Best Drum Practice Pad for 2023 [Our Reviews and Comparisons]
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If you are a drummer and looking for an easy way to practice, then all you need to own is a drum practice pad. A good drum practice pad offers comfort and flexibility that can take your drumming to the next level.
However, choosing the right practice pad is tricky and confusing, as there are a plethora of options available.
We have spent some time researching and testing different practice pads and have come up with five best drum practice pads available on the market today.
Table of Contents
Comparison Table
| Product | Features | Latest Price |
|---|---|---|
1. Evans Realfeel 2-Sided Practice Pad |
|
Buy on Amazon |
2. Remo RT-0008-00 8″ Gray Tunable Practice Pad |
|
Buy on Amazon |
3. The Drumeo P4 Practice Pad |
|
Buy on Amazon |
4. Vic Firth 12″ Double sided Practice Pad |
|
Buy on Amazon |
5. Offworld Percussion Invader V3 Practice Pad |
|
Buy on Amazon |
Our Best Drum Practice Pad for 2020 Reviews and Comparisons
1. Evans Realfeel 2-Sided Practice Pad
- PRACTICE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE - Evans RealFeel Drum Practice Pad provides the best practice substitute to acoustic drums, so you can practice rudiments, paradiddles or just drum along to that song on the radio – without disturbing anyone. Portable and quiet, it works on any surface including carpet, table, lap or inside a standard snare basket.
- TWO-SIDED DRUM PAD – The two-sided design of the practice drum pad gives you options for the type of practice you are doing. One side features a slightly textured natural gum rubber for realistic stick rebound. The other side features a harder, firmer recycled rubber with less rebound for a real practice workout.
- AVAILABLE IN 3 SIZES – A variety of RealFeel drum practice pads are available to suit individual practice requirements including a 6” practice pad, 7” apprentice practice pad and a 12” practice pad (not mountable).
- DRUM PADS FOR ALL DRUMMERS - From the beginner practicing in the back of mom’s car on the way to lessons to the professional practicing on the tour bus, RealFeel practice pads suit every player’s practice needs, no matter how demanding. The natural gum rubber side is finished with a dark gray fabric that resists wear and tear.
- MADE IN THE USA - For over 40 years, Evans has been a pioneer in drum head manufacturing and design. All RealFeel practice pads for drumming are proudly designed, engineered, and manufactured in the USA to the most stringent quality controls in the industry.
Product Highlights
Evans Realfeel 2-Sided Practice Pad is known to be the best substitute for acoustic drums. It is made up of natural gum rubber and has a dark gray fabric finish, which is quite long-lasting.
Features
This excellent practice pad is available in 6 (ideal for kids) and 12 inches (ideal for professional players). However, this 2-sided pad is made of hard rubber on one side, specially designed as a conditioning pad.
What We Like About Evans Realfeel 2-Sided Practice Pad
Evans Realfeel 2-Sided Practice Pad is exceptional as it makes playing rudiments and other techniques easy like a snare drum. Further, the top side is the quiet part of the pad while the bottom side produces louder sounds.
With a weight of around 3.5 pounds, which is quite less than any laptop, the Realfeel 2-Sided Practice Pad is quite portable. It can fit in any normal-sized backpack.
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What We Don’t Like About Evans Realfeel 2-Sided Practice Pad
On the downside, Evans Realfeel 2-Sided Practice Pad is built with unfinished and fiberboard type of wood, giving it a rough touch. Another drawback of this pad is that it is a bit more expensive compared to the other practice pads.
PROS
- Available in 6 and 12 inches
- Made of natural gum rubber
- Dark gray fabric
- Resistant to wear and tear.
- Portable and light weight
CONS
- Made of unfinished and rough wood
- Bit expensive
2. Remo RT-0008-00 8″ Gray Tunable Practice Pad
- Efficiently mount the rubber pad on a stand or tabletop no matter where you are
- Designed with the look, feel, and bounce of a real drum for the most accurate practice
- The perfect tool for beginner or advanced drummers to learn and maintain proper techniques
- Features a sleek black finish with high-impact gray plastic housing for a professional look
- Offers a muffled sound response with the ability to change the feel of the pad by tuning it
Product Highlights
Remo RT-0008-00 Gray Tunable Practice Pad is an ambassador coated drumhead suitable for both beginners and advanced level players. Further, it is available in three different sizes – 6”, 8” and 10”.
