Previously I purchased one of the cheap plastic egg type shakers. Whilst that gave a nice bright and sharp percussive shake, I really was after something soft and more fluid, with the ability to really control the groove. This softshake is perfect, it produces an almost warm softness and having the two of them is great for two handed grooves. You can play them either vertically, horizontally or any combination to get short or long shakes, the sound is really wonderful and provides a wonderful contrast to the brighter and more crackling sound of the smaller egg models. Definitely my favourite percussion instrument so far!