Drum Kit reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 288 Reddit reviews across 10 subreddits and 53 posts to rank the best Drum Kit brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/drums, r/edrums, r/CloneHero, r/Drumming, r/Rockband. Top-rated brands include Gretsch (4.6/5), Tama (4.5/5), Yamaha (4.7/5).
Stats
Reviews288
Subreddits10
Posts53
Brands25
Products88
288 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Gretsch
4.6
(49)
"I have a Catalina Maple and I’d buy it again given the opportunity."
"I'd take the Gretsch"
"They’re all good kits. Gretsch would be my pick"
"Always Gretsch"
"Im most comfortable playing gretsch"
"Gretsch Catalina….."
"My favorite is gretsch. Super durable and great sound."
"Gretsch"
"I’d go Gretsch."
"Gretsch all day"
#2
Tama
4.5
(44)
"Superstar for volume or the Catalina for just a great feel and solid durability."
"I went with the tama as the hardware and beautiful thin maple shells were just to good at that price."
"Tama. I have a 2005ish Starclassic birch, those drums are TANKS."
"Tama Star Classic hands down"
"TAMA."
"Tama!"
"Superstar Classic."
"Tama set."
"Those the only choices? Tama."
"One more vote for Tama."
#3
Yamaha
4.7
(39)
"Yamaha Stage Custom. Save the rest of your budget for cymbals and hardware."
"Stage Customs"
"Yamaha stage custom brother."
"Stage custom birch 6 piece"
"It's probably the best kit money can buy."
"I'd look for a used Yamaha TOUR custom.... very 'expressive' drums."
"I have the Yamaha stage custom so I'll say that 😂"
"The obvious answer is Yamaha stage custom."
"None of the above. Yamaha Stage Custom."
"None of these. Yamaha stage custom."
#4
Alesis
3.9
(46)
"I got an Alexis Command kit and the thing is a blast."
"I personally recommend the Alesis Nitro Mesh or Simmons Titan 50 as a starter."
"Get the Nitro Max. You will have a good kit for years."
"I have an alesis SURGE mesh SE and it’s much taller than their nitro mesh drum set."
"I ended up spending a little extra on the Alesis Nitro Max. Couldn’t be happier with my purchase."
"If your budget will stretch maybe an alesis nitro mesh or and older roland kit maybe a td9."
"It sounds good, plays pretty well, and comes with BFD software."
"It sounds good, plays pretty well, and comes with BFD software."
"When I started again, I had a rubber Alesis Nitro in a closet."
"My personal suggestion is a beginner electronic kit like Alesis."
#5
Roland
4.3
(31)
"TD-07DKVX - it worked great for CH/YARG."
"Roland TD-17 series is amazing and a good mid-point."
"Roland TD-07 DMK... looks like a solid choice."
"If you can handle $2k just take it a little bit further and go for a TD-27KV2."
"Digital Pads with Superior Drummer 3 will get you the best, so that's a TD27 or a TD50/50x module."
"Avoid them all and get the best Roland set, new or used, your budget allows."
"Roland kits are always my recommendation."
"Another vote for the Roland TD17KVX. It’s a kit that is great to play and has a 'real' hi hat."
"Id say Roland TD17kv or if you want him to love you forever and ever, the TD17kvx."
"It's pretty basic, but has surprisingly deep customization options."
#6
PDP
4.4
(26)
"I have that exact pdp cx kit, it sounds amazing, just overall a great kit"
"The PDP is the nicest one here."
"The PDP kit will sound the best for me."
"I’d go with the PDPs"
"That PDP Maple is absolutely gorgeous."
"PDP!"
"PDP 100%!!!"
"Pdp all day long."
"I like it very much."
"Imma go with the PDP."
#7
Pearl
4.4
(13)
"I'd happily recommend a Pearl Roadshow."
"I would look for a used Pearl Roadshow, Forum, or Export."
"Pearl do children's kits that are INSANELY good for a children's kit."
"The best combination of price and durability for the past 30 years has been the Pearl Export."
"Second hand Pearl Export or Yamaha Stage Custom. Both bombproof and sound great."
"I gigged with it for a couple years before upgrading to my Premier Genista."
"The best deal in drums is a used set of late 90s or 2000s Pearl Masters."
"There's currently an eight piece Pearl Decade Maple in very good condition."
"Any somewhat 'serious' player would want to upgrade the cymbals."
"Any somewhat 'serious' player would want to upgrade the cymbals."
#8
Simmons
3.8
(6)
"The Simmons Titan 50 is going to be better."
"I've decided on the Simmons Titan 50, mostly because the frame seems sturdier."
"Simmons titan 70 is good value for money."
"Id recommend the simmons titan 70."
"Look into the Simmons Titan 50."
"For cheaper kits, Simmons Titan 50 and Alexis Nitro Max are popular."
#9
Mapex
4.4
(5)
"I just got the Mapex Armory! If you haven't seen it, it should be on sale right now, and I'm loving it."
"Anything maple like a PDP concept or Mapex Mars will be a fantastic kit."
"Mapex Armory."
"Mapex Armory+Zildjain S or better."
"The Mapex Armory line seems pretty legit, too."
#10
Ludwig
4.7
(3)
"Something like Ludwig's Breakbeats, they're small and relatively cheap."
"Ludwig questlove"
"Here’s one."
#11
Donner
3.5
(4)
"I do also have the ded200 which is super solid and folds up."
"I bought him the Donner Electric Drum Kit for Kids off WalMart."
"Donner ded-20, got one for my son its pretty decent"
"The company "Donner" makes e drums, while very cheap, quality wise acceptable."
#12
Remo
4.3
(3)
"Using remo silent stroke drum heads which are mesh heads that reduce the volume of drumming."
"You could also look into buying "silent" drum heads to keep the volume down."
"I would recommend spending the extra money on remo silentstroke, or the equivalent."
#13
Sonor
4.0
(3)
"Sonor Safari kits are amazing. I have had one for years and it’s perfect."
"Just got one for great deal for my studio."
"If you’re on a budget, i’d go with the Sonor Force 3001."
#14
Catalina Maple
5.0
(2)
"Catalina maple."
"I adore it, but that Catalina Maple is fucking incredible."
#15
EFNote
4.5
(2)
"The EFNote and ATV sounds are **head and shoulders** better than the Roland sounds."
"The roland td17, yamaha dtx6, and efnote kits are all good options."
#16
Millenium
4.0
(2)
"It plays really nice! It looks and feels almost like a real drumkit."
"As a novice in the matter I just bought myself a Millenium 850 and it works great!"
#17
Lemon
3.5
(2)
"I’d suggest a lemon t950 (buy without the module) get an edrumin10 and run through a VST like superior drummer 3."
"The drums/cymbals are solid - the module sucks though."
#18
Meinl
5.0
(1)
"I have a Meinl snare timbal and was Super fun add to the kit."
#19
Acoustic Kit
5.0
(1)
"If possible, consider an acoustic kit."
#20
Pacific
5.0
(1)
"The only answer here is Pacific."
#21
Custom Drums
5.0
(1)
"Find an artisan and have them custom make drums to order."
#22
Strata
5.0
(1)
"The Strata Prime is ready just plug and play hooks up quickly through usb and easy to get on Ez drummer and Reaper no drivers to download its pretty flawless"
#23
Whitney Drums
4.0
(1)
"Check out Whitney Drums... the most portable kits you can get."
#24
Surge
4.0
(1)
"Get the Surge over the Nitro - much better rack and a 10" snare."
#25
Stagg
4.0
(1)
"I just picked up a used Stagg Drum Kit for a hundred bucks."
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