I bought a few pairs of these sticks, as I saw them as a more affordable version of the Vic Firths. Although these are made of the same wood as the American Classics that I usually prefer, they feel a bit lighter. They did produce a nice tone on the cymbals, but sadly didn't last very long at all. I'm not an overly hard hitter, but I do use a lot of rim shots, and these sticks don't handle my playing nearly as well as the Vic Firth American Classic. Safe to say that I went through a pair of these after a couple of practice sessions with the band. Based on that, I would always pay the extra couple of Euros or so for the American Classics, for the sake of durability. But for the price, the overall quality of these sticks was very good.They would make a great affordable option for drummers of beginner to intermediate abilities, as well as more advanced drummers who play lighter styles.