Pro-Mark quality?

TNA

Senior Member
Has anyone noticed a decline in the quality of Pro-Mark sticks. I've been using the same sticks for years (the japan oak) and I bought them mainly because they were very durable. But my last couple pairs have broken very quickly though. I've had tips split on nearly all of my recent pairs within a few hours of playing. Then today I was using a brand new pair and broke it after only 30 min of playing. I don't think it's me because I never used to break sticks this frequently, and I don't think I hit extremely hard. Anyone else notice their pro-marks breaking more recently? Now that I think of it I think it started around the time they change their sleeves.
 
I have not experienced this, and I've used a lot of their sticks, and I love them because of the quality I've gotten from them. All of the sticks I have bought lasted at least until the taper was worn down until it was a little less than a centimeter, and the tips are hard to chip for me, and I use wood and am also a hard hitter. The store you bought them from may have just received a bad batch or they went through weather changes while they were being shipped. An example I'll use is that my local Guitar Center received a bad batch of Evans Power Center Reverse dots. I know it seems weird with Evans' emaculate quality reputation. Anyway, the heads I bought just sounded bad and a small chunk of coating came off on the first good hit on both of them. (I bought two of the same head) But a few weeks ago I decided to give them another chance and the guy at the GC told me they recently restocked their supply of Evans products and what do you know, I couldn't be happier with the heads I bought!

There could be many reasons for your sticks not holding up, and after being bought out be D'Addario I highly doubt their quality would be any less than it used to be. Since the switch for me it seems the color, weight, and amount of finish on each stick is much more consistent!
 
My pro-marks always wear thin, and never break. I use 5A's with wood tips. Make sure you have not developed a bad habit with your hits.
 
So are Pro-Mark quite durable? I play on a very regular basis and gig a lot. The music is heavy and I'm a hard hitter, so my sticks do tend to get worn down and sometimes break. I use Zildjian's, would I be better off with Pro-Mark? I tried a pair of my friend's 5As a while ago (I think it was American Hickory wood?) and they were great to use, but I wasn't sure if they were durable or not.
 
So are Pro-Mark quite durable? I play on a very regular basis and gig a lot. The music is heavy and I'm a hard hitter, so my sticks do tend to get worn down and sometimes break. I use Zildjian's, would I be better off with Pro-Mark? I tried a pair of my friend's 5As a while ago (I think it was American Hickory wood?) and they were great to use, but I wasn't sure if they were durable or not.

Check out the Pro-Mark japan oak sticks that I use. I've been using them for years and made the switch to them because of their durability. Usually I've been extremely happy with them. They are a bit expensive, but I usually found them more than worth the price.

Maybe it was a bad batch? Maybe I've my technique has changed and I haven't really noticed? Just wanted to make sure I could still trust Pro-Mark.
 
The oak sticks are too loud for me... I do play promark 7a wood tip, though... And I had noticed exactly what you did... I recently bought 4 pair, and on 3 of the pair, all the tips had split within a few days of playing with them, some as soon as about a half hour's worth of playing.

Problem is, I like the tips they use, the shape seems somewhat unique and has great sound, just wish it were more durable.
 
Here's my take on it. My little "conspiracy theory" of sorts.

Everyone has their lower quality "seconds" brand, such as Vic Firth's ''Nova". These are usually the sticks that don't meet the quality specifications to be called "Vic Firth", "Pro-Mark", "Vater", etc.

However, in a bad economy (like now) it doesn't make sense to sell a pair of sticks for $2 when you can sell them for $8 or more. You will see more and more of what should be "seconds" making the grade. This is probably happening to all manufacturers, not just Pro-Mark.
 
Here's my take on it. My little "conspiracy theory" of sorts.

Everyone has their lower quality "seconds" brand, such as Vic Firth's ''Nova". These are usually the sticks that don't meet the quality specifications to be called "Vic Firth", "Pro-Mark", "Vater", etc.

