My new main drum sticks. Durable, lightweight and balanced.
- Rating
- Posted by
- Paul Zahorosky
- Date Posted
- 06/15/2026
I recently started playing drums again. In my youth I was a ProMark fan - using mostly nylon tip 747's. I immediately gravitated back to ProMark with the reboot and really liked the wood tip FireGrain 7A Rebound. Although I'm not playing anywhere near as hard as I used to, the tips on the ProMarks would be destroyed after just a couple of hours of playing. The FireGrain is also supposed to be extremely durable but I seem to wear them out or break them too easily. I have a pair of these Vater Swing Wood sticks that I purchased a while ago but hadn't given a fair try. That was a month ago and I've only just now started a fresh pair. The wood tips are a little beefier than a standard acorn, holding up well to my heady-handed riding and consistently making solid contact. The double-taper grip is almost invisible but very evident in-hand - the slender shape is comfortable and helps maintain position while also adding just a bit more weight to the middle of the stick. Overall, the stick is lightweight with a good length, great balance and a snappy rebound. Add in the durability over other more expensive ProMark and Vic Firth sticks I’ve used prior, and the Vater Swing Wood is an excellent value.