i am brand new to gong bashing. i have bashed drums and cymbals for Blackpool Donkey's (a long time). You have to respect large round metal things and a nice mallet is a good place to start. I would say this one seems worth the money. Nice weight, well padded with fleecy stuff, with a large metal thing you need to launch your shoulder into the arc and be aware of the weight of the metal the mallet, yourself and your audiences ear-drums (you can easily find Rank Organisation demo's) A drummers stick is an interface like a pen to a poet.