Ok, as many drummers, during all these years, I've tried dozens of drumsticks of all kind, wood, length, weight etc..
I tried these maple drumsticks which are thick and light at the same time. They are very well balanced. I was initially concerned about the durability of maple, especially compared to hickory. Yes, maple is lighter, and on this drumsticks you'll start to notice immediately the sign of each rimshot you play. Despite this, they don't break easily, absolutely not. Of course it depends mainly of your drumming style, if you play really heavy, these are not for you. In my case they are not less durable than any other hickory pair of sticks.