I play in an acoustic folk-rock band where I play most of the rhythm on the snare drum only. For that use, i found hot rods to be too hard, and traditional brushes to be too soft. When I found these, everything clicked. The sound they produce works perfect for what I do, and I haven't found anything that matches this. I love them, and for this use I will probably never use anything else.
The downside about these are that as they are made of hay, they don't last for very long. I probably get 5-6 hours playtime out of a set, and after that they have become so flimsy that I don't use them live anymore, but they hold out for band practice some more hours.
All in all; love the sound, but sadly it gets expensive as they are not cheap and don't last very long.