get a pair of either 5B or 2B japanese Oak promarks, they'll take a beating and keep on ticking.

Ive been using ProMark 747s for about 8 years now, they seem to hold up well. Even though they are smaller than 5b's, the hickory sticks hold up, and im a really heavy hitter.

I used to get blood blisters cause I used 2b sticks, then switched down to the 747s, and havent had one since...try a smaller stick before a bigger one...just talking from personal experience

The obvious solution is the one no one will speak on. You need to adjust your own playing techniques. If you identify a problem and then ignore it by masking it with different tools and such, you are doing yourself and your art no good.

Not to be nosy, but how do your cymbals and drum heads hold up against that kind of punishment?

I'm using a Z Custom 21" mega bell ride, its as heavy as a sewer cover, you can hit it with a hammer and it won't effect it, my crashes are mostly all rudes, which are meant for taking a beating, my heads are evans G2 clear, never broke one yet..............go here to listen to how they sound..

www.ovrevolt.com

Do you mike your drum's and cymbals?, in the mix your barely audible in all of the vids, also I play at least as hard as you do,I use mostly Vic Firth Matt Cameron signature sticks which is a super 5B, and switch sometimes to promark 2B Japanese oak, but sticks last me a long time, and I never get blisters, My guitar player uses a 100 Marshall super lead and a Fender twin reverb, the bass player uses an ampeg Svt with a 810 cab. But I have my own mics and assist the sound man In whatever club OR venue I'm playing in.

Looks like you guys have a good time!

Maybe...

There is a music term called "dynamics" and "technique". There are also Pro Mark Japanese Oaks that hold up well. There are also rehearsal studios I've used that have drum hardware that has been torqued beyond human comprehension and dimples in the drum heads that make me wonder WTF were they using. I played in Drum and Bugle Corps. for years using "logs" for sticks back in the 70's and early 80's. I never broke a head or rarely shattered a stick unless it was really worn. We hit HARD!! So, I would suggest above all to improve your technique. Try playing on a 6 inch stack of newspaper and build you wrist control without benefit of the bounce. Works wonders for learning how to "pull" a note from a drum head. Ex-27th Lancer

I'm sure it depends on your audience. Some folks like it loud. When I was in marching band, I was frequently criticized for not playing loud enough. Now I'm the drummer that gets the most compliments (usually from older people) for playing softer. What really bothers me is loud drummers who are unmusical, i.e. thrashing the kit unmercifully without a hint of dynamics or subtlety, tossing in fills and crashes relentlessly, always at the same ridiculous volume. Those guys give drummers a bad reputation. Of course, my views on this have cost me a gig or two!