Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,224
Likes: 6,480
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Brass bells are expensiver than the others but they sound so nice, and most of them are adequately loud.
I do like the brrring-brrring type bell that [MENTION=151366]BobbyG[/MENTION] has, but lately, it's hard to find an all-metal one unless I find an antique. The more plastic is used, the less reliable it is.
My bells are installed differently on my different bikes, so I practice after I start rolling. This helps me keep my ringing finger ready for when I need it.
My voice seems like a bad substitute. I can't use it many times rapidly because it wears out, and when a bell suffices, my voice seems overly aggressive. I am trained as a singer and can let out an amazingly loud sound occasionally, and it has saved me, but I don't like to use it often.