First of all I allways go with wood if I can because I think they sound the best, and I generally perfer 7As on fast songs, and then 5A on the slower songs. I think the 5's give you a better wood block sound on the snare rim. However the last time I went to get sticks I was looking them over and debating the size because of how often I break them and the guy suggest that I try Vater Fusions sticks. He said they were designed to be more resistant to breaking and that he had had his pair for a long time. So I went ahead and tried them and I really like them. I'd perfer it if the end was completely rounded off but I got used to it not being that way, they are pretty much the same size as 5As, so they're not to big which is a good thing becasue I detest huge sticks and I still have my first set and they're holding up really well. Here's a pic of them, only the first pic has wooden tips, something else that I don't like. I always go with nylon tips. I think they sound better on the cymbals especially the splash and ride.