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- Sep 15, 1999
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Following are the results of my bigger, better, new and improved (but still imperfect) whistle test. The findings of my first test were posted in Gadgets & Gear because I had included the new 4sevens 100db titanium whistle, and did not want to give the impression that I thought it was suitable as a “Wilderness and Survival” whistle. Since then, I’ve come to realize that some will include the tiny 4sevens whistle in pocket kits, and I also added a few whistles to the test that are big enough that they cannot in any way be considered keychain whistles. So here we are with a new test in W&S.
It's really not worth seeing, but if you care, the original test can be found here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/887457-A-Quick-Test-of-Six-Whistles
I did not think I would be able to conduct this particular test until next spring as it’s now hunting season and hunters don’t like people running around the woods blowing whistles. I had forgotten that (at least in Pennsylvania) it’s illegal to hunt on Sunday. So, this past Sunday I talked my wonderful wife into helping me with my test. Clear skies, with temps in the low 60’s and there was only the occasional wispy breeze. Most of the leaves have already fallen here, so we were in open woods. We were also on mostly level ground without hills or valleys.
My wife sat in a chair facing me as I marched into the woods with a GPS, an FRS radio, and a pocketful of whistles to find the range limit (for the above conditions) for each of them.
The results are as follows with additional comments below:
(Distances are in Meters.)
4sevens 100db titanium whistle: 225
ACR Safety whistle: 250
Fox 40 Mini: 325
Fox 40 Micro (aka Rescue Howler): 325
Acme 649 Survival: 325
Jet Scream: 350
Acme Thunderer 560: 400
Acme Thunderer 558: 425
Most people only look at decibels when deciding on a particular whistle while other things come into play. Low tones carry farther and are reputed to move through foliage better. Even the numbers above fail to tell the whole story. It’s important to consider how big of a breath it takes to get the most out of a whistle.
The 4sevens and the ACR are incredibly easy to blow. It is easy to maintain long continuous blasts of several seconds. The Fox Micro, the Acme 649 and the Jet Scream fall at the other end of the scale and require big lungs to be most effective. Producing sustained blasts would be difficult or impossible for most. Getting anything out of them might be impossible if one were injured. I wouldn’t give them to kids or elderly. I wouldn’t want to be stuck in the woods blowing them repeatedly all day long in hopes of being found. Doing so would be exhausting if possible at all. My wife doesn’t like these three whistles. Neither do I.
Note that the two “winners,” the Acme Thunderer 560 and 558 are both pea whistles. As it relates to most of us, I think the possibility of the pea freezing is overblown (pun intended.) A whistle carried in a pocket or worn on a neck lanyard and tucked in a shirt should never freeze. If it did, I can’t imagine it would take much to thaw it out. Considering the much greater range of the pea whistles, this is what I would carry. If the possibility of freezing is an issue, then carry a pea whistle and a pea-less whistle as a backup. They weigh almost nothing and cost hardly anything. I should mention that the addition of the pea makes these whistles quite easy to blow. I suspect that this is what makes them so effective. I was surprised that the 558 (425 meters) had only a slightly greater range than the 560 (400 meters) considering that the 558 is so much bigger. The 560 definitely wins for size efficiency.
You may have noticed that the Tops Knives whistle was included in the first test, but not in this one. While conducting the test, I had just placed one of the whistles to my lips when I felt something drop and hit the toe of my boot. I then blew the whistle being careful not to shuffle my feet until I could retrieve whatever it was that had bounced off my foot. Stooping down, I couldn’t see anything but fallen autumn leaves so I reached for my reading glasses to get a better look. They weren’t in my pocket. I looked at the ground again and finally saw the glasses. After retrieving them, I continued with the test. All I know is that the Tops whistle came up missing and I probably lost it at the same time as the glasses.
What I liked about the Tops: It did not require a lot of breath to blow. It is reputed to put out 120 db. It had a low tone and sounded very much like a train whistle.
What I didn’t like about the Tops: It always seemed that it had to be held in the mouth just right to get all “tone chambers” to sound. If I held it to my lips with my fingers it worked perfectly. When I removed my fingers to cover my ears, if the whistle shifted at all, the tone would be off and also not as loud. I doubt I could have maintained three full blows without the whistle shifting. I should add that all the whistles except the ACR and Tops have a ridge on one or both sides of the mouthpiece to help your lips or teeth to orientate and to hold onto the whistle. The lack of a ridge did not seem to matter on the ACR. It did seem to matter (at least for me) for the Tops Knives whistle.
