Kick drum beaters – weight comparison

Like nearly every other drummer out there, I have spent a fair amount of time fussing and fretting over my kick pedal, playing with the spring tension, beater angle, footboard angle – you name it, I’ve tweaked it. Each of us likes a particular feel from the pedal, and a lighter or heavier beater can quite drastically change that feel.

Updated 26 December 2018

Ok, but how to know which beaters are lighter or heavier, you ask. Good question. Some manufacturers do quote weights, especially for models that are specifically marketed as being very lightweight or heavy. However, based on the small collection of beaters I have accumulated (DW, Tama and Pearl), most of them have no weight info on their packaging or on the maker’s web site. So, I got out the kitchen digital scales and weighed them. Here are the results, from lightest to heaviest.

• Pearl DB100 Double beater
• Pearl B250QB Control Core Quad Beater
• Tama CB900PS Power Strike
• DW SM101 Air
• Tama PB90F Felt beater for Speed Cobra
• DW SM104W Black Sheep (Rich Redmond)
• DW SM101 – Stock 9000 beater
• DW SM110XL Beater

Pearl DB100 Double beater

Supplied stock with my Pearl Eliminator P-2050c pedal (the “Redline” version).

• Weight : 84g
• Beater material : Dual surfaces – Felt and Plastic

Pearl B250QB Control Core Quad Beater

• Weight 89g
• Beater material: Felt and plastic

This has 4 different playing surfaces plus a moveable counterweight. Pearl claims that the “Control Core” construction gives better shock absorption capabilities. Personally, I don’t notice any difference to the Pearl DB100 in that respect.

Tama CB900PS Power Strike

• Weight : 89g
• Beater material : Felt

Described as being for Tama’s Iron Cobra pedal, this beater can also be used with Speed Cobras.

DW SM101 Air

Very similar to the stock beater supplied with the DW 9000, but lighter weight. I currently use this with my DW 9000. However, this beater is only 8g lighter than the stock SM101 beater. Personally, I don’t feel much difference.

• Weight : 97g
• Beater material : Dual surfaces – Felt and Plastic

Tama PB90F Felt beater for Speed Cobra

• Weight : 101g
• Beater material : Felt

DW SM104W Black Sheep (Rich Redmond)

This is the Rich Redmond signature beater from DW, featuring a black stained wooden beater, moveable weight, and a removable black fleece beater cover.

• Weight : 103g (without fleece cover)
• Weight :108g (with fleece cover)
• Beater material : Wood

DW SM101 – Stock 9000 beater

This is the beater supplied with the DW 9000 pedal.

• Weight : 105g
• Beater material : Dual surfaces – Felt and Plastic

DW SM110XL Beater

• Weight : 122g (82g without the weights)
• Beater material : Dual surfaces – Felt and Wood

At more than three times the price of some of the other beaters shown here, this is perhaps DW’s flagship replacement beater. Large striking area, interchangeable felt and wooden strike surfaces, and removable weights (4 x 10g brass weights), the latter providing plenty of customization possibilites for those that need the ultimate in tweakability. For the average drummer, probably overkill!

Pedal feels slow? Try a lighter beater. Pedal lacks some punch? Try a heavier one.

Conclusions

With the lightest at 84g and the heaviest at 122g, there is quite a wide range of weights here, the heaviest (DW SM110XL) weighing 50% more than than the lightest (Pearl DB100).

The low weight of the Pearl was a bit of a surprise as it is a physically large beater head, so I was expecting it to weigh more. But looks can be, and clearly are in this case, deceiving.

In terms of flexibility, there’s much to be said for the DW SM110XL, thanks to its removable weights. Once all weights are removed, this would be the lightest beater in this comparison, albeit by a tiny 2g. Personally, I would prefer this pedal to have the option of a plastic pad, rather than wood, although many great drummers swear by wooden beaters.

It should also be mentioned that some of these pedals come with a movable weight, and that the position of this weight along the shaft (closer or further away from the beater) will have a significant effect on the perceived heaviness and power of the beater when in use.

Given that all the great drummers have their own preferences, yet still sound amazing, we probably shouldn’t get too hung up on this sort of thing. It was a fun exercise to do, and interesting to see the results, but at the end of the day it’s technique that counts – not the gear.