The Vater Mike Mangini Piston Drumsticks have a unique design. It starts out at .580" in the grip and increases slightly towards the middle of the stick until it reaches .620" and then tapers back down to an acorn tip. Vater worked with Mike to design the stick to have a slightly added front weight for a solid, consistent throw and transient sound. With the extra length, you can adjust how much front weight you're implementing by slightly moving your fulcrum point up or down on the stick. You'll also get a fat sounding rimshot crack from the added front weighted taper