Nice dig Alison very nice indeed. Okay so you're all awsome for your feedback on this one. I went to my local store where the uy running the place said that he had met Mr. big boss Promark and said he would put in a complaint for me, which he said should result in some free sticks (WOOHOO!!).
He also said that heat could be my issue as nylon has a habit of warping under heat, so he recomended a pair of silverfox sticks
SilverFox Percussion - Drumsticks . They use a tip made from Delmar (the plastic that plectrums are made from), which apparently won't stress under heat. So I recjon I might have to try some of those.
I'll have a look into those carbon ones as well. Thanks again!!