Breaking sticks

[IplayDrumsithink]

While I love to drum I also love to powerlift and with that comes the use of cycles of steroids' (I know its bad, whatever). I've noticed that Vic Firth are extremely cheap and cant hold up to heavy styles of drumming. The durability is questionable at best and the sticks feel like tiny matchsticks.

 

[someguy01]

Never broken a stick. Worn out the tips for sure, but never broken one. Used them all, Vater, Vic, Promark, Zildjian from 7A to 5B and never an issue. Currently at 2 months on a pair of Promark 5B rebound balance activegrip sticks and they still look new. I play everyday for a minimum of 30 minutes.

 

[Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX]

While I love to drum I also love to powerlift and with that comes the use of cycles of steroids' (I know its bad, whatever). I've noticed that Vic Firth are extremely cheap and cant hold up to heavy styles of drumming. The durability is questionable at best and the sticks feel like tiny matchsticks.

interesting how much different situations are...what model do you use? Maybe you need to go up a few notches in thickness ?

I have used Vic Firth 3A's playing punk, and metal for years, and they never break on me. I hit medium hard - main motion from the wrist; drum corps trained, so it is a pretty aggressive stroke, but I don't bash. Bashing to me, is usually making up for hiding some other problem. I have never damaged a cymbal even.

usually my left hand stick will last me 6-8 months before it breaks...

the sticks that seemed to last the least amount of time for me were Vater or Promarks....and it was more the beads wearing away or snapping just below the bead at the thinnest point...but they would still go for at least 3 months.

 

[Jazzim]

While I love to drum I also love to powerlift and with that comes the use of cycles of steroids' (I know its bad, whatever). I've noticed that Vic Firth are extremely cheap and cant hold up to heavy styles of drumming. The durability is questionable at best and the sticks feel like tiny matchsticks.

I do also powerlift, without sterioids of course, not that dumb to use them. But I don't regulary even break 7A sticks. I agree with @Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX that usually bashing and beating drums to death is just lack of ability to play better.

 

[Al Strange]

I've noticed that Vic Firth are extremely cheap and cant hold up to heavy styles of drumming.

That’s not my experience at all... I play VF STL’s. Before that I played nylon tip Vater 2B’s for decades and didn’t break them regularly either...maybe lay off “the juice” a bit and hone your technique?

 

[MrInsanePolack]

That’s not my experience at all... I play VF STL’s. Before that I played nylon tip Vater 2B’s for decades and didn’t break them regularly either...maybe lay off “the juice” a bit and hone your technique?

Same here. VF HD4s hold up to metal drumming quite well for me.

 

[Stefan Brodsky]

Re: Breaking sticks left and right...




Trust me you dont want to try either of those. They don't feel like wood, they don't play like wood, because they are not wood. I have your problem with breaking lots of sticks. I suck it up because I play hard and I enjoy playing hard. I like the Vater sticks, they do seem a bit more dense sometimes that some of the VF's. If you like 5B I highly recommend the Vater Chad Smith Funk Blasters.

Agreed re Vater. They use more moisture in their woods, which for me at least, living in a semi-arid region, makes a big difference. I use their Sugar Maples in Super Jazz, Fusion, and 5B models. That said, I am not a particularly hard-hitter, and can't remember the last time I've broken a stick.

 

[wiggs]

Try repositioning the angle of your cymbals or the height or a combination of the two. The flatter the horizontal plane of the cymbal is the more it replicates a saw blade. Saw blades vs wood? Guaranteed winner is the saw blade every time. same with angles of rack toms and snare.

 

[DutchDrummersDreams]

It has been ages but I manged to break one.

 

[eric_B]

It has been ages but I manged to break one.

View attachment 147755

Now should I click 'like' or is that inappropriate?

I remember years ago I once tried a pair of Tama oak sticks and had them break within 15 minutes.
The 1st and last time I broke a stick.
In the past I had pieces of the tip splitting off over time so it went from round to square.
Maybe my technique has changed because I haven't noticed that either.

 

[DutchDrummersDreams]

Now should I click 'like' or is that inappropriate?

I remember years ago I once tried a pair of Tama oak sticks and had them break within 15 minutes.
The 1st and last time I broke a stick.
In the past I had pieces of the tip splitting off over time so it went from round to square.
Maybe my technique has changed because I haven't noticed that either.

I must have hit a rim incidently as I rarely play rimshots anymore.

And those single flanged rims are unforgiving so its a good practice not to hit them and set the kit up as ergonomically as possible.