The stock Hilo strings that come with the otherwise great Fluke Flea don't do much for me. I don't like the way the feel or sound (too plinky, or something). I swapped those out for these Martins and they sound much more full and slightly louder in volume. It feels good fretting chords on these. The clear look also stands out on the Flea's black plastic/black fret combo. That's an immediate reaction. We'll just have to see over the long run how these strings work.