Top 10 Best Drumstick Makes

The Top Ten
1 Vic Firth

Vic Firth hand-whittled the first sticks himself from bulkier sticks and sent these prototypes to a wood turner in Montreal. The two prototypes that he sent would become the SD1 and SD2, the first two models of sticks ever manufactured by the Vic Firth, Inc.. As Firth himself states: "It came out of necessity not of imagination or my ability to start a company.

Today, the Vic Firth, Inc. product line has grown from the SD1 and SD2 to approximately 300 products in its catalog, and the company manufactures 12 million sticks a year.

2 Pro-Mark

I will only purchase ProMark drumsticks. In the early days (back in the '70s) I found Ludwig to be the longest lasting best feeling sticks until they became almost impossible to find so I went on the hunt. After trying everything else made and going through sticks and money like crazy, I bought my first set of ProMarks. I couldn't break 'em! I'm a fairly heavy hitter playing hard rock and heavy metal. Now days it's ProMark only for the absolute best durability and feel. The 5A Hickory was my go to stick until I tried the 5A Oak. Now they are my favorite. I also like the 747 Oak for the extra heavy stuff.

3 Vater

Vater are one of, if not the oldest, drumstick maker in the US, but have not been a common brand in Australia until recently (last 10 or so years).
Their quality and consistency are second to none, and the Sugar Maple series are the best maple sticks on the market.
Their brushes and mallets are also first class. Highly recommended.

No competition. Vater sticks are always dead on straight, grain oriented optimally, very consistent as far as density and grain size.. simply the best there, quality wise. The distant second is Vic Firth - but they have been poor quality for the last while (heard they merged with Z).

4 Zildjian

Zildjian is overall my favorite brand for drumsticks! They offer a larger variety of sizes a tips, they truly have something for everyone. They have a good weight distribution, along with a good gripping system. If you haven't tried a pair of Zildjian sticks try them, and I promise you will love them!

Even though I am a Sabian user, and it's almost sac-religious to have I both of these. I love Zildjian sticks. I love the different kinds of sticks they have. Like the anti-vibes. It allows you to have those bigger sticks, but without losing speed, and the stick like it says, don't vibrate at all.

5 Wincent

I wish they sold their sticks to America. I really want the Tomas Haake modle stick. I used the Vic Firth SHAA modle (Tomas Haake) and their best sticks for me as a player. I don't know what it is but these and only these seem to work better for me. Their classic metal sticks are pretty good.

Motorhead? Saxon? Arch Enemy anyone? A lot of great drummers actually use these sticks. It's amazing that more of the well known drummers don't.

While I frankly prefer Vater, Mikkey Dee of Motorhead has a signature model with Wincent which are killer!

6 Easton Ahead

Ahead drumsticks are a product of Easton and distributed by Big Bang Distribution. They are quite unique and different than most drumsticks in the world. They have an aluminum core and replaceable plastic sleeves and plastic tips. This allows them to outlast normal wooden drumsticks by a long shot. Some would even say that they never wear out because you can constantly replace the plastic sleeves or tips with new ones instead of having to buy a whole new set of drumsticks every time.

I love playing with these sticks but MAN they're expensive! However one pair lasts you a very long time so it is worth it I guess.

7 Regal Tip

Love love love Regal Tip way more than any other brand. Vic's are great as are Vaters but Regal Tip just has that certain feel and quality to them. Plus they also make sticks like the 9A, 8A and 7B, models that are no to feared by any other company. The 7B is an especially great stick! Plus in terms of history and innovation, Regal Tip is the first and oldest out there. Vote up people!

Come on! 12? Seriously? Regal Tip has been around for as long, if not longer that Vic Firth and Pro-Mark. Much as I love my Vater 5bs, the Alex Van Halen signature sticks are my new faces, due to their length and strength (rhyming, lol! ). Sure, maybe they aren't used as much nowadays, but they still remain the best and their quality and dedication has never waned. Alex Van Halen, Brian Tichy, Tommy Clufetos, Daniel Adair, Jason Sutter, Jeff Porcaro, and (formerly) Stewart Copeland, too many names to count, have all used Regal Tip. They have stood the test of time and should be higher. Plain and simple.

