Vater 3AN Drum Sticks Hickory Nylon

I was looking for a drum stick that has a nice balance, has a good feel in hand and is durable, especialy the drum tips. Due to some holed stacks on my kit wooden tips tend to chip off easily so I was looking for a stick that has the same or similar characteristics as the Vic Firth 55A (perfectly balanced for me) but with a nylon tip. The balance on the Vater is on par with the Vic Firth (marginal difference in rebound) durability is excellent, the stick lasts several rehearsals and shows (I play in a rock band and a metal band). With the nylon tip you get a higher clearer ping on the cymbals compared to a wooden tip.