Football referees use plastic whistles. They are shrill and high pitched, they are a bit.... "look at me!" Perfect in fact for the prima donna world of footballers. The Acme Thunderer on the other hand is metal, it's solid, dependable and practical. It has a deep commanding tone, it's a man's whistle.
A few weeks ago The Rugby Ref did the ultimate in referee geekness, he visited the Acme Whistle factory in Hockley, Birmingham. Now let's face it. When I say Acme some people think of Wile E Coyote and Road Runner. But referee's only think of the Acme Thunderer.

The Acme Thunderer was invented in 1884 and has been used in both World Wars, World Cups and Olympic Games. It was Acme who supplied all of the ship's mates whistles to RMS Titanic as standard issue safety equipment. An Acme Thunderer belonging to Herbert Pitman, third officer on the RMS Titanic was sold at auction in 1991 for £31,000.
Acme now make over 200 kinds of whistle, still operating from the factory in Hockley that they have occupied since the 1800's. The Rugby Ref loved that factory, it was a maze of small wooden staircases and narrow corridors. The stairs were all worn from the thousands of feet that had walked up and down them. Every single whistle is still tested before it leaves the factory, exactly as stipulated by Joseph Hudson for his first order of Metropolitan whistles.

A quick search for Acme Whistles on eBay will bring up police whistles, scout whistles, train guard whistles, referee's whistles and even occasionally World War I trench whistles.
The Rugby Ref has started collecting old Acme whistles, because there is nothing The Rugby Ref likes more than whistles and collecting.
So, if you've tried the rest, now try the best, get yourself an Acme....... Acme Whistles
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