Vic Firth is great but...

[Flying Leukemia]

I tried some Vater 5As recently and they feel great in my hands and haven't even come close to breaking. If you haven't tried them, check 'em out.

[Deltadrummer]

I tried some Vater 5As recently and they feel great in my hands and haven't even come close to breaking. If you haven't tried them, check 'em out.

Yeah, I love Vater sticks, too. I love the maple Super Jazz. sO SMOoooth

[lovemysonors]

I tried some Vater 5As recently and they feel great in my hands and haven't even come close to breaking. If you haven't tried them, check 'em out.
same here, after years of using VF, i switched to Vater and they are SOLID. i will never use VF 5A's again. they're ever so slightly heavier than VF 5As but not so much that it'll break your wrists;)

[paul_creedy]

I've got a few 5As, Vater, Pro Mark etc. - my favourites at the moment are Silverfox

[Cymbalrider]

Whilst I can agree to Vater's amazing durability, I wish I could say so for their consistency. I've had several pairs of Vater sticks that weren't pitch matched, and one pair the Super Jazz that was completely dead and heavy sounding. Instead of that nice clave sound for rim clicks it just sort of went 'thwack'. Even the Sweet Ride models (the smallest they make) have held up amazingly well. Oh well, I guess I'll stay with VF for sound and consistency, even though Vaters would make some great practice sticks. I still love the Vater bass beater I have (the Vintage one) though.

[yjb63]

I have a pair but find them really heavy

[Steady Freddy]

I made the switch from VF Gadd sticks, after destroying a zillion pairs, to the Vater LA 5As and Power 5As.

Much better durability and overall quality.

[yjb63]

I just broke a pair, they weren't even in that bad of shape.

[Drifter in the Dark]

I just broke a pair, they weren't even in that bad of shape.

I like the feel of Vater "Session" (which is their version of a slightly modified 5A), but every pair I've owned has broken prematurely. The quality of their wood can be hit-or-miss sometimes. . .

[Mediocrefunkybeat]

I used to play Vic Firth and then the quality went massively downhill about four years ago. I managed to get hand of a pair of NOS Vic Firth sticks a couple of years later and they were far, far better. Now it's Vater and Pro Mark all the way.

[tbmills]

i loved the vater fusion stick for a long time but the short barrel tips split on me all the time.
i now play promark 7a wood tip but alot has changed about my playing so i will probably try some fusions again soon.

i did love the sound and feel of them...

[zambizzi]

I'm extremely aggravated with Vic Firth and need to find another brand with a stick that is as close as possible to the VF Sig. Jack DeJohnette...well, at least the pair that I liked.

I used the Weckl Evolution stick for 6 months and then suddenly they changed it. The tip changed, the neck...the weight, everything! So, I spent the last 4 months with the Jack DeJohnette...got very comfy with it...loved it. I bought another pair last week....they changed it too! Everything is different and it's quite a bit heaver...pissed!

Tonight I went to GC and picked up some Vater Power 5A and they felt really good...until I discovered that one of them is a frickin' banana...it's warped pretty bad. It figures the first time I don't roll them on the counter and check a pair...they're warped.

Ugh...they all suck!

I'm going to bed! :|

[yjb63]

I'm extremely aggravated with Vic Firth and need to find another brand with a stick that is as close as possible to the VF Sig. Jack DeJohnette...well, at least the pair that I liked.

I used the Weckl Evolution stick for 6 months and then suddenly they changed it. The tip changed, the neck...the weight, everything! So, I spent the last 4 months with the Jack DeJohnette...got very comfy with it...loved it. I bought another pair last week....they changed it too! Everything is different and it's quite a bit heaver...pissed!

Tonight I went to GC and picked up some Vater Power 5A and they felt really good...until I discovered that one of them is a frickin' banana...it's warped pretty bad. It figures the first time I don't roll them on the counter and check a pair...they're warped.

Ugh...they all suck!

I'm going to bed! :|

Theres two different kinds of dave weckl sticks, one is brown and the other is a tannish color. I'm pretty sure they didn't stop making one kind, they carry both at my local music store and they have both on their website.

[zambizzi]

Theres two different kinds of dave weckl sticks, one is brown and the other is a tannish color. I'm pretty sure they didn't stop making one kind, they carry both at my local music store and they have both on their website.

Right, I know. I'm talking about the Weckl Evolution stick not the dark brown, longer one. They changed the same *model* stick and it's not the same anymore...it's heavier, with a thicker shoulder and a rounder tip. The same exact thing happened to the DeJohnette model.

I'll take a couple pics and post them up here tonight...you can look at an older stick and a newer one, side-by-side and see they're clearly not the same.

[Drummertist]

Sorry, I'm a big fan of ProMarks Millinium II Japan Oak 5A's. I love their weight.

[TheMarkV]

ill have to check all these sticks out. cause i cant find a pair that will last me long enough without weighing a ton and killing all my heads.