Conclusions: The 4sevens titanium whistle wins for a keychain whistle because of its miniscule size. It is $20, though. A more reasonably priced alternative is the Acme 560. It is in the size range of the other keychain whistles, yet has a significantly greater range. I also think the 560 wins as a woods whistle. While the 558 has just slightly more range, it is also much bigger in all dimensions. I should add that a future test in the spring or summer might change my mind. Through heavy foliage, the lower toned 558 may prove greatly superior.
It's really not worth seeing, but if you care, the original test can be found here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/887457-A-Quick-Test-of-Six-Whistles
I did not think I would be able to conduct this particular test until next spring as it’s now hunting season and hunters don’t like people running around the woods blowing whistles. I had forgotten that (at least in Pennsylvania) it’s illegal to hunt on Sunday. So, this past Sunday I talked my wonderful wife into helping me with my test. Clear skies, with temps in the low 60’s and there was only the occasional wispy breeze. Most of the leaves have already fallen here, so we were in open woods. We were also on mostly level ground without hills or valleys.
My wife sat in a chair facing me as I marched into the woods with a GPS, an FRS radio, and a pocketful of whistles to find the range limit (for the above conditions) for each of them.
The results are as follows with additional comments below:
(Distances are in Meters.)
4sevens 100db titanium whistle: 225
ACR Safety whistle: 250
Fox 40 Mini: 325
Fox 40 Micro (aka Rescue Howler): 325
Acme 649 Survival: 325
Jet Scream: 350
Acme Thunderer 560: 400
Acme Thunderer 558: 425
Most people only look at decibels when deciding on a particular whistle while other things come into play. Low tones carry farther and are reputed to move through foliage better. Even the numbers above fail to tell the whole story. It’s important to consider how big of a breath it takes to get the most out of a whistle.
The 4sevens and the ACR are incredibly easy to blow. It is easy to maintain long continuous blasts of several seconds. The Fox Micro, the Acme 649 and the Jet Scream fall at the other end of the scale and require big lungs to be most effective. Producing sustained blasts would be difficult or impossible for most. Getting anything out of them might be impossible if one were injured. I wouldn’t give them to kids or elderly. I wouldn’t want to be stuck in the woods blowing them repeatedly all day long in hopes of being found. Doing so would be exhausting if possible at all. My wife doesn’t like these three whistles. Neither do I.
Note that the two “winners,” the Acme Thunderer 560 and 558 are both pea whistles. As it relates to most of us, I think the possibility of the pea freezing is overblown (pun intended.) A whistle carried in a pocket or worn on a neck lanyard and tucked in a shirt should never freeze. If it did, I can’t imagine it would take much to thaw it out. Considering the much greater range of the pea whistles, this is what I would carry. If the possibility of freezing is an issue, then carry a pea whistle and a pea-less whistle as a backup. They weigh almost nothing and cost hardly anything. I should mention that the addition of the pea makes these whistles quite easy to blow. I suspect that this is what makes them so effective. I was surprised that the 558 (425 meters) had only a slightly greater range than the 560 (400 meters) considering that the 558 is so much bigger. The 560 definitely wins for size efficiency.
You may have noticed that the Tops Knives whistle was included in the first test, but not in this one. While conducting the test, I had just placed one of the whistles to my lips when I felt something drop and hit the toe of my boot. I then blew the whistle being careful not to shuffle my feet until I could retrieve whatever it was that had bounced off my foot. Stooping down, I couldn’t see anything but fallen autumn leaves so I reached for my reading glasses to get a better look. They weren’t in my pocket. I looked at the ground again and finally saw the glasses. After retrieving them, I continued with the test. All I know is that the Tops whistle came up missing and I probably lost it at the same time as the glasses.
What I liked about the Tops: It did not require a lot of breath to blow. It is reputed to put out 120 db. It had a low tone and sounded very much like a train whistle.
What I didn’t like about the Tops: It always seemed that it had to be held in the mouth just right to get all “tone chambers” to sound. If I held it to my lips with my fingers it worked perfectly. When I removed my fingers to cover my ears, if the whistle shifted at all, the tone would be off and also not as loud. I doubt I could have maintained three full blows without the whistle shifting. I should add that all the whistles except the ACR and Tops have a ridge on one or both sides of the mouthpiece to help your lips or teeth to orientate and to hold onto the whistle. The lack of a ridge did not seem to matter on the ACR. It did seem to matter (at least for me) for the Tops Knives whistle.
Conclusions: The 4sevens titanium whistle wins for a keychain whistle because of its miniscule size. It is $20, though. A more reasonably priced alternative is the Acme 560. It is in the size range of the other keychain whistles, yet has a significantly greater range. I also think the 560 wins as a woods whistle. While the 558 has just slightly more range, it is also much bigger in all dimensions. I should add that a future test in the spring or summer might change my mind. Through heavy foliage, the lower toned 558 may prove greatly superior.
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