Previous to buying these i had always used Ernie Balls , i was fooled by the long list of names on the back of the packet , i thought they were " special " just because some of my guitar heroes names appeared on the back of the packet , but i took a chance out of curiosity one day , bought these , night and day difference , i dont even know how to describe it but they just feel and sound better , they last longer too somehow , my ernie balls on my ESP broke before these did on my Dean , almost two weeks difference between them , these Harley Bentons lasted two weeks longer before breaking , TWO WEEKS , they are very bright and resonant, all i can say is id strongly recommend them and dont be fooled by the price , they are awesome