Best Drumsticks in 2021

Best Drumsticks

Do I even need to mention why you need drumsticks?

No it’s not just for you to spin in your hands while trying to look all cool in front of the opposite sex.

Drumsticks are used for . . . you guessed it . . . drumming.

So without further ado, let’s have a look at the best drumsticks that are out there in the market today.

By the way, some of the drumsticks here can be used on electric drums as well.

You’ll see it labeled pretty clearly.


Sound Harbor Drumstick

Drum Sticks 5A Wood Tip Drumstick (1 Pair Maple)
  • ♫ [PROFESSIONAL 5A DRUMSTICKS] - Made of high quality North American maple, features firmness, hardness, durability....
  • ♫ [NATURAL FINISH] - Comfortable to hold and slip-resistant, polished to a smooth and non-slip surface, without...
  • ♫ [PERFECT BALANCE] - Each pair of Drum sticks is strictly matched to achieve a perfect balance. Perfect for rock...

All right. drumsticks with wooden tips, seem to be the most popular choice for most people. so here we have one of the best quality, what tipped drumsticks around.

Now, these drumsticks seem to be quite balanced, and straight overall. Most absolutely love the quality of these drumsticks, however, if you use bamboo drumsticks before, you may not give much thought to these.

Overall, The sound Harbor drumsticks are lightweight and most really enjoy playing with them.


ARLX Drum Sticks

Drum Sticks 5A Wood Tip Drumstick (2 Pair Maple)
  • ♫ STRONG AND DURABLE--Made from North American hard maple strong durable and strong sense of gravity.
  • ♫ NATURAL FINISH- Comfortable and Slip Resistant .
  • ♫ Perfect for Youth Rock Bands and Drummer playing ,and more

These drumsticks are made of Maplewood, which is also a very common material for drumsticks. Maybe that’s my beginners and even kids really love them.

The build quality is reported as awesome by most. If you’re just practicing though, these are probably going to last you for a few months. However, if you’re just totally shredding the drums every time you play, then it’s best to buy these in bulk.

If you’re a professional drummer though, you might still consider these just good for practicing as most professional drummers refer to them as “cheap” drumsticks. By the way, it comes with a pretty sweet drum keychain.


AIEX Drumsticks

5A Drumsticks, AIEX 3 Pair Drum Sticks Classic Maple Wood Drumsticks Wood Tip Drumstick for Students and Adults (with Waterproof Bag)
  • Drumsticks are made of high quality maple wood, flexible, fast response, durable
  • Drumsticks have polished surface which is not slippery and will not hurt hands, comfortable grip
  • 5A drumsticks are suitable for all types of drum styles

No these drumsticks are actually quite flexible. That means these are an excellent choice for electric drums as well. Most people you can use them on their video game drum machines. After all, for the video game drum sets you really just need any two sticks.

Anyways, the sticks are sturdy enough to last for a little while but if you plan to go pro anytime soon, might as well skip this one or just keep them as your backup sticks why practicing. braids for beginners again not for the professionals.


Vic Firth 7A Drumsticks

Vic Firth American Classic 7A
  • Perfect option for light jazz and combo
  • Also great for moving quickly around the kit
  • Tear drop tip

These drumsticks have teardrop shaped drum tips. Wooden in material and high in quality. These are nice lightweight drumsticks that are good for beginners and even Pros. However, if you’re planning to get your diamond Darrell on, then these are going to break pretty easily. So if you’re making metal, a really hard rock, these are not for you. If you’re just planning to play normal rock music uneven Hip Hop, you should be okay.


Vic Firth 5A B Drumsticks

Vic Firth Drumsticks (5AB)
  • Country Of Origin: United States
  • Product Type: Instrument Parts And Accessories
  • Length: 16"

These are lighter than the 7as but pretty much the same in every other way. We would recommend these for Jazz players or if you just prefer lighter sticks. By the way, just because they are light, doesn’t mean they are weaker. Vic Firth is known for their quality drumsticks for a long time now and these 5A’s don’t disappoint either.


Donner Black Drumsticks

Donner Drum Sticks, 5A Drumsticks Classic Maple Wood Black Drumsticks With Storage Bag, 2 Pairs
  • RELIABLE MATERIAL —Made of high hardness and corrosion-resistant maple wood, Donner 5A drumsticks come with high...
  • USER-FRIENDLY — The top of drumsticks apply drop-shaped design, suitable with normal drum set or dumb drum pads,...
  • HUMANIZED DESIGN — With well-polished surface and comfortable feeling, the Donner 5A drumsticks would reduce wrist...

I’m a big fan of black drumsticks. It just gives you a whole set your own unique look. Anything that will help me stand out from the crowd, most likely I will go for it. If you’re one of those people, these drumsticks are definitely for you. This brand speaks for itself so you don’t have to worrya bout quality.Overall grade feel, and quality. After people try to spare, that usually end up buying a few more. As they say, this one is a keeper.


