breath and thus get the higher scale notes. Compared to the Sondery fllC and D flute set, this one needs more breath for the higher octave scale than the Sondery set but it also is brighter and less fickle. Also the whistles are adjustable to fine tune and get the right C chord or D chord base. The set comes with an imitation leather case and a black velvet smooth inner lining with three pocketed sleeves to house them. I was able to add a third whistle in the case and everything fit and zipped up nicely! Of all my bamboo flutes, dizi's, and Irish whistles, this is by far my favorite go to whistle. I take it with me on trips, long car trips (with my husband driving of course), and where ever and whenever I get the desire to have it with me to play something sweet and fun. I attached a leather string to it so I can wear it on hikes. To me, this set was worth every penny because I have had hours of entertainment and music creativity composing many happy tunes with them! You can't beat the price and you should get years of value out of them!

Here's the deal: this is my second time purchasing Woodi. They have improved markedly in the last two years, and the price has only gone up a wee bit. Been playing whistle several years and own some higher-end whistles, but these really are good enough (playing and sounding) for a session. The Woodi design is extremely reminiscent of the Susato Kildare and always has been. When I bought these two years back, they were a little twitchier in the upper octave especially, and the cases they came in were cheap sewed vinyl pouches, one per whistle. These days, omg, improved much - the case is stiffened for protection, has a zipper and will hold both whistles plus another. The whistle's second octave first note does require venting the top hole unless you are always extremely careful with your overblowing -- other than that, they play and sound exactly like my Susato Kildare, which is slightly richer and louder than my Susato Orioles, which are all louder than my Burke (which is a sweeter-sounding but costlier all-metal tunable whistle for when you don't want/need to be quite so loud), which is louder than my Syn whistles (which also sound sweet but are considerably less loud than a Kildare), all of which are louder than my Parks (awesomely portable, nice-sounding narrowbore handmade by Carey Parks in Florida). More comparisons: Beckers all have a chuffier sound, look like plumbing but sound a bit like bamboo. The Generation, Sweetone and other standard tinwhistles have a slight higher-frequency burr that makes it obvious you're playing a trad tinwhistle. The Woodi does not have that burr, nor a lot of chuffiness; a clean, high-volume heavy-wall plastic whistle sound that will hold its own in a session: just remember to vent when you start the second octave and you're good to go. Excellent price: two whistles with heads for less than half the price of a single Kildare. Recommended for teaching/learning (where the venting requirement is actually a good-habit-builder) and trad sessions, and travel as well, since they are inexpensive. Heck, even the little zippered two-to-three-whistle case is nice :-) The guy who gets four in must be using trad narrowbores without adjustable heads, I could not get four tunables in that case without endangering it.

These whistles are well made and have a solid construction. They are fully tuneable and play true-to-pitch through the entire register. They play with a mellow tone compared to other (metal) penny whistles. If you like the chiffy tone of nickle or brass these may not be for you. If you like the mellow tone of an wooden whistle these are an inexpensive alternative. They sound similar to a recorder, but lack the sharpness and airiness that recorders tend to have. OF NOTE: These take a CONSIDERABLE bit more finesse to play than my Clarke's, Walton's, or Dixon's. The higher register on these is somewhat difficult to maintain and the notes tend to break if your breath control isn't perfect or if your embouchure isn't tight enough. I consider myself an intermediate player (I've been playing tin penny whistles recreationally for about ten years) and this is the first whistle that I've picked up that I couldn't play adequately within fifteen minutes. I had to experiment with them for a while before I got the higher register to play well, and even then I had to learn a couple new fingerings (which is problematic when playing jigs and reels which are mainly muscle memory). For those reasons I'd put these whistles solidly in the Intermediate level: if I were a beginner with youtube as my teacher these would discourage and frustrate me to the point of surrender. I got these because I loved my plastic Tony Dixon low whistles and I wanted to see more of the same. Woodi is a solid competitor, and with a very acceptable quality when placed beside the much more expensive Tony Dixon line. I'll absolutely be looking to Woodi for my next Irish Whistle purchases.

