Meinl Cymbals HCS Hihat Cymbals 13 inch (Video) for Drum Set (33,02cm) – Pair – Traditional Finish Brass, Made In Germany (HCS13H)

I've been scouring the internet for reviews on these hats, mainly looking at comments on drumming forums. I lot of people rate this very highly, and I understand why since I have them now. There are plenty of choices of inexpensive hi-hats if your budget is on the anorexic side - Ziljian, Arbiter, Pearl, Sabian, etc. All these companies offer "starter hats" (= cheap and cheerful). On the forums, people are divided in their opinions on nearly all the budget hi-hats; the exception was the Meinl HCS hi-hat where people only argued over which of the Meinl HCS hats they preferred, 13" or 14". I went for the 13" hats purely because I wanted a slightly higher pitched sound. My background: * I'm a beginner * I take weekly lessons of 1½ hours, done 20 lessons up to now, so that's 30 hours * I practise a few hours a week, so that's another 50 hours (just an estimate) SOUND The 64 million dollar question - how do these sound? Okay, to make it fair, I've compared them to the hi-hats we use in class (Arbiter and Pearl). Theirs sound awful (except when the teacher plays them, then they're passable). Mine sound alright (when I play them), so they'd possibly sound great if my teacher played them. The attack is crisp, I'd say leaning slightly more to the cold side than the warm (which is what I wanted, hence I didn't buy the 14" ones). The decay is very short, which is perfect for what I wanted them for (I don't like sounds to linger too long, as that would 'colour' the entire soundscape). The hats have a very nice sizzle when open; in fact, it's a loud sizzle, so the contrast is nice. Obviously you can play the sizzle quieter, but it's nice to know the sizzle is loud when I need it. LOOK Well, they look like hi-hats. They have a nice Meinl logo on them - you even get a Meinl logo-ed plastic bag for them. Oh, and a large Meinl sticker! After whacking them for quite some time now, they still look the same colour as the day I got them. I'm using ProMark Shira Kashi Oak drumsticks, so these hats are getting a good belting on a regular basis. Only time will tell, but for now I'm convinced that these hats will last me several years (read 5+ years). COOLNESS FACTOR I've no idea, but I don't get the impression these are seen as the Skoda of the cymbal world. Probably more like a low budget Audi - reliable, built to last, and fairly unassuming. Put it this way, I'm not embarrassed by having Meinl's! Bear in mind that these are my first ever hi-hats. You should definitely see/hear them being played on Youtube. Perhaps I should upload a video myself...

Lovely sound for the price, a lot better than the ones I had. Would buy these again. Prompt delivery too.

Sweet.

Best part on my cheap drum kit now

Is shaved

For the price they were very good.

Great for the price!