The Vic Firth American Classic 5A's are a type of drum sticks from one of the leading players in manufacturing drum sticks. When it comes to drum sticks in general, it's mostly about personal preference. In general I prefer to use 5A size sticks as I'm not a very powerful drummer and find these easier to play with. For those who don't know, the main difference between 5A's and 5B's are the size as 5B's are a bit heavier and thicker than the 5A's. Of course, Vic Firth has these same sticks in 5B's as well. I'm primarily not a drummer but have dabbled a bit, and when I do I generally play with these sticks as they're the kind I've got a home. I don't know what kind of wood these sticks are made out of, but they're definitely sturdy and easy to hold. They're probably best suited for lighter forms of rock, jazz, and other applications where you might not want too heavy a sound, but they'll do the trick most of the time for most players, especially less experienced ones like myself. A ton of professional drummers worldwide use these sticks, so again, it's just a matter of personal preference as you really can't say that there's anything wrong with these. The price is about the same when compared to other brand's 5A sticks, so this really shouldn't be much of factor when deciding what type of drum sticks you'd like. More versatile drummers will like to have a few different types of drum sticks available, but if you're a beginner I'd most likely recommend these for you as you really can't go wrong with them to start. I'd highly encourage all players to get out there and try as many different types of sticks as possible (both brands and sizes) to get a feel for what works for you, but the Vic Firth American Classic 5A's definitely need to be in the discussion.