I've read a lot of reviews on the Tama Silent Tips, where people argue that you can easily practice in the evening at home or anywhere else, where it is necessary to play soft. Are all of them Tama-endorsers?
Those tips do NOT bring you any volume advantage to play softer! Of course, the clatter of the sticks is diminished slightly. But due to the fact that these tips are pretty heavy, the stroke that you execute becomes heavier as well. Consequence: more power and ultimately as loud as beforehand. The stroke is like a heavy smack.
Another negative side-effect: due to the weight of the tips, the balance of the sticks changes drastically. There is a lot more weight on the front end of the stick, so you have to adapt your technique to this. Once you get back to your normal sticks, you have to adapt again. So there is no real benefit in practicing for me.
Last but not least: it is already pretty annoying to put the silent tips over the tips of your sticks. But the removal becomes a mission in life. Not to break them, when you want to remove the tips, is nearly impossible.
I would actually give it a lower rating. But the price tag is so low that I actually don't care about the failure of buying them.
