I love Zildjian 5a sticks. I used to by Promarks, but they to skinny and break very easily. I also used to by Vic Firth sticks, but I like the Zildjians the best. And I disagree that they don't last long. I got sticks that have lasted as much as 4 months. It all depends on how you play with them. I play pretty hard, but I don't use all my stregnth. Some people try to play so hard that they break the stick and the heads of the drums. If you hit the drum in a certain way, you don't need much strength to make a loud sound.