I used 3S sticks, the biggest you can get and I swing hard. Cheap gear doesn't hold up very long for me. Tama has always made the strongest hardware since I started drumming in the early 80s. But there were always deficiencies with their older snare stands and their current lower end new models. This one solves ALL the issues. I've had problems with stands "walking" around on stages, tilt clutches slipping or wearing out, not able to get the basket arms in a good spot on the snare, & not able to get the perfect tilt angle & rotation of the basket relative to the stand. This is the one. Worth every penny. It's very heavy for it's size and STRONG. The feet are large and have retractable spikes to grip even the crappiest drum rug. The tilt system lets you angle it any way you can imagine and it's solid. The basket has fully adjustable arms that stay put once you get it where you want. And the basket locking scheme for your snare requires much less effort than the traditional 3 spoke grip system with a large knob/nut to get the spokes to grab the snare. Your snare locks in place in a few seconds. You can't find a better snare stand, promise.