I have tried a lot of sticks in my day, but I always come back to my babies:
ProMark Natural 747 nylon tip.
I recently tried the Zildjian DIP series, but didn't like them as much (I will keep a pair in my bag though). I rotate my sticks to play cowbells and rim-shots, which left black marks all over my snare head during a gig... and the cowbell/rims tore up the coating a little. Pretty nice sticks otherwise.
My brother-in-law bought me 3 pair of Vic Firth "American Classic Metal" sticks, and found the quality to be sub-standard. One stick broke the first time I played it ???
Guess I'll stick with my ProMarks!
http://www.promark-stix.com/