Best Drum Sets for Your Money & Brands [Top 5 Reviewed]

After two weeks of crowd sourcing opinions and hands on testing, we conclude that the Pearl Road Show 5 Piece Drum Set is one of the best drum set for the money in 2018. Owing to its durable construction and crisp high quality sound while having a modest price tag, it certainly deserves our top pick [Read More].

Are you an aspiring drummer?

Do you dream of becoming a superstar like Travis Barker or Ringgo Star, however your lacklustre drum set is hindering you from doing so?

If yes, then this might be the reason why you have come across this article. You see, we know how hard it is to find the drum set which provides quality sound that won’t break the bank. However, there are actually several bang for the buck drum sets available in the market.

Luckily, we are here to provide you with a list of the best drum set for your hard earned cash.We have highlighted the different factors you need to consider before buying a drum set and for your convenience, we will provide a list of good drum sets to get.

So without further ado, let’s start!

What To Consider Before Buying a Drum Set?

Just like buying any musical instrument, there are several factors and aspects that you need to look for in a drum set. In this part, we will highlight all the essential things that you need to check for the product before getting it.

1. Number of drums

A complete drum set should include one snare drum, a single tom, a floor tom, kick drum and the cymbals. Some drum sets also offer two toms to allow you to achieve those effortless and quintessential drum fills.

Moreover, the shell of the drums must be taken into consideration. You do not want a drum that breaks down easily after a couple of rolls and hard hits.

Look for drum sets that come with basswood and poplar wood for their drum shells.​

2. Number of hardware

Hardware refers to the accessories and connections needed for the drum kits. Basically, drum sets can be regarded to as complete drum set or shell pack only.

The former means that all the necessary drum kits are included: snare, toms and kick drum, along with these, you also get stands and pedals.

For shell packs, you only get the actual drums and holders without the inclusion of the pedal and stand. With this, you need to further shell out some cash to complete the entire set up.

Aside from the ones mentioned above, other hardware include drum thrones and sticks. So before considering to buy a specific drum set, you need to know whether it comes with all the necessary hardware.​

3.​ Cymbals

Without cymbals, your drumming will sound lifeless and will not have that extra dynamic feel every song needs. However, not all drum sets include all cymbals.

Most of the time, drum sets only include the basic package of hi hat and a single crash. There are also some drum sets that offer more by providing 2 crashes and a ride. If you fancy one with more cymbals then you should check whether it has a China or cowbell.

Aside from the number of cymbals, the quality of the cymbals should also be taken into consideration.

4.​ Size

Size is also one of the most important determining factors when buying drum sets. This is important because you do not want to work with a set that is hard to reach or one that is uncomfortable to play with.

Depending on the genre you are playing, the size of the drum sets will also differ. However, the common sizes of each drum sets are as follows:

Snare usually come with a size of 14 inches, toms have sizes ranging from 10 to 12 inches, the floor tom with a stand usually has a diameter of 14 inches and lastly a kick drum or bass usually have a diameter of 22 inches.

Depending on your personal preference, you can take these factors into consideration when choosing the drum set that best suits your needs, style, and budget.​

How Did We Assessed and Evaluated These Products?

We did an exhaustive search all over the internet regarding potential drum sets that will fit our requirements to become one of the best drum sets for the money.

We reached out to peer reviewers and friends who have had experiences with drum sets to crowd source opinions. We used these knowledge to come up with a good list.

We crowd sourced opinions through friends and peer reviewers who have had exp with drum sets.

As expected, there were several drum sets that fit the requirements and offer great value. There were a total of 25, and this caused us to have a very difficult time to make a definite list.

Despite this, we wanted to narrow down the list to help you decide and let you save time with needless research in the internet.

To narrow down the list, we focused on factors that we mentioned in our criteria list above. These are the number of drum sets, hardware, durability, sound quality and of course, price.

We employed the use of a scoring system using these factors and subjected all drum sets to our assessment while giving a score for each of the factors mentioned.

A higher score for a certain category means that it excelled in that area. We aggregated the scores and ranked them in order to know which ones stood above the rest.

After using the scoring system, we did hands on testing and crowd sourced opinions from reputable websites such as MusicRadar.com and Musiciansfriend.com. Doing this allowed us to have a more holistic view of each of the shortlisted products. -- To ensure that we did not miss out any important factors about the product such as poor brand choice.

As a result of this series of tests and research which lasted for 2 weeks, we were able to narrow down the list and come up with 5 of the best drum sets for your money for 2018.

We have highlighted the important features as well as our view of their pros and cons to help you decide.

Our Top Picks

The drum set is more suitable for beginners or entry level drummer, but those who are already experienced can still make use of this reliable drum set.

The set includes a 14 inch snare, 22 inch bass drum which comes with a durable pedal, a 16 inch floor tom and two toms sizing 12 inches and 13 inches.

In regard to the cymbals, the set includes the basic ones. There is a 12 inch hi hat along with a stand as well as a 14 inch crash that is built to last strong blows when you are getting into the feels.

As expected, you will also get a seat, drum sticks, drummer’s key and surprisingly a DVD that comes with a lesson for 60 minutes to get you started on your drummer goals. An assembly guide is also provided to help you set everything up.

The sides of each drum kit is made of stainless steel to provide good durability and reliability. The construction also does not interfere with the sound the drum set produces.