If you're looking for a first whistle, or a different sound for your collection, these are a solid choice, offering both C and D, tunability, and a nice zippered case with room for three whistles, all for under $20. On a personal note, I've only been playing pennywhistle for a year or so, and I played first the D, then the C in the video. My favirite whistle is the original Clarke (with the wood block in the fipple) These Woodi whistles don't quite have that "smoth" "mellow" tone that I perfer, but they have a pleasant, unique tone, and I like them better than my Clarke Celtic Sweetone, and my sister's Wilson. (Both excellent whistles, that have that have more of that "tinny" quality .) These Woodi whistles are louder than the Clarke original, and have a good, clear sound. I love the look of them. (For those sensitive to odors, there was a strong plastic smell when I first opened the case. I left it open, and it was gone within a couple days.) Opinions of tin whistles seem to vary considerably, and much of it comes down to personal preference. The tin whistle is relatively easy to learn, but like anything, it takes time and practice.

First of all, these whistles are essentially clones of the ABS Susato whistles made by Kelischek Workshop though far cheaper. Woodi USA appears to be one of the countless brands on Amazon and elsewhere that sells what musicians call "stencil" instruments that come from the same, usually Chinese, factory that different fly-by-night companies stamp their name on. Sometimes these instruments are passable and sometimes they're not but in general there's always poor quality control. You could get a great set of whistles or you could get terrible ones. You can find the exact same whistles as these ones branded Thomann, Woodnote, Smart and probably more. In the world of cheap tin whistles, questionable quality isn't the end of the world as even trusted brands like Generation can be a roll of the dice. The biggest issue with this market however is they can be produced so cheaply that they price out more reputable brands and it's especially shady when they lift someone else's designs like they did in this case with Susato. Stencil instruments and companies like Woodi USA have sort of become a blight on the musical instrument market since they flood it with inferior, copied instruments and beginners end up thinking they found a bargain when they're more than likely purchasing a lemon that will stunt their learning progress. I'm not innocent of buying some of these instruments to mess around with knowing full well what I was risking, but in the particular case of these whistles I purchased them before I knew they were clones based on some positive online and video reviews. Getting that out of the way, the whistles themselves are pretty decent. They have large bores so they're loud and require a ton of air in the upper octave which may not be suitable for beginners or children. On the other hand they're cheap and durable so giving these to kids isn't the worst idea. The fipples are removeable and tunable which gives them a leg up on their competition at this price point. The case they come with is worth the price alone though it does have a strong and unpleasant pleather smell and needs to be aired out for a few days. It has room for three whistles, more if you double them up. The sound is cleaner than the traditional roughness expected of tin whistles and whether you like that or not will be subjective. I personally think they sound a bit too much like a recorder, especially the C whistle. The high octave also isn't as pleasant as the low octave, especially without proper breath support. They are loud as I said earlier and since they're made of plastic they're great for playing outside in the elements since they won't be affected by the weather or humidity as harshly as a whistle made of metal or wood. I would say it's worth buying these if you want a cheap whistle to take with you places that will survive rough treatment and you're not afraid to break. If you want a quality plastic whistle save up for the Susato that this design was stolen from. Dixon is also an excellent choice for a quality tunable plastic whistle. I'd ultimately suggest other cheap whistle brands like Clarke, Generation and Feadog for beginners and to stay away from the Chinese knockoffs even if they can sometimes be decent like these whistles.

This set of Irish tin/penny whistles is a great value. They are easier to play, more in tune, and sound better than most. They come with a nice case. I have a few Dixon and Susato whistles. I don't like them as much, even though they are several times more expensive.

As a pro musician for most of my life, I've only picked up the tin whistle as a hobby in the past couple of years. I have about 10 whistles now and have always loved the timbre and sharpness of the metal whistle. It's a classic, bright, almost percussive notation that cuts through so many of those classic Irish & Celtic ensembles. THIS one truly amazed me for the price. It IS a bit different from the metal whistle tone that we're all so accustomed to--I was expecting that. But what I thought I was getting for this price was something a bit cheaper and just a toy for me to practice with. NOT! Seriously this almost sounds like a wood whistle. It's fairly warm, and the notes of the standard, lower octave, are almost warm. It would also be good for a beginner because I've noticed it being easier to generate a steady note from air flow. Some of my metal whistles--even quality ones--require just a bit more skill to play at the correct amplitude, and this just seemed easier to accomplish that, all while producing a surprisingly quality tone. I'd like to see how these sound mic'd when recorded. Both keys that are included here I'd say fit my above description as far as the differences they have to metal whistles and the timbre, etc. It seems that having a bit thicker wall to the cylinder such as wood, pvc, plastic resin whistles, the tone changes as well as the technique required for air flow and jumping octaves. Although I'll always favor the that crisp bright almost shrill tone of the classic metal Irish whistle, I couldn't see how anyone would be disappointed with these for the price. I already use a case for my whistles, the little case these come with is respectable as well. Highly recommend, and again I'm impressed with these! ~JSV

