Vater VSPST Birch Splashstick Traditional Multi Rods, Pair

1/31/19 Update:I am still liking these a lot. I've been using them for about 2 hours a week for around 6 months and they're still working well enough that I'm only now considering replacing them. Main spots of wear and tear are individual stick loss (breaking off above the grip) and the grip itself becoming loose. The end caps at the base are not secured very well and can pop off if not otherwise secured. I've used a bit of gaff tape to tape the butt caps on and to tighten up the grip at the top. If I cared more, I'd use hot glue to get the butt caps back in place. The stick/rod loss is minimal and the sticks are still very usable. I'll be picking up another pair just to have a fresh set.-----------------------------------------------------I got these to try versus Hot Rods and they've been great so far. I think I may prefer them over the competition. Durability is excellent. I've put about 20 hours of play into them and haven't lost a single rod yet, compared to about 3-4 hours of Hot Rod playtime before I start losing rods at the tip. The ends have stayed tightly grouped and haven't started spreading enough to alter how they play or sound. That's a big surprise and helps them to play the same as if they were new. I like that a lot.I like the full-length sleeve from a durability perspective. I think it helps keep the rods from splitting and spreading like with Hot Rods.They feel slightly lighter than Hot Rods but I got used to them quickly.My two negatives are on build quality: the butt caps aren't glued on strongly enough and fall off. The sleeves are also not glued on and can start slipping up or down. This hasn't been too big of an issue yet, but I wish everything was glued on a bit better.Overall, I like this a lot and will probably start buying these instead of the competitor Hot Rods.

I'm starting my second pair of the Vater bamboo splashsticks after many months of heavy use. This is awesome! I have owned ProMark Hot Rods and Vic Firth Rute and I vastly prefer the Vater Splashsticks. Here's why:Durability -- BY FAR the most durable of any wooden (bamboo is close enough) multi-rod I have played. I have been practicing and gigging with the same pair of (green) bamboo splashsticks for at least six months. I played them at a fill-in rehearsal where they were the envy of the other sitting drummer. I was quietly amused by his piles of shredded Hot Rods scattered about (all in barely playable condition) ...And you can play these splashsticks at normal to high stick heights without trashing them!Design -- I really like how the green shrink tubing (the rubber part) continues all the way up to the shoulder of the sticks. This seems to add lots of durability. In my experience, the biggest killer of other multi-rods is playing a Moeller technique on the hi-hat (where the protective upper wrap section never quite seems to protect the right part of the sticks). One session will destroy typical rods if you play vigorously. Bamboo is also very fibrous and seems to provide some of the impressive longevity.Feel -- These feel good in the hand. I like the original Vic Firth Rute, but the wooden handle always felt almost comically large in the hand. The splashsticks feel pretty tight and they stay together without a thick handle. As they wear in, the rubber tubing loosens a bit and they start to feel a little more like half-extended heavy brushes.No debris -- This relates directly to durability, but I thought it worth special mention. These sticks DO NOT leave dowel splinters all over your stuff. Not on your drums, your carpet, or in your stick bag. My older pair (about 6 months) have loosened in feel, but shed virtually NO bamboo splinters.Awesome work, Vater! My only gripe is that I wish I could subscribe to this product and subscription is not yet available for the bamboo version.

The nice thing about these is that the have similar weight and feel to real sticks. They are still quieter than actual drum sticks but not by nearly as much as other blast sticks I've used. The bamboo dowels give them more weight and durability. The continuous 3/4 length plastic wrap also helps with durability. If you are looking for a louder more durable version of a blast stick I would go with these. If you want sometime for a lower volume buy a lighter type of this stick like a hotrod by promark or another blast stick made of birch dowels. For reference, these are larger in diameter than a 5A. I think for most people they fine but if you play small sticks like a 7a you might want a smaller blast stick like a coolrod by promark.

The bamboo version is nice since it doesnt splinter and chip like the PM hot rods, thunder rods, etc. I also like that the wrapping seems to be a little more secure than the hot rods, which slide around a bit over time. Nothing that a little tape can't fix but it's nice not to worry about that as often. Played them for about 6 hours at this point and they are still just as tight as when I opened them.

Awesome bamboo rods. Best way to bring quieter drumming to your kit. Still produce a good tone from your drums and still have a good rebound. Very nice.

These are basically identical to hot rods, but I was disappointed with how long they lasted. I got probably HALF the life of the original promark hot rods. Almost immediately I had to wrap them with tape to preserve the life, and one of the end caps fell off after about a week. Next time I'll spend the few extra dollars on the promarks.