Which whistle would William Wissel want if William Wissel wanted a whistle? And would William Wissel bristle if his mom forbade the whistle?

Forget William—you'll be the one bristling if you buy a tin whistle without perusing these reviews & guides:

• Chiff & Fipple offers three whistle guides: one on low-end tin whistles (those that sell for about US $15 or less), one on high-end tin whistles (which can cost several hundred dollars), and one on low whistles (which typically sell for US $50–$200).
  
  While informative, all three guides impede readers by the seemingly random order in which whistle makers are listed. Also, Dale (that's Dale Wiseley, the heart and soul of Chiff & Fipple) sometimes labels sections "new," but because entries aren't always dated, you don't know how new "new" is.
  
  But don't let this news discourage you. All three guides are well worth reading. As a bonus, the low whistle guide contains a brief history of the instrument and explains how to grip and finger one (hint: the technique is different from that used with standard tin whistles).
  
  
• Dr. Richard Ford includes on his malware.org site (a site that will one day contain everything you need to know about malicious software, he claims) reviews and commentary on tin whistles and low whistles.
  
  Claiming he'll offend 99% of all whistle players, Dr. Ford delivers frank, insightful assessments of the whistles he has bought. Listings are alphabetically ordered and—better still—Richard (we're on a first-name basis ... at least, we are now) includes mp3 demos of most of the whistles he reviews.
  
  
• Hobgoblin Music offers guidance for would-be and will-be whistle buyers. Their whistle FAQ provides background information on the instrument and points out some of the differences among commonly available whistles.
  
  Despite containing a few useful nuggets of information, the FAQ is pretty sparse and gives the impression that it's either still under construction or has been abandoned. Also (confusingly), much of the same information is also available on another page on the site.
  
  
• TinPenny offers a guide to tin whistles that segments whistles into three categories: cylindrical whistles, conical whistles, and high-end whistles (which, for the record, may be cylindrical or conical). Their guide isn't quite as meaty as others (such as the ones from Chiff & Fipple), but it's an excellent place to start.
  
  An interesting aside ... TinPenny earns extra points for being the only tin-whistle site I've encountered to mention the Tabor Pipe, a three-holed instrument that looks like a pre-pubescent tin whistle. The instrument is played with one hand (the musician uses the other hand to play a small drum, the tabor, which accompanies the whistle). For more information on the Tabor Pipe, visit these two pages from Ishmael the Fiddler: Pipe & Tabor and Ishmael's Tabor Pipe Reviews.
  
  
• Patrick Ashley (owner of the Yahoo group tinwhistlepage) provides a cursory review of some of the major tin whistle makers (Clarke, Shaw, Chieftan, Generation, and Susato). The information comes from a site Patrick has more or less abandoned, but he says he's thinking of creating another site, one focused more on tin-whistle music than on the instrument.
  
  
• Kevin, aka DazedinLA, offers tips on finding a "good" whistle. He also offers some personal thoughts on deciding between expensive and inexpensive whistles.