My favorite sticks

Definetly the vater 5a. They hold up like a vic 2b. Very comfortable and versatile stick . If anyone has problems with sticks slipping because of sweat, vater makes a series called nude. They do not have the "famous vater laquer", so the stick absorbs sweat, as opposed to a laquered stick leaving sweat all over the top not allowing sweat to sink in.
 
I play -
Vic Firth 5a
Vic Firth 5b
Zildjian dip stick 5a nylon tip

love the wood tips and the Vic Firths but on the Zildjians the nylon tip gives the cymbals so much more life.
 
I love the Zildjian Eric Singer sticks. Very similar to the standard Zildjian 2B but with a touch of extra weight at the top end. Not for everyone but I certainly love the feel of them.
 
After trying everything under the sun, I've settled on the Vic Firth Dave Weckl design. It just works for me without drama. The only other stick I've ever liked as much were some carbon-fiber 5A sticks back in my heavy-hitting days in the 80s, but I don't remember the vendor. I do know that they are long, long gone now: they only lasted a few years. But damn, those sticks were nearly immortal. I still have 3 or 4 of them, but the logos wore off a long time back...
 
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This drumsticks are best because the are heavy enough to feel like rock god
 
Wow.. I feel like I am using the big sticks after reading a few pages of this thread. It seems that most play 5A or 5B. I guess I have been using larger diameter sticks for the longest time and have not changed too much.

I used to use Vic Firth SD-1s. They had a nice weight forward feel to them. They seemed perfect for laying into the bell on the ride. Until very recently, I was on a Vic Firth "Metal N" kick. They were also pretty beefy and LONG. So I had been breaking a few and needed to replace the breakage when I tried Vic Firth "Rock N". I think I will switch to these for a while. They are a tad shorter than the Metals, but overall, the same diameter and better balance.

It's funny. I was going back and forth on a practice pad between the Metals and the Rock, and it seemed that the Metals had a tad more vibration to them. I am not sure if such a small difference in length is the cause, but I feel I have a little more finesse and control with these.

I am glad that there are gobs of sticks to choose from. I also tried the VF 2Bs, but there was too much a difference between the length between the 2Bs and the Metals to get comfy with. The 2Bs felt as though part of the stick was missing.

Is it just me, or do the other companies not carry much in the way of larger diameter sticks? It might just be that Vic Firth seem to be the easiest to find. I think I need to do some research to see what Vater, and others have that are comparable to VF Rock/Metal. Those seem to be a good fit for me. I realize that they carry a little of a cheese ball name, but besides the inside joke of using them, I don't care what they call em.

LOL, It seems that GC is a little like a POW camp for drum equipment. Besides the abused items on the floor, everything else of value and interest is kept under lock and key. All the other sticks are behind the counter. They must have a HUGE loss prevention problem. All the cymbals are bolted down, or kept prisoner in a long cymbal cage. A bit of a side note, but this is a huge turn off to buying anything from them.

Anyway, off to another sweet local store tomorrow to try some more sticks out.
 
Vic Firth SD1 General. I have fairly big hands and long fingers, so the bigger diameter and extra length feels right in my hands.
 
A stick is a stick. I just get what's cheap and feels good. Which, more times than not, happen to be bags of unmarked Vic Firth 5A's, I do believe. Pretty much identical to American Classics.

Not very happy with the latest bag I got, but the latest bag wasn't full of Vic Firths. Some cheapo, rather.
 
I used to really love Vic Firth Zoros, but I broke a lot of them with bad technique. Then I got into the Extreme 5a for a long while. Then Vater Fusions, and now I'm playing around with Fatback 3As, West Sides, and the Derek Roddy signature. By the time i'm 20, I estimate I will be using Paul Rennick marching snare sticks...
 
I like the Zildjian Hickory Series Black 5B wood tips. I use Vic firth 7A for some progressive tunes. I found the Zildjians by grabbing a couple pair out of a reduced bin. Originally because since I have a black set it would look good and they were cheap. Now I really love them.
 
Regal Tip: Tich Stix (Brian Tichy model) I love these. Great balance and they last.
Regal Tip: Alex Van Halen model-when you REALLY want reach!
Ahead: Tommy Lee Studio-My all time favorite! I use em when practicing and when playing heavy.
Vic Firth: American Metal (with and without nylon tip) Great balance. The former Tommy Lee model stick.
 
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