This is probably some kind of ABS but impressively does not sound as you would think... like an elementary recorder for example, no, this definitely sounds like a whistle, it has a good chiff to it for a polymer whistle, it's bulky and light weight probably because the polymer is not dense (I wouldn't expect a dense high quality polymer at this price), but it seems well made for what you pay, also the finish is very smooth to the touch. They came with a very useful carrying case that can take an extra whistle. I don't like that the second octave is harder to reach, definitely not as responsive as a Clarke Sweetone for example although this is way louder than your average whistle. Keep in mind that you will need the right flow of air for the whistle to maintain a note, if you blow too gentle for example the whistle will clog at lower notes, this is not as responsive as a Clarke Sweetone yet does not demand too much air like a Clarke Original, it is somewhat in the middle. Also I don't like that when tuning, the inner slotted joint will be visible, but overall I'm impressed with the quality of the whistles for such low price. By the way, this is a white label product (probably made in China), I've seen the same whistle being sold under different brands for different markets, Thomann in mainland Europe, Ferris and Woodnote in the UK, Woodi in the USA...

I bought these because I wanted to try a Susato-style whistle but at an affordable price. I play the whistle already and have a number of metal whistles, and I was very impressed. It is a chiffy whistle, in tune and fairly loud. It will be heard at a session. Another benefit is that you can take it on an airplane in your carry-on (X-ray scanners don't like metal whistles that look suspiciously like pipes). The case is a nice value add as well!

Great instrument quality

Su tono es suave, se escucha fuerte y muy bien, aunque cuesta llegar a la siguiente escala.

Dos flautas, una hoja con instructivo y estuche de muy buena calidad y vista.El material de las flautas es sintético. No es madera u hojalata. Suena bien en tonos graves. Para iniciarse está bien. Cuesta un poco controlar los agudos. Para iniciados considerar que este instrumento NO tiene orificio en la parte inferior como la flauta dulce. Una está afinada en Do (C) y la corta en Re (D).

These feel really nice to hold - @ twice as thick in the hand as a typical tin whistle which works great for me as I have large hands. The sound is loud and a little mellower than tin but not as much as a recorder. Two piece body allows tuning which is cool. I like the rolled tube ends - I can rest my pinky tip against the lip and it provides an anchor point that feels very stable. Typical tin whistles feel a little squirrely in comparison and difficult to anchor my fingers on positively. They both play well in tune. One important thing I discovered is that there can be some tiny bits of plastic from manufacturing lodged in the mouthpiece opening and that can make the whistles sound muted and hard to over blow. On both sets I had one whistle that was a little bit muted and harder to get a nice sound out of but after I removed the swarf (with a sewing needle) all 4 sounded bright and clear. I also like the mouth-feel of the mouthpiece compared to typical tin whistles - it's thicker and the short scoop shape is also wider than the ones on metal whistles and, as a saxophonist, I prefer it by far over a typical one. I'm impressed with the consistency of these whistles, they feel finely made even though they are plastic and they have consistent tone. The D model takes a more precise, fast airflow to over blow compared to the C one and both seem to be more work to over blow than a metal version but not much. But my favorite part of these whistles is the ease of false-fingering and playing decently pitched chromatic notes. When I try to play blues or jazz on a metal whistle I find it impossible to get the same clarity from the in-between notes . On these plastic ones it feels like they were designed for it. I'm relatively inexperienced at playing tin whistles so maybe these are just made easy for beginners, I don't know. But I've bought several metal-bodied whistles to compare and find none ( all lower priced models ) can come near the ease of play, sound quality and feel. Also, the fake wood grain ones look decent! I bought a black set and then a woody set afterwards. The black ones get a shiny look after a while where my fingers touch the plastic but it doesn't bother me. The case is well made bonus with velvet lining sewn into individual tubes for the whistles to slide into. There is also a tube for a 3rd whistle inside if you have more. Only caution is that the tubes are open both ends so a whistle could slip to the floor by accident when opening the case. A little sewing solves that though.