Pro Mark T-RODS Thunder Rods Birch Dowel Drumsticks

I bought these after reading various revues from other users. I have in the past bought and used nylon brushes with adjustable sliding "O" rings that vary the sound. I found they worked fine but it was very easy to loose the "O" rings!These Hotrods are fixed. You cannot adjust the end splay of the rods. There is a plastic sleeve set part way down the shaft of the dowel bundle. This is NOT adjustable and is fixed in place.In use the sticks grip end is fatter than the 5A size stick that I would normally use. It is also hexagonal in cross section, not round. This felt strange at first but you quickly get used to it.In use they give a softer sound compared to a solid stick. but retain a lot of feedback. They are thicker than a normal stick. I found that hitting cymbals needs some experimentation. Hit them edge on gives a slightly softer response. But I have also noticed that after about 4 hours use now, there is some damage starting to appear to the rods around the end of the sticks and the ends are starting to splay. I am not a heavy hitter so we shall see how these stand up over time. Hitting the ride cymbal, I found I needed to strike it with the plastic sleeve rather than the tip in order to get the response I wanted. The same with the ride bell otherwise I could not get that "ding".But my first impressions are that I am liking them. I am liking the slightly softer sound that they produce. They are not cheap however and I will see how they stand up to longer term use.After more prolonged use, the individual dowel rods have started to snap. To be expected I guess if hitting cymbals edge on.

I have previous bought several pairs with the thinner dowels (Vic Firth Rute 606) but each time they have lasted only a month or so before falling to bits. Decided to go with a thicker dowel and different make and am really impressed. They are not as quiet as the thinner ones but not as loud as normal sticks. They feel nice to play with and are still as good as the day I bought them. I definitely recommend them.

These rods are well constructed and seem to be holding out well after a few months of use. They are very light allowing for some quick sticking and they produce a very soft sound, softer than I expected (but I have a light touch anyway - I wouldn't want to use the Cool Rods!) I also love the sound they produce on the ride.The one gripe I have, is that the distance between the plastic moulding (the red bit in the picture) and the end of the rod is quite far, so the dowells spread out a lot on the drum surface. Other rods I've used have a little rubber ring at the end that you can adjust to keep the dowells together and therefore produce a stronger sound. Pro Mark shoud have put a couple of those in the pack and I would have given 5 stars. But rubber bands work just as well though...All in all a pood purchase, a nice set to compliment any stick bag.

Arrived well packaged in good condition and on time. Very happy with the product, the service we received and the value for money

Not as durable as I would like given the price but the sound is unique. More attack than flix stix or brushes but still with that fatter sound and a major drop off in volume. Allows you to play without backing off, but keep to lower volumes. Keeps the whole band pegged to the right level without losing the dynamics.

Great if you want to drum loud but don’t want to make loads of noise. Well made, good to grip. Small pieces have splintered off the end of some of the outer edges hence the fours stars.

Never used these before, but now use them all the time.A great feel and sound,around the kit, feel good when playing and give more freedom of movement because the grip feels firmer and you don't feel like you're going to lose your sticks during a more 'frenetic' piece of playing,far better than my 5A's.It's hard to explain, but I feel more able and more confident when playing 'difficult' patterns using these dowel sticks and the sound is somehow 'richer'.I can say, in all honesty, that my playing has improved using these and I've been playing for ten years.I'm amazed and I'd say purchase a pair and give them a go but sit back a bit as they have a life of their own!!

The media could not be loaded. I bought these as a gift . They are not balanced. One of the sticks sound matches the surviving old one so he plays the old one with the new one.