Comparisons: Sticks

Something I had no idea about when I started playing drums was that drums sticks are consumables. They get used up. And pretty quickly sometimes. I used to think you bought one pair and that was the end. But, no, they have to be replaced regularly.

Vic Firth
I started out using 7A Vic Firth just because that's what was recommended to me. These are lighter and thinner. I moved on to 5Bs when I needed more volume and had built some hand strength (thicker and heavier). I started with wood tips.

I thought that Vic Firth was the leader in the industry. But it felt like a ran through Vic Firth's pretty quickly. They splintered and broke and the tips broke. Sometimes the centers would splinter the first week I used them.

Vater
I had one set of 5B wood tip Vater's that I used for lessons only that outlasted a dozen pairs of Vic Firth's...and that made me think about making the switch. Now I use Vater 5Bs with nylon tips. The first pair of those I bought I've had for months now with no problems at all. Very little wear. I bought my second set recently only cause they were on closeout (they are black, we'll see if that makes a difference) for like $3. But I haven't pulled the new pair out yet cause the first ones are going strong. Very happy with these.

Zildjian
I have used some Zildjian sticks and generally been happy with them. I have two pairs that are dipped with a indentation at the balance point that I like sometimes and I bought some Travis Barker's just to see if I could use them because a predescessor had, but they are too heavy for me. He's had good luck with them lasting, though, which is saying something cause he's a masher.

ProMark & Other Brands
I have not tried these

SUMMARY
Drum sticks seem to run $6-9 pretty consistantly unless you get them on closeout. You can save a little money buying multi-packs...but the savings isn't much. I can never justify the expense of a multipack.

There's tons of off-brand sticks out there sold much cheaper. I have no idea if they are worth it. They usually come in huge packs and I just don't want to take that chance. Now that I've found sticks that seem to last, it doesn't seem neccessary to buy in bulk anyway.

In general I avoid artist signature lines or weird style types and try to stick with the standard sizes...for now 5B exlusively pretty much. Sometimes I'll go outside that for something interesting or something dirt cheap. I bought some "heavy metal" sticks that I think amount to being 2Bs (heavy and long...like John Bonham would use). I use them on my practice pad only to build endurance.

For now, I'm happy with my Vater 5B nylon tips.