In terms of its disadvantages, when using the drum set, we immediately noticed the screws on the toms slowly coming loose. The movement is not that big but with this, you need to check on the attachments from time to time.

Also, we expected to receive a ride cymbal, but maybe that is too much to ask from an entry level drum set.

Ludwig has been one of the most popular names in terms of musical instruments. It has been so, probably due to the fact that Ringo Starr of the Beatles was a huge fan of the company and has openly addressed that he uses one of their top of the line drum sets.

The Ludwig Accent Drive 5 set comes with the basic necessities of a drum kit. The set includes a kick drum measuring 22 inches, which also comes with a pedal, two toms each measuring 10 and 12 inches and a snare that measures 14 inches.

As for the cymbals, it comes with a 13 inch hi hat and a 16 inch crash and ride. Built to last, the drum sets themselves are constructed from 9 ply 8 mm wood venners which include basswood.

Veneers, although affordable, still deliver in terms of durability. It has very reliable sound consistency. It delivers a well balanced sound with enough high and mid tones.

However, with a couple uses, we already saw several scratches and chips on the cymbals. With this, you need to be very careful not to hit them too hard.

If you are a drummer or basically someone who is into music, chances are, you probably have heard of the company, Pearl. If you notice most of the drums you see in big concerts are from Pearl, no wonder one of their entry level kits have landed on our list.

The full kit comprises of all the necessary equipment you need to start practicing. It has a 22 inch bass drum, two toms each measuring 10 and 12 inches. A 16 inch floor tom and a 14 inch snare.It comes with two cymbals, a 14 inch hi hat and a 16 inch crash. Other cymbals are not included in the package.

They are constructed from 9 mm poplar to give the drum set a satisfying and well balanced sound.

When testing out the product, we immediately fell in love with the crisp, well balanced sound it produces.

Our main gripe, however, is that it does not come with a ride cymbal nor a china. More so, the pedals screws got loose immediately after a couple uses.

Another worthy entry on our list is the Yamaha Gigmaker 5 piece drum set. When it comes to drum sets and high quality instruments, Yamaha does not need a long introduction. When you hear the company name, Yamaha, what automatically comes in our mind is quality.

Although this drum set is only a shell pack, meaning it does not come with cymbals, it still deserves to be mentioned in this list. We simply can not pass up on this drum set.

The shell pack is equipped with one 20 inch bass drum, with two toms each measuring 10 and 12 inches, it also has a 14 inch wooden snare. The drum kits are all built from basswood and poplar and also employ the use of triple flange steel hops to fortify each of the kit’s durability.

The coating or finish of this drum set is out of the ordinary, to say the least, despite its affordability. With this you get a highly durable drum set with only a couple bucks.

Moreover, the sound it produces is consistent, offering a good balance of low to mid notes.

As mentioned, unfortunately, it does not come with cymbals and hardware. However, you can easily get them in music stores and in Yamaha’s own website.​

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Unlike the two previous drum sets mentioned, Mapex is not that popular. However, the company has slowly made a name for them​selves by producing high quality drum sets since its establishment in 1990.​

The drum set also features all the necessary drum kits. It has a 22 inch kick drum with pedal, two mounted toms which measure 10 and 12 inches respectively, 14 inch floor tom and the traditional, 14 inch snare drum.

The drum kits are constructed from 100% birch wood that produces a strong but well balanced tone. It also reduces the amount of vibration from the drum kit’s skin.

The drum kits are wrapped with colored foils but presence of these wraps can pose some second thoughts on some drummers, however, others also debate that these foils can actually help reduce the amount of vibration the drums produce.

A huge drawback is that it does not come with hardware and cymbals since it is only a shell pack. However, you can always complete the set by purchasing online or in music stores.

Our Recommendations:

Editor's Pick: Pearl Road Show 5 Piece Drum Set

Among this list of equally competent drum sets, we chose the Pearl Road Show 5 piece Drum Set as our top pick for one of the best drum set for the money.

Coming from one of the most prominent company in regards to musical instruments and equipment, Pearl. There is no question why this product deserved the top spot.

What sets it apart from the other drum sets featured in this article is, it comes complete with all the necessary drums such as the snare, toms and kick drum.

Moreover it also has a reliable and durable hi hat and crash. Despite not having a ride or china, we think it is still a great pick.

What amazed us most about this product is its output. It delivers a crisp and well balanced tone that when you jam out with your friends, it blends well with the other instruments.

Runners Up: Yamaha Gigmaker 5 Piece Drum Set and Gammon Percussion Battle Series Drum Set

Coming in at second place is the equally competent Yamaha Gigmaker 5 Piece Drum Set. Again, coming from a very reputable brand, Yamaha, there is no question why this product deserved the second place.

Constructed from basswood and poplar, the Gigmaker delivers in providing a robust construction that is built to last for years. Moreover, this setup also allows for the production of crisp and consistent sounds that will delight drummers across the globe.

At third place is the Gammon Percussion Battle Series Drum Set, Tailor made for entry level drummers, it has all the essential drum kits and basic cymbals to get you going.

It also has durable skins and produce a sound that does not lag far behind superior brands. What sets it apart from the others is that it includes a DVD lesson to serve as a guide to aspiring drummers.