ACMEThunderer Finger Grip Metal Whistle Nickel-Plated (477/58.5) Large

This is the whistle you want for ice hockey. It's the whistle sound we hockey players all know. I agree with the other reviewer who said the rubber whistle cover dampened the sound. I cut the mouth piece end off the cover and used only the mouth piece end of it, so I wouldn't hit my teeth, and left the body of the whistle uncovered. This provided the loudest tone and resonance of the whistle body and fully open hole for the sound to resonate. The mouth piece cover does slide once cut from the body but I haven't seen it as a problem as of yet. The whistle is of exceptional quality. A bright shiny silver, with a nicely embossed ACME Thunderer logo. Feels heavy and solid. Finger grips are very lightly tacky and secure feeling on the hand. This is the one I was looking for. Completely worth the price and the shipping. Probably will last forever if I don't lose it!!

Best whistle there is for hockey referees. Nearly every referee I know uses this whistle. It’s loud, slick, and easy to fit to your fingers. I’ve been using the Thunderer for the last 13 years and don’t plan on switching.

The ACME Thunderer 58.5 is the best whistle for ice hockey. These whistles have been around forever and are still the whistle of choice. They're tough, comfortable, and the pea rarely sticks. The only negative is the new wraparound tip - the design of wrapping the tip around the whistle body to keep it on doesn't work well, it muffles the sound too much. At around $10 a whistle, this was a great deal!

A must have for hockey refs. Easy to hold while skating. Produces a clear, loud sound.

I'm a soccer referee in Seattle, WA. We have lots of adjoining fields with simultaneous games here. If every referee uses a Fox 40 players on adjacent fields often get confused when a whistle blows. ("Whose whistle was that?" Stop The Game. Look around. Blame The Referee. Yell at each other. Do Anything But Play Soccer. Great.)I've been looking for a lower pitched whistle with finger grip and mouthguard for years and finally found it: the ACME Thunderer. It's metal, comes with a pea, and is decidedly lower pitched than the Fox 40. (The mouthguard and finger grip are rubberized plastic, covering the metal and work fine.) When I use it no one mistakes it for a Fox 40.Disadvantages: No, it's not as loud as a Fox 40. Yes, blow hard and often and you'll spray your face with your spit (and glasses in my case). Yes, in freezing weather the pea could bind up and queer your sound. (We get maybe a week or two a year here in Seattle of below freezing temperatures, so Too Cold is no big deal for us.)All in all I'm delighted to have a viable alternative to my standard whistle, the Fox 40. I carry them both to games and happily use either one.

This is the best whistle for reffing hockey. I highly recommend it. The only thing that I have to do personally to use it is to make sure the bottom side of the whistle is taped so that the metal does not touch my skin - I tend to get rashes from cheaper metals, but taping it is an easy fix.

Great sounding whistle, I bought two of them, the main one I was using stopped working after only 2.5 months of usage. Can't tell if the corked pea split or its leaking air but it sounds terrible and isn't loud anymore. I contacted the vendor who gave me a refund but it makes me wonder about the quality of a product I am paying for. My other Fox 40 super grip whistle lasted almost 7 years. I am hoping the 2nd whistle I still have helps to change my mind but right now I am not impressed if I can't trust the whistle to keep working especially at the higher price I am paying for it, my review will eventually become a 1 star.

I know Fox has paid USA Hockey to say the Fox 40 is the "official whistle" of USA Hockey, but to me, the Acme Thunderer sounds way better and you don't need to put as much "lung" into it to sound it.