Any pick material that doesnt wear fast

[Hany Hayek]

Must of been discussed here a lot.
I really love my Acetal picks 1 mm thick, but noticed they wear fast. I have been doing a lot of tremolo exercises lately.
My 0.90mm Ultem picks show less wear signs but they sound brighter
I resorted lately to redo the pick tip using a file, the one I use for my right hand guitar nails

[CES]

Wegen and Bluchip both wear very well. I’ve got a Wegen i’ve Had probably 8 years that’s still in good shape, and my first BC, probably 6 years old, is doing great as well. I may polish up the BC at some point, but just switched to another point of the triangle. So, figure I’ve got another twelve years before I really have to do it . Their cost, of course, is much higher than most other picks...

[MediumMando5722]

Wegen, BlueChip, and anything made of Ultem (Dunlop Ultex & Primetone, many Claytons, various others) will be very slow wearing.

[Drew Streip]

I actually found my first Wegen to wear faster than I expected, but the sound was worth it. At $15 for 2, they're not cheap, but much less than BlueChip.

I've found my Primetones to get better with wear -- once the sharpest part of the tip has been softened, it seems to maintain the bevel. My pick attack generally matches the bevel, which I'm sure helps with longevity and consistency.

The Dunlop "Big Stubby" picks seem to be quite good! I used to play guitar with one for years. I know some mandolin players like them too.

[themandocello]

I've been using the same Jim Dunlop 1mm pick for 9-10 years...and I play 3-4 hours a day.

[Zach Wilson]

+1 for Prime Tones (I like the triangle 1.5mm ones). I've been using that one, three edges, for a year or so and wear hasn't been an issue.

[stevedenver]

+1 for Prime Tones (I like the triangle 1.5mm ones). I've been using that one, three edges, for a year or so and wear hasn't been an issue.

Best wear, no doubt , nothing close, blue chip.
Material is the same used for artificial joints.
I believe its called self lubricating material.

They feel slick. I like having two points, bevel, and one round point for trem and less attack. Thick 60 and a 55.

Been using mine (1) for three four years, hours daily, mando and guitar,no sign of wear, nadda.

But.....for the price, and, the risk of loss, one can have several others.
Having lost one, it hurts when you do. Something to manage, which is what i like least, but i have three at this time. One for each mando.

I now religiously place it interlaced in the strings when not in hand, no pockets, no pick container, etc.

Its hard to swallow $35-$50 for a pick, but, once you have one youll like it.

The only reason i use other materials and thicknesses is sometimes i want more attack, or, simply thinner, but stiff. I get more attack , i think, from my wegens and ultex pei picks.

Wegens, wear. I like them a lot, and the edges thin and fray a touch with use. I think these are the best overall, and i like the holes for added grip.

They too wear well. Fraying can be smoothed with sanding.

Prime tones too, d'addario pro plecs (wear years and cheap and great for mando) and inexpensive.

For the price of more common picks, im ok with them. Have a few in the pocket, can give one away when needed at a jam, no loss if you lose them.

[sblock]

The longest wearing plastic formulation is probably polyimide (e.g., Melden), the material used for BlueChips.

Not quite as good as polyimide, but also long-wearing, is polyetherimide (e.g., Ultem, Ultex), the material used in Dunlop Primetone picks, Clayton, Ultem, ProPlec, and others. Many brands of picks use this same plastic, which is much less expensive than polyimide. There are different formulations of polyetherimide, however, that have slightly different properties.

You would be very hard pressed to find a longer-wearing edge than on a BlueChip pick. That is one of many reasons why these picks are so popular, despite the higher initial cost.

[JeffD]

My RedBear, my BlueChip, and my Wegen, show absolutely no wear. The first picks I purchased, years ago, and used heavily for many years, look identical to new ones just purchased. I am not saying they don't wear, I just can't tell.

My Prime Tones seem to be similarly durable, but I haven't had them as long.

[mandroid]

My over 20+ year old Dawg picks seem still good ..

[Capt. E]

Yup...Blue Chip. I have a couple that are near 5 years old.

[AlanN]

My new fave

https://gravitypicks.com/

[Jill McAuley]

I use Clayton Acetal picks for playing tenor banjo and go through one a week they wear so fast! Wish Blue Chip made a pick light enough to play the tenor with (.50mm-60.mm).

On the mandolin the best wearing picks for me are Blue Chips - I've been using the same TPR35 since 2010!

[Eric Platt]

Blue Chip wears the least of anything I've tried. Though the Django picks I have might come close.

Ultem can wear quickly for me. At one point was going through a pick per jam. Would just wear them down. Granted, it was guitar in a large old time jam. Most folks don't have to deal with those types of situations.

[sblock]

Of course, pick wear also depends considerably on how you play (technique), how often you play (time), the pick flexure (thickness), the pick point (sharp or rounded), and the pick edge (bevel or otherwise). That's why people get such different results with the same picks. Some folks are hard on their picks; others are rather easy on them. Some folks prefer a crisper edge, and a pointier tip, and a thinner pick (but these wear faster), while others like round points, thicker picks, and little, if any, bevel (these wear slower). There is also the question of what strings you use, since flatwound strings are kinder to picks than roundwound ones, causing less abrasion.

But in the end, it comes down to the pick material! Right now, absolutely nothing tops the durable plastic material used for BlueChips: polyimide.

[foldedpath]

For the record, Blue Chip picks do show a tiny bit of wear over the years in the form of minute scratches, or "haze" at the area of contact against the strings. The pick shape and edge bevel doesn't change like it does when other picks wear down, it's just the surface texture at that small area. A new Blue Chip sounds just a hair brighter to me compared to one of the same type that's years old, and it's probably the difference in polished vs. slightly hazy surface at the point.

I could buff out the surface but it's not enough to bother me. There is far more difference in tone just going from one BC shape or thickness to another one.

[MontanaMatt]

My BC picks have worn, but are still usable.
One that seems indestructible is my Dragon's Heart...not yet available in a thickness that works for my mando, but maybe they'll have more options in the future
http://www.dragonsheartguitarpicks.com

[Jim Garber]

None of my main mandolin picks wear very much. I mostly use Blue Chip and Wegen and occasionally Ultem. However the true test for me is my rhythm guitar playing. In the old days I used to play square dances and even my triangular Ultems would wear each edge down to a razor sharpness playing one or two tunes. My first BC I used for guitar is the one I still have and barely shows any wear at all after probably 6 or 7 years of moderately heavy playing. That stuff is tough!

[Ivan Kelsall]

I used a single Wegen 'Bluegrass' pick (given to me) for several years. I still have it & it shows no sign of wear at all,neither do the 1.5 mm Dunlop Primetone picks that i've been using since they came out,
Ivan

[Beanzy]

One thing I’ve found while using buffalohorn is that the finish is crucial to preserving the longevity of the plectrum.
I finish shaping mine with 600 grit sandpaper, then polish with 1200 then 1600, then I use cotton cloth with rubbing compound then plain cotton, or brown paper at high speed to get a very high polish. It sounds like a lot of faff, but the last pick I did has lasted two years between polishes. I do a similar thing with the primetones I reshape. Unfortunately if I let a pick get a bit rough in any material the roughness just compounds the wear & tey deteriorate quite quickly.

[David Lewis]

V-picks. I have several that are over five years old... just micro scratching... toothpaste will clear that up.