Here is the review I promised of Swiss Picks.
I just started trying out a new pick design. Pete, the owner of Swisspicks, posted about them on The Gear Page a few days ago, and out of curiosity I ordered some. Their main design feature and differentiating characteristic is that they have a few differently sized holes in them with raised ridges around the holes. And to keep with the Swiss cheese theme, they are colored a suitably cheesy light yellow color. They are at present only offered in one thickness - .8mm. But I understand that Pete is working on a 1.1mm thickness. Here are my findings so far:
What I like:
They do stay put in your grip pretty well due to the raised-rim holes- that's the main design feature and it seems to work.
The raised edges had me holding the pick with a lighter grip than usual. I think this is good for better control and will probably keep the picks comfortable to use for long practices or gigs.
They are pretty quiet - there is hardly any "clickiness"like with some picks (notably V-Picks).
They engage the strings very smoothly. This, and their quietness in use are probably characteristics of the material they're made of - which is Delrin, I'm told.
The overall thickness and "feel" of the picks is good for me. And I like the amount of flex they have - just about right for me, but of course others might find them too thin, or too flexible, or the opposite. And again, a greater selection of thicknesses would be good.
The color makes them easily visible if you drop them.
What I'm not so sure about:
The raised edges, while good for a secure grip, also seems a little distracting since I'm not used to them. This might not be a problem if I used them all the time on all my guitars, and did get used to it. This doesn't seem to adversely affect my playing though.
Are they going to replace my Gravity Classics? Well, I'm gong to use them for a few more days to see if I can get used to the ridges, and then we'll see. One of the reasons I like the Gravity picks is that they don't twist around in my grip either. And with the smooth surface like most picks, I don't think about them or notice them when I'm playing. With the Swisspicks I'm conscious of them - which is a distraction I don't like. I'm sure that a lot of research and trials went into the current design, but I almost think I'd like them better if the ridges around the holes were less prominent (lower and thinner). But like I said, we'll see after a few days.
Are they worth trying out? Definitely. I think they're a good product, and might be just what you need for a pick.
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