Features
Remo Gray Tunable Practice Pad comes with a replaceable drumhead which provides a good bounce. The pad can be mounted on the stand, unlike other pads, increasing its utility. This makes it apt for pre-show warmups, as it is in the exact position of the actual performance. Moreover, it is perfect for advanced level players as it helps to maintain their chops.
What We Like About Remo RT-0008-00 8″ Gray Tunable Practice Pad
The defining feature of the Remo RT-0008-00 is its tunable pad that not only gives the required bounce but also brings out the actual acoustic feel. This makes the practice quite easier with proper techniques and patterns.
Further, the bottom of the pad is coated with gum rubber providing it a good grip and preventing it from slipping or damaging the surface on which it is kept. Also, the Remo practice pad comes with a plastic rim appropriate for practicing rimshots.
What We Don’t Like About Remo RT-0008-00 8″ Gray Tunable Practice Pad
Remo Tunable practice pad is quite loud as compared to the other pads. Although it is not as loud as an acoustic drum set, the volume is high for a practice pad. Also, at times frequent tuning takes away the realistic feel of the drum and it is unable to replicate the sound of an actual snare drum.
PROS
- Replaceable drumhead
- Gum rubber bottom
- Tunable pad
- Durable
- Plastic rim
- Suitable for beginners and advanced players
CONS
- Too loud
- Gives slight unrealistic feel with frequent tuning
- Incapable of replicating actual snare drum sound
3. The Drumeo P4 Practice Pad
- Four unique playing surfaces on three levels.
- Simulates the feel of actually moving around the drums.
- Great for developing your speed, control, and creativity on the drums.
Product Highlights
The Drumeo P4 Practice Pad is designed like a four-piece drum set, which helps in getting four different sounds. It is considered to be the most versatile practice pad and allows the drummers to show variance while playing.
Features
With four different playing surfaces and three different levels, Drumeo P4 Practice Pad allows drummers to develop different stick and drumming techniques. It is considered great for developing speed, control, and creativity of the drums. Also, it allows practicing chops and rudiments in these four different playing surfaces.
What We Like About The Drumeo P4 Practice Pad
The Drumeo P4 Practice Pad’s most outstanding feature is its four different playing surface installed at different angles simulating the basic drum set. One gives the traditional snare like feel while the other surfaces simulate the feel of high tom, a floor tom, and a ride cymbal.
Moreover, you can position the four surfaces on three skill levels that will help to utilize rebound on different surfaces. Also, it enables simulation and develops consistency, accuracy, and power which transitions to the drum set.
Read Related Article: Best Drum Sticks
What We Don’t Like About The Drumeo P4 Practice Pad
Drumeo P4 is quite expensive as compared to other practice pads and it is definitely not recommended for amateurs. Further, the toms lack the real feel and sound, as it produces bland sounds.
PROS
- Four different playing surface
- Three different levels
- Develops speed, creativity and control
- Allows chops and rudiments practice
CONS
- Expensive
- Bland tom sounds
4. Vic Firth 12″ Double sided Practice Pad
- 2 surface types with realistic feel and response
- Work your wrists and keep your chops sharp
- Practice at low volume
- Portable for practice on-the-go
- Natural rubber on durable wooden base
Product Highlights
The Vic Firth 12” Double Sided Practice Pad is regarded as an outstanding Drum Practice Pad, which is quite useful for two different types of practices.
Features
Viv Firth is one pad that serves different purposes such as soft and hard practices. It is built with two types of rubber-soft rubber to practice in quiet surroundings and hard rubber to intensify your performance.
Viv Firth is made using a mounted rubber to give the feel of Kevlar used in the heads of modern marching snares.
Further, it is quite robust and can handle a lot of wear and tear, making it long-lasting and perfect for beginners as well.
