Rubbish Zildjian Sticks

[Spence]

I play Vic Firth 5a's.

My friend bought me various Zildian ones to try out. I had 4 pairs (all wood tip). 2 x 5a, 5b and those ones with rubber in the middle (anti-shock or something).

I decided to take these to some rehearsals (3 in total). Almost immediately a 5a broke. The crack ran right along the grain of the wood. I thought it was wierd as I never really break many sticks when rehearsing. It looked like the wood used was pretty rubbish and just fell apart.

I then tried out the anti-shock (or whatever) ones. The same thing happened. The stick broke right at the top near the tip. It looked like the end of the stick just fell off.

Then I went back to the 5a's. Another broke.

Anyone else had similar problems. This never happens with my normal sticks. EVER. I am never going to use these sticks again.

[Mista Bob]

I've heard alot of people having problems with Zildjian sticks, so you are not alone.

I have not used them myself though, as I've just stayed away from them because of what so many have said.

[gringo998]

yea, i think on this forum there is a huge anti zildjian stick population. i havent played them in a while, but i remember having problems with them. sorry to hear about your waste of a present though, its the thought that counts! woo

[Stu_Strib]

I have a pair of 6a's that have been holding up great..one of the best ever. But the 7as and the Chambers signature wore out faster than most other sticks.

[mind_drummer]

I only use my Zildjian sticks when doing rudiments on my REMO practice pad or on a pillow... It tell you the quality and how tough they are.

[d.c.drummer]

Yeah, thats why i switched back to firth. They can take a licking.

[MagnZ]

I bought three pairs of the Travis Barker sign stick. And Broke em all within three rehearsals.

[sgt.pepper1986]

I've had perfectly fine relations with Zildjian sticks. They are a lot less slippery than Vaters, though Vater is a great stick. I've only ever had one pair break, a set of Super 5b anti- vibes. Other than that, They've all been great. Lately I've been using their Super 5A and ROCK model.

[Zildjian 242]

When I first started out (10 years ago) i always used Zildjian sticks, they always seemed to be good. But a few years ago they just been bad. They dont even have the same feel like the old Zildjian stick anymore. which was solid

[rhydianjlewis]

i have a set of zildjian 5As at the moment which havent broke but i just dont like them. theyre not long enough, and after getting a set of vic firth dave weckl sigs which are real thin and lasted for months i got some firth extreme 5a's which are great

[rendezvous_drummer]

You damn right Zildjian sticks are rubbish! I broke a pair within the ten hits when my band recorded....absolute crap!

[Jaden]

Rubbish Zildjian Sticks?!?!? Rubbish Zildjian Sticks?!?!?

How about Rubbish Zildjian Nylon Tips. HOLY WOW


I know this has been said before....but prior to when I never knew quality/ quantity of different brands...

I enjoy playing with nylon tips. And Id usually use VicFr simply because thats what the store had. Well I went to a diff place after a long while and saw some zildjian (?!?) sticks.


WOAH I thought. Such an amazing cymbal company actually makes sticks too? Im gonna buy some of these!

To which I bought like 6 pairs.

The next week or so can be described only as chaos.
Little white thingies not just falling off but rocketing away into space. I never even imagined or comprehended something like this could possibly happen at the tip but by the time the month was over virtually all my nylon tips were now tipless. Never looked back and..

no...Ive never had a tip fly off since then.


Horrible. Truly horrible

[stoptime]

I tried some Bill Stewart sticks, and they broke really easily like the wood was all dry and brittle or something. Granted they're really thin, Vic Firth's of the same size last until they wear out for me.

[jonescrusher]

Yeah, zildjian make, or certainly did make poopy sticks. I got 10 free pairs when i got my kit many years ago and at least 40% of them were bananas. Such inconsistent wood density as well. A shame on the Zildjian name.

[catchagato]

I've, too, also had the same bad experience with Zildjian sticks. I once rolled them on a table and one was so warped, bent, or whatever you want to call it, that you could see the arch in the stick from the surface of the table and the stick. I agree too with the poor wood density...Don't buy sticks from a company who "specializes" in cymbals. Buy sticks from a company that obviously strictly produces drum sticks and such...simple as that.

[hauk]

i tried some 5A DIPs [the ones with a rubber coating] and hated them. the rubber felt really bad and they broke very easily

[hawk9290]

I've only played Zildjian sticks 3-4 times, and the stuff I was playing was light and somewhat quiet, so I didn't have any problems, but they still didn't feel very solid. I prefer to stick with Vater- I still have my first pair of sticks from them from 8 years ago, used often for about 6 years, and now used only twice - three times a week recently- they are still in playable condition, haven't broken, and the only problem is now some of the wood is finally starting to chip away. I'm don't kill the drums when I play, but I hit pretty hard, and for those sticks to have lasted so long amazes me (i think they are just regular Vater 5A's too)

[cjl71178]

I've been using Zildjian sticks for over 6 years now & I've never, ever had a problem with them. I was a long time Pro-Mark man
and I've used Vic Firth's as well. I use the Z4A model and they've been good to me so far...

[Maytridy]

I tried some Bill Stewart sticks, and they broke really easily like the wood was all dry and brittle or something. Granted they're really thin, Vic Firth's of the same size last until they wear out for me.

That's odd...I've been using nothing but Bill Stewart sticks since last July and I haven't broken a pair yet.

