Why Choose Vater

Vater has several wood suppliers. Our partners adhere to Vater’s strict specifications and quality terms, providing Vater with the best Hickory and Maple for making drumsticks.

• Hickory grows only in the United States and is the first and best choice for producing striking tools. Hammers, axe handles, and yes, drumsticks are made from American Hickory as it absorbs a great amount of shock.
• The best process for producing white Hickory is to use low temperatures when Kiln drying so as not to “pink” the wood. The Kilns start drying at 85 degrees and are slowly increased, but never exceed 105 degrees.
• The kiln-drying cycle time that yields the best results is 2 1/2 weeks.

• Vater’s Hickory is stress-relieved, which is done by slowly raising the temperature at the end of the drying cycle for 8 hours. This relieves the stress in the wood and produces straight sticks that stay straight.
• Vater uses the 2 best Hickory species for its drumsticks, which are Shell Bark and Shag Bark Hickory
• Vater uses a dowel moisture content specific to “striking” tools (10%-12%). Some of Vater’s major competitors use a moisture content known for furniture manufacturing (6%-8%). Wood is a cellulose fibre and water; the more moisture you extract, the weaker the wood. The more moisture present (as in Vater sticks), the stronger the wood.
• Vater produces 85% of its drumsticks from Hickory and 15% from Sugar Maple.
• Only the outer 3″-5″ of the Hickory tree is used to make drumsticks. This is the live part of the tree, which is called the sapwood.

• It takes 16-22 years for a Hickory tree to grow before it is harvested for drumstick production.
• Each time a Hickory tree is cut, another one is planted. New trees are also produced from the Hickory Nuts that naturally fall from the trees.
• Sugar Maple is a lighter-weight wood that is still durable and produces a fast-feeling stick with warmer-pitched tones. Due to its lighter weight, Sugar Maple is a great choice for someone who is looking for a thicker stick without the extra weight.