What We Like About Vic Firth 12″ Double-sided Practice Pad
Viv Firth’s most likable feature is its dense wooden base, which can replicate the feel of a drum’s rim in an exact way. Another stand out feature of this pad is the double-sided surface which is made using a distinct type of rubber, bringing out the authentic feel of a traditional acoustic drum. While the soft rubber provides a similar feel of a traditional acoustic drum with a similar level of bounce, the hard rubber is for building endurance and dexterity with a technique.
What We Don’t Like About Vic Firth 12″ Double-sided Practice Pad
Viv Firth Double-sided practice pad is quite expensive; however, the quality of sound and the build does not match its price tag. It requires a larger surface area while playing, as it is made more like a traditional drum and it is too bouncy as well. Also, after a few days of the rough usage, the sides of the pad start to curl up.
PROS
- Dense Wooden Base
- Two different rubber surface
- Uses mounted rubber
- Builds endurance and dexterity
- Gives traditional acoustic drum feel
CONS
- Expensive
- Requires larger surface area
- Curling of sides of the pad
5.Offworld Percussion Invader V3 Practice Pad
- ARTICULATE PRACTICE PAD: At 13.75” inches and 5 pounds, the Invader Series of percussion pad provides a feel of actual snare surface area as much as possible. Easy to carry, this articulate practice pad provides you with a rehearsal analog that replicates the drum on which you perform. The pad fits comfortably inside a 14″ snare drum or perfectly on either side in a snare stand basket.
- SUPERIOR SURFACE: DarkMatter playing surface is an advanced polymer material that comes as close to replicating the feel of playing on a Kevlar style marching head as any that have come before.
- NON-SLIP BOTTOM SURFACE: The bottom surface also sports DarkMatter which displays an amazing non-slip reaction when placed on various surfaces. The bottom also doubles as a secondary playing surface when you don’t want the rim to get in your way.
- PATENTED RIM: Our patented rim is nearly unbreakable and designed to inflict far less damage to sticks than metal rim. The rim offers life-like snare practice and feel, offering true simulation of snare drum playing–the Invader V3 rims produce great shots at a volume and tone that allow for superior quality of sound.
- FIRST CHOICE FOR PLAYERS: Invaders are the largest and sturdiest of OffWorld Percussion’s products. Designed to be the perfect analog to a marching snare, they are the first choice of educators’ and players’ alike for perfecting a first-class snare drumming skill.
Product Highlights
Offworld Percussion Invader V3 Practice Pad is built uniquely with a special rim and a black pad. It is designed to imitate the feel of an actual drum.
Features
This pad has a large surface of 13.75’’ and weighs approximately 5 pounds. It can even fit inside a 14-inch snare drum and can be mounted on a snare stand while practicing. Also, the advanced polymer surface on its top and non-slip surface on the bottom makes it secure and durable while playing.
What We Like About Offworld Percussion Invader V3 Practice Pad
Amongst its best features, the dark surface of the pad is considered to be unique, as it is made of high-quality polymer to bring out highly intense sound. Its non-slipping base makes it fit for practice on all kinds of surfaces.
Further, the bottom surface of the pad is useful while practicing as the sounds are quite loud. Another stand out feature of this pad is its hard rim that is made of patented materials. So, it becomes easy for the pad to imitate the feel of a metal rim without damaging the drum sticks much.
What We Don’t Like About Offworld Percussion Invader V3 Practice Pad
Offworld Percussion Invader V3 Practice Pad is a loud pad, which creates an echo. It is quite loud, which makes it unsuitable for practice at home during late hours. Also, it is not apt for beginners as it is expensive and its superior quality built obstructs their learning process.
PROS
- Special rim and a black pad
- Advanced polymer top surface
- Non-slipping base
- Hard rim
- Superior quality
- Only for professional players
CONS
- Loud pad creating echo
- Not for beginners
- Expensive
Final Verdict
We would recommend Evans Realfeel 2-Sided Practice Pad as the best drum practice pad. It is suitable for both kids and professional players as it is available in two sizes (6 inches for kids and 12 inches for professionals).
Portable, durable, made of natural gum rubber with a dark gray finish, this practice pad would be the best choice for drummers. However, it is a bit pricey yet its exceptional features cover-up for its price tag.
However, you can also check out other drum practice pads from this list and choose the one that matches your requirements and budget.
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