8 Collision Drumsticks

When it comes to drumsticks, I have a very particular preference. I was recommended Collision Drumsticks by a friend. I checked them out via social media and was impressed by their content and artist roster. There work with the artists and community influence interested me and I wanted to try the sticks out for myself. I ordered a pair and the customer service was great. The sticks promptly arrived and I put them through an intense trial through practices and shows and they held up incredibly, I was extremely impressed. Collision is now my go to stick brand.

9 Tama

Light weight & very comfortable...

10 Innovative Percussion

Although in my opinion Vic Firth makes the best drum set sticks, Innovative Percussion is by far the best company for sticks/mallets used to play any other type of drum. Innovative Percussion dominates it's competitors when it comes to marching snare sticks, marching bass mallets, tenor mallets, concert snare sticks, specialty drum sticks, mallets of all sorts, etc.

Best quad sticks I've ever used. Great feel, great balance, great match. Snare sticks are fantastic as well, though some can be a bit weighty when double taped, though it's personal preference and how badly you want to chop out.

The Contenders
11 Ayotte
12 Hot Sticks

The first Hot Sticks were created in 1979 and combined many of the features that would establish Hot Sticks reputation as leaders in drumsticks innovation. Not only were the original Hot Sticks the first to offer a variety of brightly colored models, they were the only major drumsticks that incorporated a proprietary dry grinding process to protect the integrity of the wood during production.

13 Pro Orca

Really likes these sticks. Lasted me a very long time. Too bad you just can't buy them anywhere.

14 Nova

Actually really a line under Vic Firth, but they are almost a different make by themselves. Before I used Vader as my main brand, I still have my pair of Nova's, that I still occasionally use, that I really enjoy. Even though they are made by Vic Firth, they are unlike any of their other sticks and are almost a whole separate deal.

Amazing! They are made for hard hitters!

15 Electro Glo Sticks

The colored drumsticks are made of Lexan�, a heat-resistant plastic widely used in today's business equipment and automobile products. It's tough construction offers great durability and they're perfect for novelty songs or showcasing a drum solo.

16 Carbostick

Carbostick is a brand of drum sticks, it produces stick made up of carbon fibre, giving them a lot of resistance and a long life. Their cost is higher than wooden sticks, but the investment is gained over the duration of the sticks.

17 Los Cabos

Absolutely outstanding red hickory line, most durable sticks I have ever played. Their white hickory and maple lines are good also, have good balance and nice a fulcrum but the the red hickory sticks are innovation at its finest.

Great new brand especially with their red hickory line. They are amazingly durable. Their white hickory and maple lines are great for light jazz and funk, but their red hickory is innovation at its finest.

18 Balbex

Mark my words, these guys will keep rising to the top. Arian Van Weesenbeek of Epica ad MaYaN uses these, and they're great. They may be new and unknown for now, but it's only a matter of time before they're being used to bang heads everywhere!

19 Fernando

Same pitch and try to use it to see what is the difference to others...

20 RB Sticks

Each stick is Calculated, then the precise weight needed is added to achieve a balance point for maximum performance, resulting in a faster, better feeling stick that eliminates stick shock. This concept can be applied to improve all drumsticks. RB Drumsticks Immanently improves all drummers playing.

The Best idea & innovation ever. Increased speed, less effort, less motion pain.

Its does just make sense. By moving the center balance back to where you hold the stick, it gives a whole new feel to my playing. Best Sticks ever. See you at NAMM Dave!

21 Promark LA
22 Ahead

These should clearly be number one, just for the simple fact that they never, break, and they are light as hell and are more balanced then any other drumstick, plus they reduce shock like 20% and are better for your cymbals.

23 Agner

Such amazing sticks, high quality swiss wood and amazing asthetics!

24 Sound Percussion
25 R - stick
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