Vic Firth 7AN American Classic Hickory

Love these! It feels like you can play with them forever, they last really well and even when it's starting to fall apart it keep going.. (Although by that time most of us would consider buying new ones!)

Pros:
-they feel great
-they are well balanced
-great value for money

Cons:
-not as cheap as other sticks

Conclusion:
In the end you get what you pay for. Their good! Just pick up a pair try them out and see how they feel. You can't really go wrong with these!

Cheers!

I chose these drum sticks with nylon tips as I've read online that it is better on drum mesh heads, which I'm using for quiet practice. Apparently wooden sticks, if they splinter, may cut up and damage the mesh head.

In comparison with a wooden tip, I feel this nylon tip creates a slightly crisper, harsher?, plastic noise when it hits against the cymbals. I ended up liking the slightly warmer sounds that my regular wooden tipped drum sticks create.

These 7AN drum sticks are a lot lighter than my other pair of 5AN drum sticks. It's easier to play fast rolls when the sticks are lighter, but it takes some getting used to. Sometimes these lighter and thinner sticks end up slipping. The tips of the sticks slipped under the hi hats a few times, while playing fast.

A small but minor point is that the print on these drum sticks I received did not match exactly. The words and American flag on both sticks were at different distances from the end of the sticks. It's a problem only because I use the flag logo as a quick visual check on where to place my thumb and index fingers.

When I buy a drumstick I try to keep an eye on how many hours the stick can provide before its unusable. Vic Firth have the reputation for being a great stick manufacturer but I noticed for myself that they do last longer and feel better. the evidence is in the playing 10 shows on one pair of sticks. When you play for a living, you earn your money and you dont want to spend on sticks for every single gig. Ive paid for cheaper sticks and it doesn't pay in the long run. my advice is try lots of brands, lots of price points and then pick for yourself.