From gentle, to punchy, with this set I always find a suitable sound. I like the color coding, it helps me find the right egg quickly, when playing live. Grippy surface, without being harsh on the hand, keeps them right where they belong. They will survive the odd drop, when it come to that. Paired with a mike, I love the dynamic range, they respond really well to different palmings. I can get everything from tight grasped muted sounds, to open handed pops, giving me me the desired accents needed, to get the job done. With other shakers, I find myself loosing situational awareness with the music around me, because the precision needed to get the different sounds, leaves me task saturated.