Vater Mike Mangini Wicked Piston

When I first tried these drum sticks, I really liked the way they were designed and how the weight distribution felt in my hand.
I play metal, and I have always preferred longer and thicker drum sticks. For most of my playing time, I've been using Vic Firth 5B Extreme.
The design of these drum sticks really made a big difference in the feel. The thickening between the middle and the tip of the stick means that the part where you hold them is not too thick, but the part that hits the rim when you do a rim shot is thicker than regular drum sticks.

Using these sticks made me feel that all my snare and tom hits were somewhat more powerful.

However, the last batch that I ordered has disappointed me a little bit.
First of all, not all the pairs feel well matched. There was one pair, where one of the drum sticks felt so much lighter than all the other Wicked Pistons that I bought. On one drum stick, half of the head fell off after just few hits on the ride cymbal. And I feel like the rim shots eat through the drum sticks too fast.

Pros:
Really nice weight distribution
Great for powerful hits

Cons:
Unfortunately, quality seems to be an issue

I will give these drum sticks another chance next time I buy, hoping that whatever quality issues I came across were just something temporary. Because I'd really hate to have to switch drum sticks again

I used to play with the 2B Thomas Lang signatures reinforced with some tape. Moving to these ones I found a less 'rude' and more precise approach/sound to the drums, but still a very powerful (if not more powerful) hit since they are longer and the weight is balanced in the upper part, a thing that I personally love.

After more than 10 hours of metal playing on an acoustic drumset (including 2 concerts) they still look as solid as the new ones (just a bit of scratches due to the usage)

Recommended.