The Dolphin
 

Does anyone like this whistle. Does it really sound that much better\different?

I do not know about better? but it has a different sound

I have heard some people say there were problems with the automatic timing systems.

Don't like it at all.

I like it and use it frequently. I think my whistle would sound different no matter what. I want it to mean something everytime I put air in my whistle so I hit is hard. :D Another reason why I don't like de-valuing my whistles by blowing for every sub.

I love it. It is heavier and bulkier than the Fox 40, but louder and less "airy" sounding. I have used mine all season, and a lot of my co-officials have switched after calling with me.

If you work a game with the PRECISION TIME SYSTEM you must use a Fox 40 for it work properly.

but if not, I suggest to at least try the Dolphin. It sounds good, it's a bit big maybe, but it's not too big. And I think it's better for the ears then the fox, but maybe that's just me

But its ugly!

One additional good thing about the Fox 40 is the manufacturer is a long time referee who puts money back into many officiating causes. Who makes the Dolphin?

Ron Foxcroft is the "Fox" in Fox40. He was the owner of FOX40, but I think that he retired and turned it over to his sons, who are running it now. One of the co-founders of the whistle was Joe Forte, who was working in the NCAA at that time but later joined the NBA staff. The "40" part of the name referes to "Forte".

It's true, it's true.....

The ones I've seen at Honig's and the other places have a Fox40 logo on top of the whistle. So, that's my guess... not sure though.

It's actually made by a Japanese company called Molten. The reason for the Fox 40 logo is that they are distributed in North America by Fox 40

I got one just to try it out a couple of weeks ago. The Dolphin has a slightly different sound and like was said in another reply, it is not as "airy" as the Fox 40. I have noticed that I do not have to give it as much air as the Fox 40. As for a preference of one over the other, I have none.

Thanks. I figured that was probably the case, although I wasn't one-hundred percent sure.

Are you sure about this? The Fox40 website doesn't mention Forte, but instead mentions engineer Chuck Shepherd as the co-developer (see here).

The one site I found (text which appears on Amazon and several other spots) mentioning Forte seems unreliable (it's here).

Sounds like an urban myth to me. What's the source of your info?