These are by far amazing mallets, perfect in almost every way, except if you get really mad and slam your mallets down in anger. I did that on a fresh pair of mallets (2 weeks old) and they immediately snapped in half. Not a bad use of your money, would recommend as professional mallets not to be used everyday or for video assignments as those can be enraging.
This is a great first mallet but also an essential one for the collection regardless, as it is probably the most neutral across genres and registers, being kind of in the middle in terms of hardness and the sound of the attack as well as the overtones it lets through. It's definitely a bit more biased towards orchestral literature but works quite well in jazz and other genres as well. Also a good way to measure other mallets you might want or need, that aren't as much in the "middle of the range" in terms of hardness, timbre, etc.
The Malletech Concerto series is great. I recommend that everyone invest in the series. In particular the CN14s are very good for general mallet playing and are even good in some cases as good bass mallets.
My teacher has a set of these and I've borrowed them countless times. They are warm and full bodied, yet can deliver a strong attack when needed. Even on a kelon marimba, these mallets give exceptional tone quality and sound.
I tried out these mallets before I bought them. Has a great overtone on the marimba without a lot of thump. Softer than I expected. Overall I highly recommend this for smooth, melodic pieces.
If you are just starting to play four mallets, these mallets are probably your best best. They are of average weight, and deliver a full sound and slightly multitoned, making them more versatile than other beginner mallets.
