"My worst problem is dropping clear V Picks, which go into ultra stealth mode. "

No kidding! I have several of the clear V-picks, when dropped onto an oriental rug they are almost impossible to find. I've helped the situation a bit by painting a stripe on the picks with my wife's red nail polish. That said, I mostly play with my CL brown or casein picks.

This is most surprising. I'm pretty heavy handed bluegrass flatpicker style but my BC picks (mostly TAD 50s) are a few years old now and show no sign of wear.

I would very much like to see your playing style that affects your picks so negatively.

FWIW, here's my thoughts on picks, coming from a fairly new player (6+ yrs).

I started with primarily Fender mediums and heavies. I learned that they gave good tone and it was up to me to adjust my grip and angle. I also found that I like to drill 2-3 holes to help keep them from rotating in my fingers.

Started using some of the higher price picks and the only ones I really liked were the Primetones that look like Blue Chips (not the translucent PT's).

I also like gold color nylon picks that have a 50 on them and some grippy surface. I think they're .88 thick, not sure who makes them - maybe Dunlop?

I have 2 BC's that I like - a TD35 and a TD50.

Just last night I received a TAD50 that I bought from someone on another forum. Spent a little time last night and this morning with it and it may be a game changer for me. The more pronounced bevel and tri shape give it more versatility. Haven't tried it yet on mando but should be great there too.

Same here. My picks show little/no signs of wear.

I've moved to Dunlop Primetone 1.14mm. Same material as Ultex, but with some nice additions to the design. Thanks to Scott Memmer for the suggestion.

I've started experimenting with the Primetone picks. I'm using .88 which gives just a small amount of flex. In about two weeks of playing they have not shown any signs of wear. I also have a few .73 which has less flex than my Dunlop Nylon .88. The Primetones definitely sound better than the nylon picks. The .73 Primetone picks are brighter than the .88 and at the moment, I prefer the .88. I'm starting to get used to much less flex.

I hold my picks more towards their tips on a slight angle. (My Dunlop lights don't flap around).

Having said that, I alternate between the small plastic Jazz picks because my fingers are close to the strings also. (Especially like when the tips of the picks have been worn away so they slide across the strings when I flat pick).

Some V-Picks are available in dark blue, red and green. I favor those. But on the website, Vinnie claims that the clear ones are easiest to spot. You just have to see the shine off the surface, at the right angle. But those oriental rugs are busy enough to hide almost any color. So why are they so popular on performance stages?