Promark Drumstick

ProMark Drum Sticks - Classic Attack 5A Shira Kashi Oak Drumsticks, Oval Wood Tip, One Pair
  • 5A DRUM STICKS: The ProMark Classic Attack 5A drumstick features an oval tip shape, short taper, and dense Shira Kashi...
  • SHIRA KASHI OAK: Shira Kashi Oak is a dense, heavy wood providing a sturdy feel, increased attack, and exceptional...
  • OVAL, WOOD TIP: The ProMark Classic oval wood tip provides a full-bodied, warm tone suited for multiple applications

If you’re a drummer in a jazz band, you will absolutely love these drumsticks. At least that’s what the main consensus seems to be. The feel and sound of these drumsticks is really good, however in our book it’s all about quality.

Promark has done a great job in creating a very durable set of drumsticks. You can definitely go a little crazy on them, and you’ll see it’ll start to Chip Away, however they’re not going to break easily. great pair of drumsticks for the more easy going drummer, and mr. fancy pants. Some have kept the same pair for up to two years. Now that says something.


Donner 7A Hickory Drumsticks

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Now here we have something unique. Hickory wooden drumsticks. If you’re near the drum, you will really enjoy these. Since they are lightweight, you can really do some fast drum patterns without worrying about your drumsticks breaking. foremost, they have settled very well on these daughter drumsticks.

I’m just happy to see that Donner is also making quality drumsticks just like the make other guitar equipment.


Promark Activegrip Drumsticks

Promark ActiveGrip Drum Sticks - Rebound 5A Drumsticks - For Secure, Comfortable Grip - Gets Tackier As Your Hands Sweat - Hickory Wood - Acorn...
  • HICKORY WOOD: Hickory is the most popular wood choice for drumsticks due to its resilience, responsiveness, durability,...
  • ACORN TIP: The reinvented acorn tip provides a larger sweet-spot for increased responsiveness and articulation
  • LENGTH: 16" / 406.4mm

If you like to spend hours on your drum set, these active grip drumsticks will help you last a lot longer. Nothing is more annoying than sweaty hands when you’re using your drumsticks.

However, with these Promark drumsticks, you shouldn’t be running into that issue as much. If you think this active grip thing is just a gimmick, December of these drumsticks, well you’re going to be in for a very pleasant surprise.

Some even say that these might be the best grip that they’ve ever achieved on a pair of drumsticks. If you play hard, or metal, these are definitely for you.


Zildjian 5B Black Drumsticks

Avedis Zildjian Company 5B Nylon Black Drumsticks
  • A favorite size among drummers of all skill levels
  • Delivers a strong sound with a little more stick
  • Nylon tip for slightly brighter, focused sound

Another good looking pair of drumsticks, with a nice teardrop. Wooden jumps tips. Great for playing normal drums and electric drums. However try to avoid these when you’re using mushrooms. As far as the durability Factor goes, another quality drumstick on this list and it will last you for a fairly decent amount.


How to choose drumsticks?

As an experience or new drummer, selecting drumsticks can be something that’s very daunting. You walk into a music store and you see a massive rack of drum sticks, how do you know what to choose?

You just started drumming, right?

Even experienced players who have been drumming for 30 years now, still struggle sometimes in choosing the right drum stick. Should you use the Stanley Randolph Signature sticks, the Promark FireGrain, the Vater Rock or should you use the Drumeo custom drumsticks, hmm?

There’s so many different options out there, so how should a drummer choose his drumsticks?

At the end of the day, it’s all about personal preference. It all comes down to trying different things and figuring out what you like.

However, here are some basic principles so you can find out which one is right for you. So there’s numbers with drum sticks, there’s twos, fives, sevens, eights, and 55A.

What these numbers essentially mean is the lower numbers are the heavier and thicker sticks. The higher numbers are the lighter and thinner sticks. Example: You have a Regal Tip 8A. This drumstick is going to be lighter than a Vic Firth 5B.

What do the letters mean?

The A and the B essentially applies to the thickness. 5B is thicker than 5A and so on.

Then you’ll have sticks with something like 5A barrel. Now the barrel is referring to the tip of the stick. And when it comes to the tips of the sticks, drummers always are wondering about nylon tip or wood tip.

To be honest, it really comes down to what kind of sound you prefer. When you play a nylon tip drum stick on a cymbal, generally, you get a more defined and consistent sound.

Whereas if you hit it with a nylon tip, it’s gonna give you a really nice consistent sound, but it’s gonna be a different feeling.

Same with wood tips. When you play the cymbals with wood tips, you’re gonna get more inconsistency, but when you play the drums with those wood tips, they’re gonna sound really great.

That’s why the professional drum players keep switching sticks depending on the song they are playing. I bet you didn’t know how sophisticated drum sticks can be eh?

So if you’re playing something that needs nice, bright cymbal sounds and nice consistent cymbal sounds all the time, then you might want to try out some nylon tipped sticks.

Personally, I prefer wooden tips, and I prefer the acorn tip sticks. Then you also have the barrel tip and at the end of the day, it’s all about your personal preference.

Now once you select which type, how do you know if the way they are manufactured are quality as well?

Well a lot of companies are getting better when it comes to their drumstick making technology. Nice and straight without any inconsistencies. At least most of the time. However, once you do find that pair that you like, here’s what you can do to.

Sources:

Peter Thomas

Peter is a well-known guitar teacher in Ealing. He’s taught hundreds of guitarists of all levels, covering everything from rock and pop to jazz and classical.Have a question, need some help, or want to give your opinion? Drop us a comment below!

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