I play hard - use steel finger picks and a big thumbpick and I play everyday. Almost every tune is attacked rather than simply *played*. I have tried 'em all and broken them all especially the 3rd. I have been using DR Rare phospher bronze for about a year and IMHO, there is nothing like them for longevity and rich sound. Thomstik are close, but I don't like their buttery sound for the blues. If I'm performing regular weekends, I'll change these about every 10 days. The great thing about them is they seem to 'give' a little easier for bending and seem to be under less tension at pitch. They aren't cheap at $13.00 or so Canadian but every other string I've used I've had to change at twice that frequency.

-Caindawg