Blindly buying sticks

Cmdr. Ross

Platinum Member
Any of youse ever had a start up company hit you up to try their sticks? I've been hounded on Instagram for a bit by a company that was strictly online & wanted me to try them out.
I told them I don't buy sticks without having tried them out with my own hands first. For some reason, that didn't compute to them as they kept going on about "sending me an instant discount code" and video links to "durability tests" on YouTube.

I get it...some company wants to hit up as many drummers as possible to expand what they make, but come on! Do they not realize most players won't drop $10-$15/pair for something they might not like? Do people really do that?
 
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Perhaps they should send you a free trial pair first. That would give them some street cred.

Is durability something folks consider with a stick? I look for straightness, even weight, and balance. Durability doesnt even really enter my mind.
 
I roll each stick to make sure they aren't warped. Can't do that buying online.
 
I have bought drum sticks just about every way possible. I mostly get them online now due to the current situation. I have even been to one place where sticks are made and bought three pairs. Peace and goodwill.
 
In general i dislike it when sellers unsolicited try to convince you to buy their stuff.

And i agree with @MrInsanePolack : if a company would want exposure they should send at least a pair (free) to try out.
I always buy my sticks online and 4 - 6 pairs at a time. I just realized i don't check them anymore to see if they're warped. Maybe 20 years ago i would get a pair of sticks and one could be warped, but lately quality and control has improved and i can't remember the last time i got a warped stick...
Having said that, i do use or have used sticks by the 'big names' the last decade or so (Vic Firth, Promark and now Vater) and don't have experience with 'cheaper' options... oh besides the Vic Firth Nova sticks; those were highly inconsistent now i think of it! Used those for a while and the feel between pairs was immense.
 
I roll each stick to make sure they aren't warped. Can't do that buying online.
I also make sure the grain runs mostly parallel to the shaft of the stick to ensure it doesn't break prematurely.
 
I've bought small company "custom" sticks before. At the time I knew exactly what I wanted, and was having a hard time finding it in a major company stick.

So after a bit of a wait they finally arrived and I hated how they felt. It's easy to get caught up in numbers and specifications but if you don't like how the wood feels, nothing is going to matter.

So in a situation like this I wouldn't buy another stick without being able to try it out first.

With the major brands it's a totally different story. I buy 99% of my sticks online and don't think twice about it.
 
Perhaps they should send you a free trial pair first. That would give them some street cred.

That's my #1 request to any solicitor who hits me up to buy their brand. I'll ask them to send me a pair "for review" by the common drummer.
Amazingly, when I ask that, they ghost me.
Imagine that... :rolleyes:
 
That's my #1 request to any solicitor who hits me up to buy their brand. I'll ask them to send me a pair "for review" by the common drummer.
Amazingly, when I ask that, they ghost me.
Imagine that... :rolleyes:
Imagine that. Guess they aren't super serious about getting their product out there. It's not like you are requesting a free snare to try out. That I can understand.
 
Imagine that. Guess they aren't super serious about getting their product out there. It's not like you are requesting a free snare to try out. That I can understand.

Exactly!
Scorpion is the latest brand hounding my Instagram account. I'm a nylon tip player and they "temporarily don't offer those yet". I'd still take a wood tip pair to try but clearly that's not happening. :confused:
 
I once bought a bundle of random pairs of sticks just to get to try some different kinds for not too much money.
I found a couple I liked, so no foul, but I have a lot of sticks I probably won't use.... Arts and crafts? :D
 
I have a lot of sticks I probably won't use.... Arts and crafts? :D

Definitely!
I've used many broken or otherwise flawed sticks for other projects that require wood. Waste not, want not... ;)
 
I once bought a bundle of random pairs of sticks just to get to try some different kinds for not too much money.
I found a couple I liked, so no foul, but I have a lot of sticks I probably won't use.... Arts and crafts? :D
I tried many sticks but once you find your size anything else is going to feel off, for me it's 5b smaller sticks are too light and bigger sticks just make me tired quicker. Besides I don't need to get marching sticks to beat the hell out of the drums.. I can be just as loud without damaging the set...
 
Perhaps they should send you a free trial pair first. That would give them some street cred.

Is durability something folks consider with a stick? I look for straightness, even weight, and balance. Durability doesnt even really enter my mind.
I had to learn the hard way, not only with sticks but most gear in general. You can't just have someone buy your gear without using it once to see if it's up to their standard.
 
If they can't even part with a pair of sticks for review, I'd have nothing to do with them.

Hell, I had a guy who was trying to market a new bass drum pedal give me one to try on a temporary basis! And they can't part with one pair of sticks??? No thanks.
 
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