As far as Vic Firth goes, I'm done.
The grain of the stick is always curved and not flat along the entire stick, which gives you the clean cut chunk out of your stick. I'm not even considered a hard hitter, but I got Vic Firth rock sticks, did the roll and pitch check. Took em' home and they broke that day while playing some Tower of Power. Tower of Power broke ROCK sticks.
...so then I got sticks meant for Metal. 2 days later, a songo takes a hung out of one stick.
I went Silverfox for a while, and they last, but they tend to warp, which I didn't think was possible.
Now, I like where I am.
5B Pro Mark Japanese Oak, wood tip. They last, great evensound, and there's a picture of a sumo wrestler on the stick, which is a nice touch.