Drum Accessories-The Good, The Bad, The Worthless

[bigbeat]

I am a sucker for small drum accessories under $100. Hope springs eternal that they will make me play better, sound better, or make my drumming life easier. Over many years I have purchased bass drum pedal beaters, beater weights, bass drum head patches, bass drum pedal mods, bass drum hoop rash guards, bass drum pillows, kick ports, damping tools like moon gels and rings, resonance enhancers like booty shakers and floor tom feet, stick wax, rim click enhancers like rim risers, various hi hat clutches, snare wires, tuning aids like the drum dial and tune bot, different snare throws, quick release cymbal toppers, lug locks, etc.
What accessories have DFO members bought? What do you recommend? What are worthless?

 

[Squirrel Man]

Sizzle chains don't do much for me but I have one with a little tambourine... clinker on it that does nice on the hats.

On that note I have a hat tambourine but it makes noise with any movement and sounds off at times. It's me I'm pretty sure.

 

[Tilter]

No switches flipped -
Slug beaters
Ahead sticks
Tweek polymer clip on drum key
Cam action snare wires
Old school rim mount felt dampeners

Dig and use -
Tama Iron Cobra beaters
Cympads (40/15)
Meinl Cymbal Bacon
Meinl Ching Rings
Tyler's Butt Wax

 

[Jhouse86]

I like Sonor's version of the clamp that replaces cymbal wingnuts.
Evans eq rings, or the rem-o's, I really like them both.
My drum dial gets a little attention from time to time.
Bass drum patches, low boy beaters, and big fat snare drum are about the only other gadget I've tried. While neither are useless or bad, they just didn't do it for me.

 

[Old Drummer]

Well, I have a Tune Bot that drives me nuts, but I admit that I'm now addicted to seeing the hertz when tuning.

Other than it, the only accessories I can think of are a roll of masking tape, some Kleenex, a rag of some kind, and a table of sorts to put my beer on. In the old days I needed 3-in-1 oil for my Speed King, but my current pedal doesn't squeak so I don't need the oil.

 

[Drdrumdude3009]

I use a Drum Dial on occasion.

Almost every other gimmick tends to go into a drawer, if it didn’t get destroyed by use (folding drum key, I’m talking to you!); I frankly can’t think of much.

I do like stick-on center dots on plain heads when I get a new kit. Now I can cut them myself.

 

[Houndog]

Those things you put on sticks to spin them work great for keeping sticks in your hands when they go numb due to carpel tunnel / tennis elbow issues .
I keep a pair close by ….

Dennis Chambers uses one in his left hand I believe. You can really relax your hands with those things on your sticks ….

I’m so much not a stick spinner that I can’t even spin with them either !!!

 

[robthetimekeeper]

Swiffer

 

[GiveMeYourSmallestSticks!]

Good thread topic, could help us all to separate the wheat from the chaff.

I've tried a bunch of things, the ones that have stuck around and get used often are:

-Vic Firth bass drum beaters, specifically the VicKick (with the wooden shaft) and the vintage bomber.
-M80 Snare weights.
-Grombals (rubber pieces that protect the cymbal hole from key holing, and make cymbal toppers of any kind unnecessary. They also make for very quick and easy swapping of cymbals).

 

[karlcrafton]

Excellent, worth the money products I use.
Sonall Percussion: CUSH Pads for cymbals and Hi Hat. I WOULD NOT ever stop using these (5+ years now).
Creative Percussion (4 years): Bass drum beaters, Slick Kick Impact Patch, Cymbal Nut Topper.
The beaters are fantastic pieces, any kind of type you'd actually hear a difference with. The heads swivel, and a couple models have a built in shock absorber, that you can actually feel a difference with. Great for long sets and rehearsals, and they record fantastically.
The Slick Kick Impact Patch is a teflon type material that has a terrific feel, and sound.
It's not clicky, has definition and an even balance of attack and full tone from the beater.
The Cymbal nuts replace a wing nut, they are solid and work extra smoothly. They go on and come off effortlessly, and they stay in place. They also have a small nylon hex head screw installed so if you want/need to secure the cymbal to the stand, you can.
I have mine set to just have a tiny bit of resistance when spinning on and off.

TNR TrueVibes (since 2013). I use these on snare stand, and the snare stand for my tom(s). They isolate the drum rim from the stand basket and the drum never chokes.
On the snare, there is noticeably less wire buzz from any tom that may be in that range to set them off.

INDe Drum Labs accessories have always been fantastic, and reasonably priced and actually work.
..............

A couple products I wish I didn't bother with:
British Drum Co. rack tom "spring" type clip on deals for tom placement in a snare stand.
It works OK I guess. They are solid and will stand up to use, but, it put the tom up way higher than I could use, and there are other issues that made it a waste of almost $40 bucks for nothing for me.

DW adjustable cowbell L-Arm. Now, it's great and well made, and for someone else, it would be a great item. For ME, the adjustment notches put the cowbell at more of an angle than is comfortable with where and how I use the bell. It was $40.

I have a Tama Tension Watch that DOES work, but I get just as good of results with my ears and feel as with it, so I haven't even used it in probably 20 years.

 

[Blue Zurich]

I've got a few to sell you!

 

[Ryukyu]

I really like my Rhythm Tech HiHat Tambourine.
Love the Tama Cymbal Mates.
The best accessory I have is my Yamaha Crosstown hardware.
Oh and my Rock-N-Roller cart! For me it's a lot about ease and speed of transport, set up and tear down.
Almost forgot my Kelly Shu too.

 

[Frank Godiva]

Where does this one fall?

 

[bigbeat]

Where does this one fall?

Doesn't everyone use these?

 

[mtarrani]

At the top of my list are quick release hi-hat clutches. At the bottom of the list are gizmos that substitute for the ability to control dynamics: sound rings, rods, weirdly designed sticks, etc.

 

[drumgadget]

Cympads, Grombals, Remo quick clutches, and most anything that INDe makes .......

And my latest indulgence: the CRS cymbal anti-resonance mount. Doesn't really fit the OP's criterion of "under $100", but solved a huge "moaning rack tom" problem for me ......

I like the little chains that come with replacement toilet tank flapper valves ...... just the right weight, and ....... they're free!

Mike

 

[mtarrani]

Doesn't everyone use these?

No, but do you recall giving me a set of magnetic brush protectors at the Alley in Sanford one evening about a decade ago? Those were pretty cool. I still have and use them for non-retractable brushes. They were invented by Regal Tip for the Clayton Cameron model brushes.

 

[bpaluzzi]

At the top of my list are quick release hi-hat clutches. At the bottom of the list are gizmos that substitute for the ability to control dynamics: sound rings, rods, weirdly designed sticks, etc.

You're using those devices wrong if you're using them to adjust dynamics. Those are all designed for timbre changes, not dynamic changes.

 

[mtarrani]

You're using those devices wrong if you're using them to adjust dynamics. Those are all designed for timbre changes, not dynamic changes.

I am not using them at all. Never needed them for timbre or dynamics ... that is supposed to be my job

 

[bigbeat]

No, but do you recall giving me a set of magnetic brush protectors at the Alley in Sanford one evening about a decade ago? Those were pretty cool. I still have and use them for non-retractable brushes. They were invented by Regal Tip for the Clayton Cameron model brushes.

Yes! I was buying gadgets back then, too!