Question: OK how do you review drumsticks?

They’re wooden and they look and feel good. There’s got to be more to it hasn’t there?

Question: Who are Wincent?

I first found out about this company from Sweden because of their excellent multi rods and really cool pocket practice pad which I have had in my stick bag for the past 5 years (during a mikedolbear.com clinic tour 3 years ago with Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez he was so impressed with the pad that I brought him one). But to be honest I didn’t know that they made drum sticks.

The Wincent story started out in a small garage in the north of Sweden back in 1992. At this point only rods were produced from high quality Scandinavian birch. Wincent were pioneers using rubber o-rings on their legendry 19R model rods. The reputation of the product spread, and drummers began to ask for sticks and brushes with the same feeling, quality and durability. Because of this, in 1995 Wincent was the first company to introduce retractable wire brushes with 3 different wire thicknesses and in 2002 a full line of hickory drumsticks was introduced.

OK. Back to the question at the top - how DO you review sticks?

I decided to put some sticks in my teaching studio for the students to use and give some out to my students to see if the sticks were durable and felt good.

There are 18 models including a Mikkey Dee (Motorhead) signature model, and the sticks come in three categories -

Hickory Standard Series has 10 models from 7A up to Rock, all with barrel tipped ends.

Hickory Round Tip Series has 5 models. All these models are round tip except the Mickey Dee stick which has a barrel tip.

Maple Series has 3 models with a barrel tip.

I grew up as the son of a carpenter so I learnt at a young age the difference between good wood and bad wood, the difference between oak and walnut, and maple and hickory. Because of this, when I started playing the drums I knew how I wanted the wood of the sticks to feel like. Now don’t get me wrong, a nice pair of sticks doesn’t make you play any better, but its like a nice pair of walking shoes - they feel more comfortable. If you’re playing for 2 to 3 hours you want something that feels comfortable in your hands and that is what good sticks can do.

The Wincent sticks feel good and are made with good quality wood. Over a period of 3 weeks the review sticks were used by various drummers in various musical situations. None of the sticks broke or splinted during this time and the tips held over that period of time. I personally couldn’t find the exact match for the model that I normally use but I went for the 7A Maple model as I like a softer wood. The maple stick is a little lighter then a hickory of the same model. I used them constantly over a 3 week period and they held up well, even though the stick was a little light and thin for some of the musical situations that I put them through.

The sticks are made of high quality materials and are well made with no deep grains or knots in the sticks. The sticks are not heavily waxed or lacquered so you can feel the natural wood of the stick which helps them stay in your hand when things get sweaty. The sticks are little cheaper than their more well known competitors at £7.99 a pair, which is good for all of us in the middle of financially tough times.

If you get a chance, go and try these sticks and you well be happy with the outcome. I hope that the quality control stays as good as it is at the moment as the stick company grows and they add some more models.

Overall I was very impressed with these sticks and they are easily as good if not better then some of the more well known stick brands and are a little cheaper, which can only be a good thing. If Wincent can market the sticks and get the sticks out to the masses they have a product that will be very successful.

Wincent Stick Wrap

This product is designed to wrap around the stick to give a smooth non-slipping grip to the surface without affecting your playing. The thin rubber sleeve is attached over the butt end of the stick and then using the heat from a hair dryer or heat gun, you shrink the wrap to give a tight, secure and even surface on the stick. The grip is black with a checkered logo on it.

I used a 5B maple stick and I didn’t think that the sleeve would or could shrink smaller enough to grip the stick but after 10 minutes of applying hot heat from the hair dryer it gave a good and secure fixing to the stick. To be honest it was a little time consuming and although one grip was very good the other became lose quite quickly and I had to do it again. Although I don’t use stick grip the feel of the wrap was very good and very smooth.

RRP £4.99

Mike Dolbear

Next month we will review Wincent Rods and Brushes