Offworld Percussion Invader V3 Practice Pad

This is THE best pad on the market. No doubts about it. Yes, it is relatively spendy, but there are a lot of good qualities to it and very few/no negatives. CONS: Putting the relatively high cost aside, if you play concert snare, this is probably not the pad for you. It's got a much firmer feel to it than a concert snare, and frankly you should just shoot for a super bouncy pad if that's your thing. If so, I'd recommend something like this: Evans 2-Sided Practice Pad, 12 Inch My only other issue with it is minor; it is a tad loud. As you get firmer pads, they get louder. This is just short of drumming on a book or magazine, although it is better than a real drum. :p PROS: One; it's made entirely of this rubbery practice pad material and hard plastic. My first pad was two pads glued onto pressboard, and the pressboard started to peel and break. Invader 1, other 0. There is a rim that (so far) hasn't dented any of the sticks I've bought. (2-0) The bounce on this pad is perfect, much better than other pads. (3-0) It fits perfectly inside a normal marching snare, and has a semi-sticky bottom. I've played on my pad at an angle of 45 degrees above parallel on a banister to a staircase. It's not going anywhere. (4-0) Sticks glide and never stick. It comes with a bottle of liquid wax, which I recommend you use to prevent it drying out or starting to look bad. The wax also helps sticks glide if you're doing stick tricks that involve them sliding across the surface of the snare. (5-0) Aesthetically, it's designed well, is circular (as opposed to hex- or octagonal pads that don't quite fit in a snare), and is simple. The only marking on the whole pad is the medallion on the bottom, which I know a few people have removed because it irks them. Eh, do what you will. I like it. SUMMARY: This will be the last pad you ever buy if you play marching snare or tenor drums. The pad fits perfectly in a snare or in a 4 tom, so I take mine to rehearsals to keep warm in between reps. If you keep it maintained, it will last for quite a while. It can be out in the rain, it can be dropped occasionally. It looks cool, and it feels like a real snare. Pick it up!