5 Worst Drum Set Brands to Avoid at Any Cost!

So, you think you want to learn to play the drums? Maybe you aren’t sure how financially invested you want to be at this point.

You don’t think buying a name brand drum kit from brands like Mapex, ddrum, Pearl, or DW, is worth it yet.

So, you get this brilliant idea! You decide to browse online to find something way cheaper to try out and see if you’ll stick with drumming.

Let me stop you right there to save you from literally one of the worst financial decisions you could make.

Buying a terribly made drum set isn’t just a bad financial choice, it can actually kill your interest in learning to play the drums.

Nothing will sound right or feel right. Pieces are poorly assembled with weak, compromised materials, and they will break. Without a doubt.

These are the 5 drum set brands you should avoid at any cost! Here we go!

Vangoa

You know it’s bad when the company advertises their drum set with music played over a video of someone who is miming playing their brand of drums. A company proud of what they make demonstrates their drum kit by having a player demonstrate their product live.

Their kick drums use plastic hoops. The drum wrap finish has very noticeable seams. The hardware is flimsy. Vangoa wants $400 – $500 for one of their full-sized kits.

Vangoa is on this list mainly because I find their asking price for a cheaply constructed kit with throw away cymbals obscene. For about the same price or even if you stretch $100-$200 more, you could purchase a better quality kit from one of the larger brands.

Eastar

Eastar actually made me laugh because of how bad their drums sound and their marketing looks.

I don’t think they found anyone to actually play their drums so they resorted to extremely laughable, obviously photoshopped pictures to advertise.

It is clear based on their key marketing points of “sound loud” and “even vibration”, that this is not a company run by actual musicians. I don’t believe anyone in this company has ever touched a drum stick for that matter.

Eastar asks over $350 for their full size kit. Save your money.

LynxJam (Electric Kits)

Lynx Jam seems to be one of those companies that rears its head, then disappears to be rebranded as something else later.

These electric kits look like toys that are haphazardly thrown together using outdated parts. The module and pedals are especially bad.

Most of the time these don’t perform as advertised. The cymbal and pad triggers don’t work. The pedals also seem very prone to breakage.When you purchase an electric kit you want it to just work so you can enjoy your playtime.

According to numerous reviews, their customer support team is basically non-existent.

Do yourself a favor. Rather than spending $500 on this hunk of junk, spend a bit more and get an electric kit from a name brand who stands behind their product.

Gammon

Ever heard of Gammon? Me either. Here is yet another brand claiming to be for “beginner drummers” with shoddy craftsmanship.

Gammon kits are plagued by issues of hardware failure. The hi-hat clutch often falls apart. The tension rods don’t hold in place. The shells are poorly constructed. If you want to start learning to play the drums, you don’t want to spend time fixing your kit every time you play.

This is clearly a poorly crafted kit advertised to beginners that comes from the same factories that produce other poorly crafted kits.

Don’t waste your time or money on anything from Gammon.

Best Choice Products

The name, “Best Choice Products” should be considered false advertising here in itself.

This company cuts so many corners on their products they started making circles. Literally.

These kits from BCP are known to have rims with missing holes for tension rods. Shell warping is a common problem. The shell skin easily peels off due to cheap glue used in their wrapping.

I cannot find a redeemable quality about the ironically titled “Best Choice Products” drum kits.

Please do not waste your money buying one of these for yourself or for a loved one, ever.

Consider Buying a Used Drum Kit

Rather than wasting $300-$500 on a piece of garbage that will undoubtedly fall apart as soon as you remove it from the box, consider purchasing a used drum kit.

You’ll find that many drummers have multiple shells, cymbals, and even sometimes spare hardware lying around. More often than not, there is nothing wrong with any of it. It’s just stuff that has been accumulated over time.

You could get a used drum kit that originally cost a thousand dollars for a fraction of the original price. Expect some cosmetic wear here and there but, you’ll get better quality shells and sturdier well made hardware that won’t fall apart.

You might even be able to snag a few beautiful sounding cymbals for a great price. Look around and see what you find!

Spend a Little Bit More

These companies, like the ones listed above, lure potential customers in with the price tag. An uneducated buyer may think $300-$400 is a great deal for a full size kit with two rack toms, a floor tom, snare and cymbals.

That is exactly what these kinds of companies rely on to make their money!

If you’re already spending $400 on something that is questionable at best, why wouldn’t you spend just a bit more to get something that is known to be of quality?

If you want to avoid the hassles of buying a high-quality used kit, you can’t go wrong with a Pearl Roadshow kit, which is fantastic for beginners! They also make a smaller (and much cheaper) version, primarily for kids.

The big hitters of the drum world including ddrum, Mapex, Alesis, and Pearl, do make reasonably priced drum kits that will last. You’ll also get the benefit of established companies’ customer support team should a problem arise.

How to Spot a Non-Reputable Drum Company

This is easier than you think. One major tell of a non-reputable company is lack of artist endorsements or representation.

Drum manufacturers look for artists to play their products. So, often times an artist will partner with a manufacturer for a mutually beneficial endorsement.

Pictures and videos. These days if you cannot find someone on YouTube demonstrating one of these products or any videos of live play on the company’s website, do not buy.

Wrap Up

Getting started drumming is such an exciting thing! If you are a parent who is kind enough to purchase your child’s first kit, you want their experience to be positive. You want them to be able to enjoy playing for as long as they can!

The same goes for those who are personally interested in buying their first kit. Wasting your hard earned dollars is frustrating. You do not want to spend $400 on one of these kits just to have to buy something else later because it fell apart.

The first kit I purchased on my own was a ddrum brand kit for about $600. It lasted through thousands of hours of playtime and numerous gigs.

I sold it to someone who wanted to learn the drums afterward and bought myself something new. I was able to do that because it was a good quality kit!

Buy right the first time and get to playing!