Its hard to import them in quantities of a few hundred thousand, and cheaper to print them than to buy in quantities of a hundred

• Customizability (hotline numbers, etc)
• Independence from billionaire-owned supply chains
• Encourages and strengthens local support networks

Because 3D printer owners not only get to feel validated about owning a 3D printer, but also get to help the community during these harsh times.

There's a lot of people saying here that it's cheaper to 3D print. It is not. Even if the claim of 5 cents a 3D printed whistle is true, and I don't really believe it, it's not hard to find bulk plastic whistles with the price dropping as low as 2 cents per unit.

Why buy one when a superior one can be 3d printed? Hard to stop people from printing them. I've printed thousands over the years. I'm unfamiliar with the one shown in the article. The ones I print are very loud but probably take more time than those to print per unit.