The theoretical predictions for the semi-inclusive hadronic tau decays into an even/odd number of pions (and kaons) are up-dated, and compared with the corresponding sums of exclusive tau-decay modes. The value of alpha(s)(M(tau)2) obtained from these semi-inclusive widths agree with the one obtained from the total inclusive hadronic width. The experimental e+ e- --> hadrons data are also used to perform additional tests in the vector sector. Using the e+ e- data and varying the value of M(tau), we show that there is a good agreement among the results obtained at different mass scales.