His point is that the Hardimon tenor stick isn't currently used by any of the big DCI lines, which is really the primary driving force behind what stick will be used by the majority of the rest of the activity. A few instructors will go with silver fox or something because they love the way they sound, but the majority of us tend to take our cues from the big guys. Vegas are incredibly popular because BD uses them, and because when they hit the market, they were really the best thing going aside from the standard MT-1As. The new hybrid has Tom's name on them, and they were used by the Cadets, and in my opinion, they feel and sound great. IP didn't really take off until they stole Casella away from Vic Firth and started putting recognizable caption heads on their sticks.

Conversely, I've never been a fan of the Hardimon tenor sticks. I got a pair for free and I use them whenever I can't find a matching pair of anything else, but I just don't enjoy the feel at all. I think all they did was chop a ralphie down (minus the paint), maybe make the bead slightly larger, and call it a tenor stick, but there are other things that need to be taken into account in order to give tenor implements a good feel.

As a stick, I really like the Hardimon tenor stick, but as a tenor STICK, not a mallet. I hate moving sticks around a set of tenors, but when it comes to one drum phrases/basic movements, I really like the beef that the Hardimon stick has.