I know the subject title is just ASKING for it, but.....I have been playing almost 30 years. I have broken exactly ONE stick in all that time. No, I don't throw them out or change after only a couple of beats.  I even play with the shoulder of the stick on the Hat (a failing in some circles I hear). Sure the sticks get chewed up after a while and I dispose of them at that point. But I can have a pair of sticks for months, without breaking them. I do not play everyday and have certainly not been in a band all this time. The music I have played is not gentle by any means (but not Thrash either). I am in an original band at this time, kind of a Rock/Jazz/Funk sound. I have never felt the need to play overly HARD. I assume that is how sticks get broken. I know it sounds like that was a stupid statement for a 30 year player. I have certainly seen sticks break. My bandmates tell me one of the drummers they auditioned before me broke 7 sticks in a half hour??!! I know playing HARD adds some visual excitement for the audience. But is it really needed? It seems when I watch concerts/videos/instructionals I notice most "Pro's" ( not inferring I am one by any means....ummmm, yeah) play fairly relaxed and easy when they hit. Of course the drums are mic'd up and I can see where you might break some sticks in an unmic'd situation. But reading many other threads I always notice mention of sticks breaking. So, is the Wuss in me? I can certainly WHACK the cr*p out of them when needed. But I just don't seem to break sticks.

Back when I was in a "metal" band, I broke a lot of sticks.  It was because there was a fine line (for me) between playing with sticks that were comfortable for me, and sticks that were appropriate for the job.

Nowadays I wear away sticks long before they break.  Any breakage comes from using a stick for too long after it's been whittled down to a toothpick!!

There's no honor - and no shame - in breaking sticks. Some people break a lot, some hardly any. I always broke a lot until I switched to graphite sticks; now they last for ages, and I almost never break one.

But I never thought of it as cool or bad or a sign of good or bad technique. I just know that sticks are expensive, so I'm glad my current choice of sticks is so durable - it saves me a LOT of money!

Thanks for the responses. I agree as sticks wear there is the greater chance of breakage and I do dispose of as they start to splinter around the shoulder....but they are pretty worn down before disposal. What I find "interesting" is the person I mentioned that my band auditioned...breaking 7 sticks in a half hour....new sticks. But then I believe I have seen Mr. Moon do the same during the "My Generation" from Live at Leeds I believe. So I can understand the energy factor behind the breakage. As an aside...never broke a head either. But have heard of people that break new ones "often".

surely wuss.... My "saldo" from 5 months: http://irc-galleria.net/view.php?nick=AnzElMoSM&image_id=985221&navi=true    Every stick is 2b or thicker.. So i'm NOT wuss..    

i haven't broken a stick since that disgusting batch of travis barker sticks i got.  i thought it was a bargain, a dozen pairs for around twelve bucks.  

I too have been playing for a long time (though not as long,only 4/5 years) and have only ever broken 2 sticks  (and they were cheap crappy ones so it dont really count) i dont think it matters if you dont break alot of sticks, it saves you money afterall and its a bummer when a stick snaps at a difficult time in a song.

I hit hard and rimshot constantly, I just can't slow my arms down once they're moving toward the target. This means heavy wear in the centre of the stick but I get a month and a bit out of Vic Firth Metals before they're too thin and fled in the middle. I have to cut the bottom inch off of them to get them to move though, Promark 2B's are perfect weighting for me but just not durable, flaking away in ~3 weeks.

And a quick note from a budding mechanical engineer on the whittling of sticks into toothpicks: This generally means you're hacking into the edge of your cymbals, mainly the hats, which is causing undue compressive stress on your cymbals, which means they're gonna crack at the edge.

This is why it's frowned upon in some circles, especially in mine, I try not to judge but I feel for the battered cymbals. I constantly remind myself that some just don't know yet as I watch innocent cymbals being bruised and beaten. I urge all you toothpick makers, hit flatter and glance along the edge, imparting energy more gradually over more area rather than impacting a small area. You'll get more stick life and more importantly, more cymbal life.

This has been a message from Taco Delta Bravo Org.: Looking out for your equipment.

I am not a hard hitter.  My sticks get mushy and thrown out long before they break.  I play the edge of the hats a lot so that eats away the shoulders of the sticks quickly.   When they get mushy I throw them out.