Arborea Cymbal Pack Alloy Cymbals Drum Cymbal Set 14"/16"/18"/20" Plus Free Cymbal Bag 5 Pieces Cymbals for Drum Set

(This review is intended for seasoned drummers looking for cheap practice gear) Ok, so I went in on these thinking it might be too good to be true, since my research has turned up that they're allegedly B20 alloy (though they look uncannily like brass... hmmm), and I was partly correct. While they're far from useless, they're also not quite what is advertised. Here's the details: So when I got these in my hands for the first time, I noted how remarkably light the package was for containing five "ALLOY" (which one?) cymbals. Once I set them up and gave them a try, I realised the game they're playing here: Fair warning: The supposed hi-hats and ride cymbal are as thin as the two crashes supplied, and I'm pretty sure they are just crash cymbals that have been mislabeled. Hi-hats are meant to have one heavier cymbal on the bottom and the pair are the exact same weight, and the ride cymbal simply doesn't really 'ride' like it's supposed to. It behaves like a thin-crash when you try to ride it, extremely hard to keep it from washing even when hitting it very lightly. They are also incredibly thin, while still also being the most responsive (probable) brass cymbals I've yet heard. So it's a mixed bag. I seem to have bought five crash cymbals by accident, but luckily they all crash pretty nicely (the hats sound like a splash cymbal when hit individually, you could probably make some really cool sizzle cymbals out of these). They are also VERY thin and probably won't stand up to too much force before cracking, so play them a bit lightly than normal if you're a heavy-handed drummer, and be sure to side-swipe them as opposed to playing down thru the cymbal. My new plan is to just replace the hat and ride with more solid stuff and use the Arborea ride as another crash since that's most definitely what it actually is, and luckily it sounds decent... ... Which segues nicely into the good qualities: If these are in fact simply mislabeled brass cymbals, they are the most responsive and musical brass cymbals I've yet played. I suffered thru a number of Solar and SBR-type fiascos, and none of them projected for as long as these do or sounded as pleasant. So they're either brass lathed incredibly thin so they'll actually express, or they actually are some form of maybe B8 alloy or better. The crashes perform well! Perfectly good for practice and if you're a talented recording engineer, I suspect you could get usable results out of these for demos at the very least. They're also incredibly low priced in today's hyper-expensive cymbal market. That's probably the strongest point they have going. If you need cheap beaters and don't want to risk getting used stuff that'll likely crack and you don't know the true mileage of, these'll do ya. Just keep in mind you're really just buying a crash cymbal variety pack. P.S.: The inclusion of a cymbal bag is a nice touch. I'd like to say this is a good pack for beginners (its intended purpose), but you're probably better off spending a bit more and learning on hats and rides that actually respond like they're supposed to, so if you upgrade your gear, your playing isn't completely thrown off when you hear and feel what proper ones sound like. This is good for a working drummer who needs cheap practice gear, but I can't give them more than a 3 because of the false advertising. Verdict: They are identifiably cymbals, and they project very well for what's probably brass, but they're also just not what it says on the box. Caveat Emptor and all that. Three stars.

Been playing with the cymbals for three months now. The cymbals are awesome! They have great sound - excellent for beginners or intermediate players. They will never replace the sound of much more expensive sets that cost an arm and a leg, but you will never get a better set for the price! Am very happy with these.

As promised. Nice cymbals

Musicalement ridicule, SVP n'achetez pas ce produit. Même si le coût est tentant, ça ne vaut pas le coup. Elles sonnent comme de la tôle.

They sound like cheap cymbals lol. Kinda bright sound but little sustain. Great for practice kit. Me and my son are harsh on cymbals so it made since to try out some cheapest. Sound good enough for practice a d would carry good for a small venue live show. Not everyone can afford AA Ziljian so luckily we have companies like this to get us by with an OK sound