Sound:
The 18" crash/ride is the best cymbal in the bunch. I recorded a tune using mine, and it stood out nicely in the mix. I got used to the sound of the hats, and they are probably not for everyone, an aquired taste for sure. I was used to playing 14" ZBTs, and I thought the 13" Sabians had too much of a high overtone. I still like my ZBTs the best, but have been using the 13' Sabians a lot lately, and I must admit I really do like them now, but I almost sold them at one point. The 14" crash I think now is the weakest in the set, the reason it's a throw in. It doesn't have a big enough wash and sustain to use as a main crash. It's a little too high pitched, and just too big to be a spalsh. Not very useful. I still put it up as an extra crash though.
Quality:
It's Sabian, so it's not junk. It should hold up awhile.
Value:
I paid $150 for mine on sale. I guess that's fairly reasonable. Though if I had to do it over, I probably would get a 20" B8 ride and a 16" or 18" crash over this pack. I think Zildjian ZBTs are better than Sabian B8s in this price/level range though.
The Wow Factor:
They are nice looking cymbals. It's a good starter pack for beginner to intermediate, better that anything that comes with a kit, and perfect as a practice set for the advanced.
Overall:
I mainly bought it for the 18" crash/ride and 14" crash. The crash/ride was an upgrade from the Peavey that came with my kit. I had a nice sounding, but well used pair of 14' Zildjian ZBT hats already. I'm considering getting the 18" and 16" B8 crash cymbals, and a 10" or 12" splash; if and when I do, the 14" will likely go unused, maybe sold. I just play on my own home recording demos; I'm a guitarist/bassist/vocalist by trade who taught himself drums in the past four years, so I don't invest as much in drum equipment,since I don't use it for gigging like my other gear, so this pack is a decent bang for the buck. I use the 14" crash and the 13" hats mainly for practice. I have some "hand me dowm",very old, but high end Zildjian crashes that sound really nice on tape, but the cracks in them are getting worse,even after drilling them, so I mainly use the B8s for practice to preserve the Zildjians.
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