I am realizing, after having played these sticks for years, that they indeed have a problem with the tips. Sometimes tips will break within the first hour of use, which is frustrating seeing that these sticks are not budget (they are not the NOVA series after all, but have the same problems with the tips splitting). No longer worth it for me, I still have two unused pairs that I will keep for backup/last resort. It is just a stick after all, I just wish the tips would last significantly longer.