I bought these sticks for a production of Miss Saigon, which has a very challenging part, sometimes involving 4 sticks at once. They are good quality, it would be tricky to break them.
They are quite oddly shaped, like drum sticks in the handle in that they are the same thickness as normal sticks at the bottom and thin out towards the top. This gave the sticks a different feel to any other xylophone stick I have used, as they tend to be thin the whole way through. I think this improves accuracy when they are used one stick per hand, but perhaps take away a little power (and therefore volume). When used multiple sticks per hand, it does make them tricky to use, as you essentially run out of space. I think this makes them ideal for the beginner.
Worth a shot if you are interested in learning to play tuned percussion.