I've been doing pell-work routines exclusively with locally-made wooden wasters, and naturally enough these wasters wear out and break after a certain amount of such abuse. Now, I've heard that synthetic wasters are designed to be more durable than wooden ones, but all statements I've seen to this effect seem to refer to a sparring/free-play context. So has anybody tried a synthetic waster (of any type or make) against a pell, and if so, how well does it hold up (if at all)?

Are you hitting the pell, or striking just short of it? Back in 2006 Guy Windsor suggested that the proper way to use a pell is to practice striking just short of it, so that about two blows in ten connect, and that makes a lot of sense to me because its less destructive to your kit and your joints. When he is trying to connect, I think he recommends soft targets like tyres or reinforced punching bags.

They're okay, but they bounce much more on the pell. I also prefer heavier wasters for my drills on a pell, and most synthetics are both too light and with a balance point too far back. But all that said, yes they're more durable in the long run (they'll bend over time, but not break).

I'm actually fond of just using a heavy stick for pell work, and when it breaks, I can find another.