I really think it's all about your playing style. Zildjian sticks aren't for people who play like gorillas on steroids (I'm not accusing anyone, it's just my general impression). If you break sticks every week (or month for that matter) just go find some tree trunks in your back yard. Those should work well.

[2d-chris]

I bought three pairs of the Travis Barker sign stick. And Broke em all within three rehearsals.
Yikes i can't imagine breaking a pair of those suckers, i used to play in a punk band for over a year and i only used 2 pairs, both of which where still ok.

Overall im not a big fan of the Zildjian stick feel, they do feel slightly cheap. The only sticks i have ever broken was a pair of Steve Gadd Vic Firth sticks and i think thats more to do with how thin and light they are. I tend to change those sticks every few weeks as they chip up allot.

[Synthetik]

I have to admit, in my life I have owned 3 pairs of Zildjian sticks. They all broke just as quickly as the cheapest generic stick I have ever used. For wood, I much prefer pro-mark.

[mofle]

I had used the Travis Barker model for a few weeks when one of them broke. I bought a new pair to use on a show and I used the ''old'' one for a spare. Three minutes into the first song one of the new and unused sticks broke. When the short gig (20 min) was over none of the sticks could be used. They had no tips and there was a huge crack in one of them.

Bad quality!

[emmerson]

zildjian sticks are horrible ive got a pair of 7a's and they broke too easy and they feel really bad on your hands

[drumbum1977]

Yeah, same experiance with those crappy quality sticks.....vic firth all the way!

[syaoran05]

i borrowed a pair of black zildjian 5a sticks from my classmate.. it felt like one of those $4 pairs sold in shops.. very light. so light i wont even make the shoulder hit anything... i just used that pair to tap on tables. i have this nova [vic firth seconds, ive read] 7a sticks worth $4 and its about 1.5 years since ive got them. one already has a crack, but only a crack and its only held up by medical tape.. even with the crack it still holds up nice.

[rendezvous_drummer]

This is why vater was invented, to cure us from any rubbish quality sticks.

[Drumms]

I have bought a pair of the Zildjian anti-vibes. Since I never hit very hard (It makes to much noise and I live in an appartement), I did not break them, but they got chewed and chipped really quickly. Now they're ugly and sound bad. A strong hit or two will kill them.

Then I've bought a Vic Firth pair of the same wood (hickory) and dimentions (5a), and have been playing them ever since. Not only they're a bit thicker and heavier, but they show almost no signs of wear, and I've been using them for much longer than the zild's.

Will never buy zildjians again.

[syaoran05]

ive yet to try vater... firths are ok.. but i cant find 7a vaters around here.. all they stock up on is zildjian. ugh..

[Sirwill]

I have never had luck with Zildjian sticks. You cant beat Pro Mark Oak sticks in my opinion. Rhythm in the hands of few" Sirwill

[resqguy]

I got a box of them free when I bought my kit. I have broken a few and a couple more developed a buz in a relatively short period of time. They are disposable sticks.

The tips seem to hold up fairly well though.

[my sacred music]

yah zildjian stick quality comes nowere near the quality of thair cymbals. i had some 5a dips they were gone in like less than a week. i then bought some vic's and i still got em!!!
so yah screw zildjian sticks, stay with firth.

[zambizzi]

Here's another negative Zildjian stick testimony.

I was bouncing between pro mark (vibrate more than others) and vic firth (me likey!) and a buddy turned me on to the anti-vibe sticks that Zildjian makes. They *feel* great and I really, really like how they play...but they do break quite easily.

In the last two months I've gone through 3-pair. The third pair I'm using almost exclusively but have been a little gun-shy about using them on the kit...I'll usually move to the firth or pro marks when I finish up on the practice pad. It sucks...because the anti-vibes help me move around the drums faster....they just sit in your hand *so* nice.

However...in the other two pair I killed...the tip split right on the edge where the wood grain runs...

I don't even play hard...I'm not a metal maniac...and these sticks just can't take the lightest of workouts.

Does anyone else make anti-vibe sticks that are similar?

[driver]

I bought some very light zildjian sticks and just expected them to fold over as soon as I hit a crash but they lasted me ages and ages. I think they were John Otto sig sticks. Only reason I didn't by them again was cos of the yucky black marks on skins.

[Will_Drum_For_Skittles]

I have heard people have that problem too. But then again, a drummer I know uses Zildjian sticks, and he is the hardest hitting drummer I have ever heard, ever. He honestly cannot play soft. He complained about breaking those metal robot Ahead sticks, but swears by Zildjian. It might just be a lapse in quality control though, I remember there was a point where I used only VF sticks, and there was a period of time where the Vic Firths would break almost instantly. I got fed up that I got like 4 bad pairs in a row, but now they seem fine.


Maybe companies are only good at one thing. Zildjian can do cymbals, but not sticks.

But then again, Yamaha drums are nice, and I don't hear any Yamaha motorcyclists complaining about their bikes falling to pieces.

[Celereon]

I've had Zildjian 7A sticks for around a month now (yeah yeah I know, small...all preferences...) and they haven't come close to showing any wear.

I do play quite lightly, but until now there's only about 10, maybe 20 marks where i've hit a cymbal or the hi-hats.
However, I do prefer the feel of Vic Firth Maple sticks and/or Vater 7A sticks. I'll get a pair of maple ones next time.

Then again...I jumped from 40 sticks for $1 type drumsticks that came with my kit to Zildjian, so naturally I would have no problems with them.