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Mountain Equipment Co-op whistles = EPIC FAIL

B

Bushman5

Joined
Oct 31, 2007
Messages
9,833
Based on my own testing, and reviews from friends, including one who NEEDED a whistle for emergency purposes, I am posting this as a DO NOT BUY WARNING to anyone buying the following $1 whistle from Mountain Equipment Co-op to NOT purchase the whistle in question. Go for a Fox40 or similar.

this is the whistle in question, $1, usually located in the flashlight and first aid kit racks of Mountain Equipment Coop canada. Comes with a plastic point of sale tag and paper SKU/price tag. It is made by Perry Co. of England. (this actually surprises me, Perry Co normally makes good gear)

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the whistle, when NEEDED, does not produce a LOUD whistle in any way shape or form. At full lung capacity, (and i'm a cyclist) i was barely able to get a 3 - 5 decibel squeak out of the whistle. I have about 6 of these, and all are complete and utter failures.

Compare that to my FOX40, which inflicts pain on my ears when i blow it, even at low pressure.

complete and utter epic fail for this product, DO NOT EXPECT OTHER WOODS PEOPLES TO HEAR YOU IF YOU USE THIS PRODUCT! THIS IS A LIFE/SAFETY ISSUE as far as i'm concerned. MEC has been contacted by myself and others and informed of this issue.
 
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I have a similarly designed whistle and have found it to be pretty soft even when moving a lot of air through it
 
All true. I bought two a couple of months ago . and replaced the with Jet Screams ( US Survival ones). More expensive ? Yes . Loud ? Very much so !!
 
I don't have one. I like the small aluminum REI one myself, they BLAST. However, have you tried a second before you denounce the whistle? No doubt it isn't a unique incident, however it could be isolated. Just playing the advocate and not stirring the pot.
 
yea i bought a whole bunch over the last few years , i gave em away to hikers who were ill equipped. Have a bunch of my own and they all suck.
 
I've been carrying a Fox 40 for years. You can hear it over New York City traffic. Even their smaller whistles are loud. I've also got one of the big Storm whistle. It's so loud it hurts to use it. :)
 
my initial reason for purchasing these MEC whistles was that they are pretty damn durable, the plastic is a little softer than the fox40 whistles, and the lanyard hole is very tough. Sadly, they do NOT perform well as a whistle.

back to my venerable Fox40.
 
I lost count of how many fox 40's I have kicking around, on thing I love is seeing made in canada on them.:thumbup:
 
yup, i am humbled by this......

what bugs me though is my friend who was in her kayak, with a dislocated shoulder caused by a rough wave, was trying to signal her partner ahead of her. All she got was a low pitched toot out of the whistle.
 
I think this is the " Tactical Stealth Model" designed to help you blend in ;)

Either that or perhaps its a training aid to teach you to be more self reliant. Gotta figure if you cant call for help your gonna have to figure things out for yourself :p

In all seriousness, Thanks for this warning. I usually use fox 40s but have been looking at these for kits I am making for my twin nephews, you saved me some hassle and may have saved them from worse.
 
I picked up my Son a whistle/LED light for while he is hiking with me and thought about what a deal these were....glad I went with the Fox 40 instead!
 
Bushman5 said:
yup, i am humbled by this......

what bugs me though is my friend who was in her kayak, with a dislocated shoulder caused by a rough wave, was trying to signal her partner ahead of her. All she got was a low pitched toot out of the whistle.
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Yet another example on why all gear should be tested before it comes along on a trip.

Thanks for the warning though! :thumbup:
 
Fonly said:
I lost count of how many fox 40's I have kicking around, on thing I love is seeing made in canada on them.:thumbup:
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Not only are they made in Canada, but the inventor, Ron Foxcroft, grew up in Burlington, Ontario. How do I know this? We used to play together as kids.

Doc
 
AeroNautiCal said:
Ah', but did you play with whistles?
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Didn't have the whistles then :D .

I don't know if you know the background, but the whistles were a result of him being a professional basketball referee. When he was a kid, he was an absolute basketball fanatic.

I guess he would have loved to play professionally, but he didn't have the height, so I guess being a referee was the next best thing.

I envy people, who love their jobs.

Doc
 
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