All I’m doing is posting photos here, okay?
I’m doing this because, well, someone has to.
I have owned most of these pads at one point or another. I have tried every single one, either in a music store, at a fellow drummer’s place, or at my house after procuring it myself.
And every single one of these pads was made in China. Nearly all were made of some kind of silicon rubber and a wood fiber (likely MDF) base. The most expensive retails for $75. The most affordable retails for around $25. None of them could possibly cost more than five bucks to make and most cost considerably less than that.
Before anyone decides to charge me with slander, you should know that the packaging for nearly every pad here reads, “Made In China.” Because in many places, the country of manufacture has to be indicated on the package or on the item itself.
Also, I’m not a drum industry spokesperson. I’m retired on a very small fixed income. So anyone that wants to come after me for what I’m offering here could do so, but going after a disabled lady on Social Security would be a horrible look. Just sayin’.
Take a good look at these pads. You may recognize some brands more than others. These are brands based in the USA, the UK, Germany and elsewhere. But they are all made using silicon rubber adhered to a base made of Medium Density Fiberboard.
Why am I posting this? Why do I go on about how these awful pads have taken over the industry?
Because there are better pads. Because the pads shown above are all too similar to each other and don't break any new ground in terms of design or real benefits to the drummer. And because young people need to learn about the consequences of cheap equipment on the environment and the economy:
— silicon rubber can emit off-gases that may be toxic, especially to medically sensitive individuals. It is not biodegradable and can exist in landfills for a very long time. Lower grades of silicon are especially prone to leaching chemicals into the soil, which can end up in the groundwater.
— MDF, or Medium Density Fiberboard, the base material most often found in these pads, uses formaldehyde in its manufacturing process, as a resin to bind the wood fibers together. It breaks down much faster than solid wood under impact; aggressive or abusive players (see: middle and high school drummers) can make short work of an MDF-based pad in less than a single marching season. It acts like a sponge and can degrade quickly when exposed to moisture.
— the carbon footprint involved in the transportation of component parts to factories, and of finished pads to the marketplace, doesn’t balance well against the relatively short lifespan of these pads — especially since nearly all of these practice pads are made by the literal millions in China and shipped around the world.
There are pad makers who are making more durable pads, one at a time and in small batches. Those pads are made with the specific needs of drummers in mind, and are designed for different kinds of playing (high-tension marching, rope drumming, concert and so on). I have used a number of these — I still do — and recommend them to students and pros alike. They cost more to make, so they retail for much higher prices. They are also professional-grade practice implements — really, practice instruments of a sort — and if treated accordingly they will last for years. Consider pads made by Rudimental Drummers, Drumslinger and Beetle Percussion — all built one at a time and made to last.
Obviously, students must be taught the importance of caring for sticks, pads and other percussion tools from the very beginning, to instill good habits before bad ones have a chance to take hold. But the truth is that student-level practice implements from fifty years ago were far more durable than what’s being made today. Students were hard on their gear in the 1960s and 70s, too. But many of those pads are still in use today and some have become highly collectible.
This Ludwig pad from the late 1960s was made from solid oak panels and a thick rubber disc. The pad has seen some hard use and shows a repair, maybe from having been dropped from a height; but after being repaired it’s holding steady. The rubber still has enough rebound to make the pad useful for daily practice.
Obviously,
such a pad made with these materials in the United States today would
cost far more money than it did in 1968. And because of evolutions in
drum technology and technique, pads like this have fallen out of use
because they don’t replicate the feel of today’s high-tension marching
drums. But for regular studio use, a pad like this has plenty of life
left in it. And it’s nearly sixty years old.
I strongly doubt that any of the silicon/MDF pads shown above will still be truly playable in fifty years.
And if you want to insist that these awful pads are the only way that a kid can afford to get into drumming, I'd go one step further and suggest that you can find a cheap USED pad and get that instead. There are SO MANY PADS in the world right now that there's literally no need to run out and buy a new one.
Hell, a Remo tuneable pad will be better than silicon-on-MDF. Remo pads can be tuned to feel more like a drum, the foam insert can be modified or changed to something firmer for a different feel and sound (a DIY project, but worth it) and the heads are replaceable. Remo practice pad heads made today will fit any Remo tuneable pad from the mid-1960s forward. I still have my Remo practice pad from 1973, now on its fourth head over fifty years later. It still works and it feels fine. And it will have a longer life than any of the pads shown above. You can find used Remo pads in good working condition for less than ten bucks. Replacement heads can be found or ordered through any drum retailer or purchased online. And for regular concert and jazz practice, they're fine.
If you or a young person you care about are tempted to buy a silicon/MDF pad, please put that plan on hold until you’ve had a chance to try something made closer to home and of more durable materials and construction. Even if you have to save up for the better pad, it will last far longer and provide a better practice experience — and it will be money well spent.
Happy drumming.
