Fiery
Silver Member
It's the exact opposite in my experience, concerning the number of grains. Less grains means more solid wood. Such sticks are also generally heavier than sticks with finer grain.Everybody it's not the brand,type,wood,etc. count the grains from the but end of the stick the more grains and straighter grains the stronger the stick it's basic physics.
Yon can get a Regal-Tip 7a with 7+ straight grains and it will last longer than a Pro-Mark 2S with 2 crooked grains.......really.
The finer & straighter the grain is what you look for.
Bonzolead
(In general, the heavier the stick, the longer it will last.)
I've had two pairs of Vic Firth Tomas Haake signature sticks - .645 in diameter - with very fine grains, ten+ lines per stick, and they lasted around six weeks before I was left with only one whole sticks. They were also lighter than a typical 5B. On the other hand, a single pair of Vic Firth 2B - .630 in diameter - with three grain lines had lasted me three or four months (more than twelve weeks, or double the time the Tomas Haake sigs lasted). They were also the heavies pair of the whole batch in the shop. Really.
Of course, the grains should be as straight and regular as possible.