I bought two green Gens recently, both perfect. Maybe the quality control has picked up a bit. At the 2006 Audlem BPAHGD someone showed me a wonderful whistle, economical on breath, loud but not too much, well in tune, made by a bloke in South Yorkshire... Barnsley or Penistone or Oughtibridge I think. Unfortunately it cost a small fortune (£180 IIRC) and I lost the URL quickly.

I think many people's problems stem from breath control and style, particularly heavily tongued styles. If you soften from the classical-stlye t-t-t to brushing the tongue gently forward across the hard palate, not even closing, you can get good articulation (a sort of hl-hl-hl) without the heavy attack that most whistles don't seem to take well to. Still better use fingered grace notes to articulate, like Scotch pipers have to.