Back when I first started to drum, I'd take a rubber brick (practice pads were Ma Bell's telephone book back then) to the music store and try some rudiments in an effort to find a pair that sounded the same. [Concert drumming required a silky smooth drum roll.] When I came across Vater, my search was over.
FF to today, each pair of Vater's Recording drumsticks are perfectly matched in tone. The other models are almost as perfect. Whenever I don't want a silky smooth roll, something more gritty, I mix it up by using a 7A and a 5A (or a 5 with a 3) so I don't have to change my basic technique. The same size pair mixed hickory/maple can add some variety too.
[Edited to add] I forgot to address the difference in pricing. I agree with gesh above in remarks about the equipment used. Once the capital investment in the machinery is amortized (the cost recovered over a period of years) fully, then the cost of goods sold (COGS - an expense) per unit is lowered, and Vater can pass their savings on to the consumer. On Amazon, the price can be $2 lower than local retail. The other brands may have newer equipment that they are still priced into their COGS, making their retail pricing a little higher.
