ProMark Drum Sticks - Mike Portnoy Drumsticks - ActiveGrip For Secure, Comfortable Grip - Gets Tackier As Your Hands Sweat - Active Grip Finish, Oval Wood Tip, Hickory Wood - 1 Pair

Bought this as a christmas gift [originally] for my best friend & fellow musician [drummer] he is always super appreciative anytime I get him something but when I mentioned they we're Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater's signature [and explained the cool active grip tech/and why mike designed em that way or what the product info said haha] he was psyched, snatched em up and started paying on his backpack. He likes them I know nothing about drums other than what I know from being a studio engineer/producer/instrumentalist and osmosis, but he noted they we're weighted more than his usual sticks [I would assume reg 5bs not sure] and he really liked the grip tech - that stuff is really cool I could even see the advantages just holding them myself... All in all 10/10 for the company! ... NOW here's where the issue is I'm not going to rate these sticks poorly, for the non-care thats clearly put into storing [at this point any musical equiptment, even sticks - going to sweetwater or musicians friend &c - its always a bad idea!] these sticks in the bin, I'd assume haphazardly just tossed into a bin of them... because I had to send them back 3 times [and the third time I said screw it and hope my buddy doesn't care] First batch: they looked fine, until I was going waiting for my man to drop buy and just giving them a once over, and moving the packaging ever so slightly [in a way that REALLY made it look like someone just moved the packaging up, its a cardboard sleeve, to cover the defect and send it out NEW....cute] revealed a long scratch [ie through the black active grip technology], rotating the sticks I notice some more dings, and when I took them out all the way - there were atleats 3-4 dings in the black through to wood small but noticable... whatever, send em back - stuff happens! Second pair: Not as bad as the first ones but there were dings, a small scratch [through the active grip black tech] and looking at the bottom of the sticks they were scuffed like they had been dropped on the rounded bottom of the stick again damaging the, pretty thick mind you, active grip black "tech" thats on these promark sticks... part of the selling point! Sent it back... this time miffed Third Pair: Same issues, but this time I'm like man I feel terrible because this is a gift for my good friend, yes, he won't notice or care, but I DO! If It was just my sticks, I probably would've said screw it and kept the second pair but i wanted to get my friend ones that were NICE, signature series from an artist I know he likes or atleast thats a prolific player, and I wanted them to last [I'm forever seeing my mans piles of broken sticks, and if Im gonna pay good money I want them to be sturdy, to last as long as possible, to not have any structural integrity issues that I cannot see because they're internal perhaps!] 10/10 FANTASTIC STICKS highly recommended on all levels, price points great etc. LESSON: DO NOT BUY THESE or ANY OTHER MUSICAL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT [even a small accessory] FROM AMAZON <-- They do not care enough, period. Yes I used the official buy it [not even the buy new, and AMAZON is the first and cheapest - which obstensibly is the same thing but no I did not even do that, nor would I ever buy musical equiptment from a third party through amazon... but honestly THIRD PARTY SELLERS ARE MORE COMPETENT THAN THIS [most of them] but clearly AMAZON isn't

These are my favorite sticks. They are lighter than my Vic Firth 5A sticks, and I have not dropped a stick since buying them. Not too sticky, as I originally feared. Just right. I will buy more as these wear, but they are holding up really well so far.

Amazing Sticks. Very durable, they don’t seem to be wearing badly at all, and the grip is still intact and I’ve had them for a while. The grip technology on these is something else. I was extremely skeptical, and thought it may have been a gimmick or something but as soon as your hands warm up the sticks it has the perfect amount of tackiness. I couldn’t believe it. The tackiness of the sticks also helps build calluses too, so be aware you may get blisters from these if you don’t play often, but most avid players already have good build up already. I’ve played these barehanded and with gloves and both feel great. Can’t recommend these enough, it might just be a personal preference but these are up there with my favorite sticks of all time.

I have played drums for more than 30 years now. All through that time, when playing active rock and metal, the inevitable loss of grip on the sticks due to perspiration has been an annoyance. I have tried many remedies - some included a Pearl-branded grip tape that was wound around the butt of the stick where the hands grip, sticks dipped in resins and epoxy materials, non-wood sticks such as plastics and metals, even grip wraps meant for motorcycles and tennis rackets. All have been useful to some degree, but not fully satisfactory in playing. The wraps virtually eliminated the possibility of using rim shots as they deadened the stick and would eventually wear off. They also dramatically changed the diameter of the stick. I prefer a 5A-range, but would have to use 7A-range sticks to accommodate for the extra diameter of the wrap. Likewise, all of the dipped sticks felt waxy and had varying degrees of success. I have been a fan of Mike Portnoy since 1990. In the early 90's I had the chance to meet him on Dream Theatre's "Images and Words" North American tour. I found him to be a fun and engaging player, a "fan's player" as well as an inspired musician. That his name is affixed to these sticks is a bonus for the "fan boy" in me. The sticks themselves are very comfortable to play, essentially a slightly longer 5A, so it readily fits my preferences. The documentation from ProMark states that the stick is: 16 1/2" long with a diameter .565". The real attraction is the new "Active Grip" coating, which ProMark describes as "heat activated and gets tackier as hands sweat and body temperature rises." After playing out in several styles and environments, I can happily say that these sticks finally accomplish what others have tried for many years. As my hands and the environment was rising, I felt I had a solid grip on the stick for the duration. No slips. Likewise, these are hickory sticks - and they play and sound like my other hickory sticks. As an added bonus (video demonstration is attached), Mike Portnoy's "signature" is an ambigram - it's the same both upside and down (think the "Illuminati" signature in Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code"). I could hear my inner 18-year old voice going "Duuuuude." Frankly, it captures Portnoy's fun personality to a "T".

I like the size of the stick, but not too crazy of the tip. Its probably the largest I've ever seen (about 5/8"). It almost makes the forward part of the stick a little heavy in a way. These are my 2nd pair of the "activegrip" series and it does give a little bit of tackiness, but your hands really need to be warmed up and a little sweaty before you get a real feel for it. Overall, not a bad set of sticks, but I prefer a smaller tip. Plus I use them on an electronic kit, so maybe the mesh pads aren't the best for these. They have a bit better rebound on a practice pad, so maybe if you have really tight heads they will be a lot better.

I'll grant you, I haven't bought a lot of higher-end sticks. Always chewed through the bargain pile one toothpick at a time. But in doing some research, I decided I really wanted to try something better. I narrowed down exactly what I was looking for and found it all in these sticks. The fact that Portnoy is one of my all time favorite inspirations was just icing on the cake. They look, feel, and sound great.

Coolest drum sticks. Looks cool and slip out of your hands

as a novice drummer, these greatly improved my playing compared to the sticks that came with my kit. The anti slipping coat works super well

Very nice product. Works as advertised. thanks

Producto de acuerdo a lo que se especifica, con buen agarre y consistencia, adicional a que llegó el producto en tiempo y protegido.

Fantastic

The black coating really makes a difference compared to normal drumsticks

Le ho regalate...testate subito sembrano ottime!