However, in a bad economy (like now) it doesn't make sense to sell a pair of sticks for $2 when you can sell them for $8 or more. You will see more and more of what should be "seconds" making the grade. This is probably happening to all manufacturers, not just Pro-Mark.

I can guarantee that this is not the case with Pro-Mark. The standards have actually increased for Pro-Mark sticks since the company was acquired by D'Addario. The state of the economy isn't having any effect on the standards that our sticks are being held to.
 
I have a pair of Pro Mark naturals. They feel HORRIBLE.
They slip out my hands, they get dirty, they sound pretty bad.
I also had the same issue with Vic Firth, I played for no longer than half an hour and the sticks just snapped. So I bought another pair, same thing happened, and again. Happened again.

Decided it was a change of brand. Pro Mark have a terrible feel to me, Vic Firth I cannot trust, I am leaning towards Vater but at the moment Zildjian have won this war.
 
I have had almost every kind of drumstick made since I got my first drumset in 1969. I have some Vater and ProMark sticks that I bought in the last year, and they have held up just fine. Peace and goodwill.
 
In order for me. Regal Tip, Vic Firth, Vater, Pro Mark, and Zildjian. I have had a bunch of each and the Zildjian and Pro Mark feel too light for the same size as the other sticks. For nylon tip you cannot beat Regal Tip. I do want to try the Zildjian No Shock or what ever they are called because as I get older my hands hurt more than before. Thank you Arthritis.
 
I play the Pro Mark japanese oak 2B nylons. I've recently been disappointed with having three pairs split & break. One of them was only two gigs old! I can tell you I play them because of their durability and like others have stated they wear down, bit typically do not break. I usually NEVER break my 2Bs. I have to throw them out because they wear to the point that the fulcrum changes, at least in my mind... At $8 - $9 a pair, I'll give my business to another manufacturer if another pair breaks!

It's funny, I thought it was just a bad pair or two...
 
I used Pro-Marks religiously for several years and the biggest problem I had with their product was not with durability but rather with finding pairs that were weighted evenly. I also noticed a few issues with what I used to call "Buying a Banana" aka getting a warped stick. Keep in mind that I used to buy them by the brick, so rolling them out was not always an option.

As far a durability is concerned, I always felt I got my money's worth & I used to play pretty hard.

I don't use Pro-mark anymore but the few pairs that I have tried recently (a pair of Stingers, 9A Carl Allens, and a pair of 718's) were all of much higher quality than what I used to purchase 10 years ago.
 
I have a pair of Pro Mark naturals. They feel HORRIBLE.
They slip out my hands, they get dirty, they sound pretty bad.
I also had the same issue with Vic Firth, I played for no longer than half an hour and the sticks just snapped. So I bought another pair, same thing happened, and again. Happened again.

Decided it was a change of brand. Pro Mark have a terrible feel to me, Vic Firth I cannot trust, I am leaning towards Vater but at the moment Zildjian have won this war.

The "Natural" sticks are meant to have a specific feel for a niche group of drummers. If that's not your thing, check out the rest of the Pro-Mark line. I'm sure you'll find something you like.
 
I use Pro Mark. I have the Mike Portnoy Signature Sticks, they feel real nice. I bought about 5 pairs 6 months ago, and they are all still holding up. One however is about to break, but they are really good for me!
 
I want to try one of these: Ian Paice's signature sticks!
 

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I find that the oak sticks always tend to split when they break, which is why I quit using them years ago. If you want something that just wears down, get the hickory version. More durable IMO.
 
I've using Pro-Mark sticks for years and I don't ever remember having quality issues with them. They've always been very durable. I've tried tons of other sticks over the years just to see what they are like, and I always end up coming back to Pro-Mark. I love the 707s!! :)
 
I have used Promark 7A's for years, some of the tips split off quickly but if you have a look at them and have a quick bash on a pad before you buy them you should be fine. All companies have issues like that. Remo went through a stage of the skin peeling off the rims for a while
Or maybe Australia just gets all the throw back haha
 
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