I am a very committed Vic Firth user. I have both the Extreme 5A and the Extreme 5B. Like all Vic Firth products they are exceptionally straight, balanced, durable and musical. The cool thing about the extreme series is that you have an inch and a half more to work with. This allows for a more dynamic and musical range on the drumset. The Extreme 5A has a sweet,pingy ride sound and is very articulate. The length really allows you to dig in, they are solid enough for rock yet can be sensitive enough for orchestral and jazz music and those feather light snare ghost notes. I love the Extreme 5B a little more because they are beefy enough to rock and get fat true tonal depth from your toms and crisp sounds from your snare but once again the length lets me get a little more sensitive on the kit. They're great try em out!

First off I play hard rock with jazz influence. I don't punish my drums but I don't play the nicest either. Bought a 5 pack of these and the first two pairs were wonderful...lasted a long time, and the "stripping" was minimal before they were unusable. Many times I wore the teardrop flat and never broke the sticks. The next pair I broke within two weeks, and the pair after that I broke after one light practice and less than an hour of drumming at home. This last pair is holding up well, so we'll have to see.

Great reach, hurt my hands, will get something different next time. I like the feel of Pro Marks but always went with Vic Firth because of the reliability. Now I'm not so sure, might as well go with Pro-Marks since I like the feel and weight!

I've been playing for 4 years now and these set sticks are the best by far for the heavy hitters like myself. However I dont recomend them for any music lighter than rock, for that check out Buddy Rich's signature stick. These sticks long, light, give "full" sounds on every drum/cymbol and are though as nails! Vic is all I use now and nothing can top them!

I got a pair of these from a famous gospel drummer after his concert. He plays hard just like I do. Tried them out, been using them for nearly 3yrs. They are the right size and feel. It's almost like the perfect extension of yourself while playing. I've tried the X5b's, but the X5a's take the prize.

I have used so many different sticks that it would be impossible to count or remember all of them. The first time I used the Vic Firth American Classic 5A's I was sold. I still have a pair I bought in 1993 and they haven't broken yet. They have hundreds of hours of play time. I ALWAYS keep at least 12 pairs and out of all the sticks you can buy, you will NEVER get a better product than Vic Firth American Classics.PERIOD!!