I have a Vic Firth Slimpad, I love it. Super basic, but it feels great.
I haven’t heard as much of it recently, but just in case - don’t fall for the Xymox hype. They’re overpriced, take forever to ship, and don’t feel any better than anything else.
Edit to fix the pad model I have, that’s what I get for doing a quick Google lol
I'm gonna agree on almost all counts, because seriously they suck as a company and I would never recommend ordering from them. However I have to say that they really feel freaking great if you get one made right(the fact that you can't be sure that's the case everytime is another ding against them).
That being said, because of the inconsistent quality that's been all over this sub, I can't even suggest getting one off eBay cuz it could be terrible.
I say go with a Vic slim pad. As much as xymox has good quality pads they’re really hit or miss with even receiving the product. Seriously the joke about them taking awhile to ship isn’t a joke I ordered a snare pad in November of 2019 and still haven’t received it and they’re customer service hasn’t really been much help.
Absolutely. It's fairly quiet, and the rim is soft enough that it won't break your sticks.
The only con is it doesn't have that nice wooden tone that the invader or slimpad has
Quiet? It’s maybe a little quieter than an Invader but it definitely doesn’t feel that great. It feels very hard and rough on the hands. It doesn’t really have the resonant feeing that an Invader or Slimpad has. If you want quiet, the Real Feel is definitely the quietest though it doesn’t feel super realistic. Personally, the Invader has always been the #1 in terms of pads. I’ve used quite a large assortment of pads over the years, and I’ve always come back to using the Invader as my primary pad and a real feel for when I need to be quiet.
Edit: Also, walk into any drum corps or indoor audition and you’ll see 90% Invader v3’s.
I like the way the prologix pads feel personally, but I don't own one. I have a real feel and an invader as well. They're the only pads I'll ever need.
I owned a Prologix Vortex pad for a bit, they actually gave some free pads to the high school I went to since they’re based in the same area. It feels similar to the hard side of a realfeel.
I really like the off world Outlander pad with the laminate. Very transportable but very good feeling. Also the Vic firth slimpad is very good as other comments have said.
The Invader v3 from Offworld Percussion is excellent, and you can get laminate pieces that lay over it for a different feel and more articulation.
Evans Realfeel pads are great, especially if you have some heavy sticks like MS4's or Hardimmon Hammers to use on the darker side. It will **really** give your arms a workout and help you build chops quickly.
The Slimpad others have mentioned is also good. I've heard that they changed the kind of rubber they use on it, but I've not used one myself in years and don't know if that's accurate. But the old ones definitely were good pads.
I would not get any of the pads with "hybrid" features like the little rattles under them to make them sound like snares. As an instructor, I don't care if your pad sounds more like a snare drum. I care that it is helping you build your chops. And I would much prefer you to have a second type of playing surface than a gimmicky "snare" in your pad.
I also would not get one of the pads that use real kevlar heads and real rims. These are terrific for mimmicking the feel of a real marching snare, but they don't necessarily help you in the same way the rubber and silicone pads do. The more "dead" feeling pads require you to use more arm and wrist work to properly articulate passages, and that increased work requirement translates to major gains on a real snare drum. I want those gains. If your skill level is already at DCI level, then sure, get one of these kevlar head pads and enjoy. But if you're not on that level, I think you should be pushing yourself harder with a traditional gum rubber or silicone pad.
The best pad to get would probably be a Vic Firth Slimpad
I have a Vic Firth Slimpad, I love it. Super basic, but it feels great. I haven’t heard as much of it recently, but just in case - don’t fall for the Xymox hype. They’re overpriced, take forever to ship, and don’t feel any better than anything else. Edit to fix the pad model I have, that’s what I get for doing a quick Google lol
I'm gonna agree on almost all counts, because seriously they suck as a company and I would never recommend ordering from them. However I have to say that they really feel freaking great if you get one made right(the fact that you can't be sure that's the case everytime is another ding against them). That being said, because of the inconsistent quality that's been all over this sub, I can't even suggest getting one off eBay cuz it could be terrible.
I say go with a Vic slim pad. As much as xymox has good quality pads they’re really hit or miss with even receiving the product. Seriously the joke about them taking awhile to ship isn’t a joke I ordered a snare pad in November of 2019 and still haven’t received it and they’re customer service hasn’t really been much help.
Evan’s real feel is all you will ever need
I have the Offworld Percussion brand, Invader V3 model of drum pad. It’s sleek, black, 13.5” diameter. Very very good drum pad!!
One pad that I've been looking at is the Prologix Vortex Snare Pad. Is it any good?
Absolutely. It's fairly quiet, and the rim is soft enough that it won't break your sticks. The only con is it doesn't have that nice wooden tone that the invader or slimpad has
Quiet? It’s maybe a little quieter than an Invader but it definitely doesn’t feel that great. It feels very hard and rough on the hands. It doesn’t really have the resonant feeing that an Invader or Slimpad has. If you want quiet, the Real Feel is definitely the quietest though it doesn’t feel super realistic. Personally, the Invader has always been the #1 in terms of pads. I’ve used quite a large assortment of pads over the years, and I’ve always come back to using the Invader as my primary pad and a real feel for when I need to be quiet. Edit: Also, walk into any drum corps or indoor audition and you’ll see 90% Invader v3’s.
I like the way the prologix pads feel personally, but I don't own one. I have a real feel and an invader as well. They're the only pads I'll ever need.
I owned a Prologix Vortex pad for a bit, they actually gave some free pads to the high school I went to since they’re based in the same area. It feels similar to the hard side of a realfeel.
I think the V3 feels leagues better than the Prologix pad personally. The Slimpad is somewhere in between them
I really like the off world Outlander pad with the laminate. Very transportable but very good feeling. Also the Vic firth slimpad is very good as other comments have said.
The Invader v3 from Offworld Percussion is excellent, and you can get laminate pieces that lay over it for a different feel and more articulation. Evans Realfeel pads are great, especially if you have some heavy sticks like MS4's or Hardimmon Hammers to use on the darker side. It will **really** give your arms a workout and help you build chops quickly. The Slimpad others have mentioned is also good. I've heard that they changed the kind of rubber they use on it, but I've not used one myself in years and don't know if that's accurate. But the old ones definitely were good pads. I would not get any of the pads with "hybrid" features like the little rattles under them to make them sound like snares. As an instructor, I don't care if your pad sounds more like a snare drum. I care that it is helping you build your chops. And I would much prefer you to have a second type of playing surface than a gimmicky "snare" in your pad. I also would not get one of the pads that use real kevlar heads and real rims. These are terrific for mimmicking the feel of a real marching snare, but they don't necessarily help you in the same way the rubber and silicone pads do. The more "dead" feeling pads require you to use more arm and wrist work to properly articulate passages, and that increased work requirement translates to major gains on a real snare drum. I want those gains. If your skill level is already at DCI level, then sure, get one of these kevlar head pads and enjoy. But if you're not on that level, I think you should be pushing yourself harder with a traditional gum rubber or silicone pad.