I have several different models of the Shira Kashi Oak, mostly 5As and Jazz sizes; some nylon-tipped, some wood. They all play great. Very rigid, and balanced, and the finish is natural and great to the touch. These are a bit heavier than hickory, and yet play with finesse--assuming you have it... I love the solid feel, gunshot rim shots, and confidence they give. And--they are hard to break! A solid 5 stars from yours truly. Great sticks - never had a bad set!

In my two year drumming ive tried hickory, maple,you name it, it diddent work. Then i found japanese oak and i loved it, it lasted me the lonest of all my drum sticks. Even big heavy sticks broke much sooner than thin oak ones. GREAT BUY!

the 707's are the best and only sticks i ever use,nothing less.the length and thickness is perfect. they are perfectly balanced for any type of music to use. i strongly recommend the oak 707's

I've used a lot of sticks over the years, a lot of different weights, woods, and grades, and I've become firmly convinced that it's worth every penny to buy Japanese white oak promarks. I play better when I'm holding well made sticks rather than B grade cheapie sticks. They're always excellent quality, and pretty stinkin hard to break. They are more dense than most sticks for a given diameter, so I play sticks that are a little smaller than what I might use otherwise.

I've been drumming for over 20 years and this stick is the ONLy drumstick I use because I cant break it. I've tried Tama, Ziljian, Regal Tip and Vic Firth sticks and snapped tham all like tiwgs. I've been using the Pro -Mark Oak 5B and 2B sticks since like 1988 unto present day as a Solo Artist. You cant go wrong with using OAK sticks. Vey well done Pro-Mark!! =)