By Dafferson Borba, referee of the Santa Catarina Federation of Basketball, a specialist in Public Health, and a professional in Physical Education in Health.
Today I’m going to talk about Fox 40 Sonik Blast, which I bought in 2021 due to a recommendation by CBB’s refereeing coordinator, Enaldo Batista, in 2019, when I retook the refereeing course to become a court referee – I was already a federation scoring table officer since 2016. After Enaldo’s favorable report, I relied heavily on the quality of this whistle and researched for a long time before investing in it.
Sound
In the Fox 40 catalog, the Sonik Blast is described as “the most efficient whistle in its class. Generates a lower powerful frequency, similar to the Classic®, to take the sound to a greater distance. Easy to blow. Distinctive, loud, and clear sound.”
Indeed, in my nearly six years of refereeing, I have never heard such a powerful and clear whistle sound (120 decibels). The blast comes out quickly and seamlessly. It’s loud, coming to deafen me for a split second. It can be used indoors with audience interference and outdoors. So, it is undoubtedly the perfect whistle for those who want and need to be heard.
Whistle control
The Sonik Blast features CMG® (Cushioned Mouth Grip) technology, a thermoplastic device designed by the Fox 40 that makes the whistle more comfortable to control in the mouth and provides protection for teeth and lips.
It makes a difference to count on this technology; I have a Classic® model of the same brand, but without CMG®, and it is not very comfortable without this material.
Regarding the control of the whistle in the mouth, it was possible to notice a disadvantage in this model. The whistle’s shape is suitable for its performance and fits well in the mouth; however, its air intake (where it is blown) seems a little large, larger than in other whistles.
As I have a previous discomfort in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), it caused a little fatigue in this region at the moments of the games without the ball stopping, with consecutive changes of possession. However, as we know, basketball is a sport with many breaks, whether with fouls or time violations, so it is possible to take the whistle out of your mouth at various times. In this way, the whistle generates discomfort only on a few rare occasions.
Tip
Sonik Blast’s black model doesn’t have a lanyard. However, you can buy a separate lanyard, which will meet your need without a problem. I already think the whistle with a lanyard hanging from the shirt’s collar is more elegant, so I bought a black lanyard, a “lobster” closure, and set up my lanyard.
Fox 40 Sonik Blast – Is it worth it?
Investing in this model is worth every penny! But, first, it was worth following a referee’s recommendation with international experience and then researching carefully to choose my main working instrument on the court.
Even though I have a previous discomfort in the TMJ, it is not a problem to control the whistle during the games. Therefore, I highly recommend the Fox 40 Sonik Blast for those who want a low investment and exceptional quality whistle to conduct well basketball and any other sports games.