Vic Firth 5B Nova Hickory Wood Tip

Hi,
I was a little surprised by the low price proposed for these sticks, and was indeed ready for lower quality and durability. As a heavy user of regular Vic Firth 5B (twice as expensive), my budget for drumsticks is significant and I wanted to somehow reduce it...
... but, during my first rehearsal with those sticks I broke not one, not two, no three, but four (4) sticks in less than 2hours of playing time !!

I NEVER usually break sticks, especially brand new ones.
Worse, when try to reassort sticks into decent pairs, it is virtually impossible since their weights are very different.

Be warned, friends.