I have a Fox40 Classic on my keychain - that sucker's so loud that it'll make your ears ring when you blow it, if you're not careful. If I ever wanted to create mass confusion at a sporting event, I certainly have the means.
Come winter time i carry two, one on my jacket and one on my EDC bag, here's a old pic of my bag when i changed all the zipper pulls, all of them are glow-in-the-dark, except one which is a whistle one(aerowave). kinda hard to see, its the 3rd one in from the left heres what they look like, but mine are all black thats why its hard to make out, and there loud! heres a good place to get them, and other parts http://www.owfinc.com/Hardware/phardware.asp JR
EDC whistle I carry a Fox 40 and have for years. On duty and off, always on my key ring. My wife and daughters also carry one. Used at close range it's almost a "sonic" weapon. It sure gets people's attention when it's blown.
I don't carry one as an EDC (although I may change that) but I keep a lifesystems moutain wistle as part of my PSK when I'm out hiking or camping, and I carry a classic acme thunderer on a chain when I'm helping out at scouts.
I carry a mountain whistle, lightweight and cheap, and durable (no pea to mess up). It was also pretty cheap at like £3. Useful in quite a few situations
As I have posted many other places, a Fox40 Sonik. Nothing else has come anywhere near close to it. Louder than a "regular" Fox 40 (120+ decibels so treat it with respect!). Four chambers with no pea (can't fail). All plastic (metal gets nasty in real cold weather). Weighs almost nothing. Waaayyy under $10. This is NOT a toy! For crowd control it will put a stop to everything when used. Better yet the crowd will calm down if they see you getting ready to use it a second time. Been there, done that -- day or night, drunk crowd or sober. Want proof of how well it works? Worked well enough to let me get control a group of about twenty five drunks when I was all on my own at a motorports event in the middle of the woods. Never fails.
If you blow into it very, very gently the answer would be "maybe." Most of the Fox40 line is made for reffing but the Sonik is made for getting attention in a hurry. If you blow into it with force it can easily be over 120 decibels which isn't just loud -- it's LOUD!!! That's as loud as the sound of a jet engine at a little over 100 yards or so, louder than a jack hammer, and loud enough to cause hearing damage at close range. So the Sonik might not be the model for you but they do have others. How young are the children you ref? If they are "pee-wee's" I'd say a regular Fox40 with a small amount of breath should work and if you need more volume just give it some more air. See if you can find someone with one that will let you hear for yourself (a lot of refs use a regular Fox40). Unfortunately stores won't let you "try then buy" whistles for health reasons. On the other hand they are not expensive, make for great EDC, and could easily save your rear end in an bad situation.
Out hunting or otherwise in the woods, my wife and I generally carry a Storm Whistle http://www.wind-storm-whistles.com/stormwhistle.htm. I often have a JetScream on my motorcycle jacket as a zipper pull or just in a pocket. On my truck keychain right now I have half an anodized aluminum whistle; guess I didn't have the two halves screwed together tightly enough. There's a lesson there.
Another Ancient Thread, resurrected... :-p I have a whistle on every pack I own, be it a built-in buckle whistle or added aftermarket. Urban-style, I carry one that also houses a spare $20 bill. Backcountry-style, always on my sternum strap. While kayaking, eternally on my PFD. If I can't reach someone by yelling, my whistle is the next line of communication, even if I am carrying a marine VHF or Ham radio!
I wonder what whistle is suitable for skiing. (i know, skis are suitable for skiing) . But I am not quite sure I would put a steel or titanium whistle between my lips if the temp is below zero. Any idea?
Fox 40 on my key chain EDC and an Acme Tornado 2000 in luminous yellow in my day pack. Both are really loud. Use the Fox 40 on dog walks to round up the dog and the kids!!
