Re: anybody hit this hard?
Pro-Mark 747 Oak, wood tips....the Neil Peart signature model.
I have never broken a single one of these sticks. For gigs, I use a new pair, but for practice I use the whittled down old sticks. They frey and get chewed up, but I seriously have never snapped one.
To be honest I don't use the sticks for the durability, I originally tried them because Peart is my drum god (I admit I've bought a few things because of this). But now I am used to them, and no other stick feels right to me for normal playing. The durability of oak is just an added bonus..