Comparisons: Hardware/Stands

I've been creating some comparison spreadsheets off line for things I've been thinking about buying. It occurs to me I ought to share some results.

So I'm a cheap bastard. I also am not typically swayed by fancy designer labels. But I've been playing drums long enough now to know that, to some degree, you get what you pay for. That said...surely, I thought, there's got to be a balance between quality and economy. Good enough...as cheap as possible.

Spreadsheet #1: Hardware/Stands
Generally quality improves as you move up through the model numbers, with exceptions noted. PDP I think is a LITTLE more poorly made than the other companies, but they tend to be the cheapest by far. What this exercise taught me is that it is ok to buy PDP, but that I should be looking for the 800 or 900 and never buy their 700 series. Currently every piece of hardware I own was made by a different company, many of which I couldn't find info on. Like with PDP, the key seems to be where the item falls on that company's spectrum more so than the company itself. Also, some companies add features that I don't need on their upper level series. So generally what I'm looking for is the sturdiest possible product without unneccessary features. Where it tends to break down is on how well screws hold.

DW
2000 Entry-Level
3000 Standard-Medium Weight
5000 Medium Weight
6000 Retro Flush
7000 Lightweight Single Braced
8000 Ultra Heavy Duty
9000 Heavy Duty

PDP
700 Light weight
800 medium weight
900 heavy duty

Mapex
500
700
750A
950A

Pearl
Like with Ludwig (below) I am suspicious that the Pearl name drives up costs.
70W
100S flat single braced
900
1000
2000

Gibraltar
5600 Series
6600 Series
7700 Series
8600 Series Flat Base
9600 Series Heavy Duty
JZ Series Single Braced

Yamaha
Doesn't do a great job of describing their series online, though they seem to have a similiar 600 through 800 scale in the low and mid-range prices as the other companies.

Tama
Also did not like their web presence. Also tend to have the 600-800 kind of scale though.

Ludwig
I didn't even bother looking into them. Like with Pearl (above) I suspect they trade heavily on their name and that this drives up cost. I think the only reason to buy Ludwig hardware is if you wanted the name to match your Ludwig shells.

SUMMARY
I think brand matters less than model. Honestly, it's possible many brands are manufactured at the same place and different stickers get put on (I suspect this is likely for the lessor brands I've not listed here). Price and availability vary widely both at online retailers and in stores. Also, in stores it can be hard to determine model numbers on stands.

What I've learned is, generally speaking for my needs and cost tolerance...$29 is too cheap...and $100 is too expensive. What I'm looking for is a mid to heavy weight stand in the $50 to $80 range depending on style (prices range, high to low, usually in this order...high hats, snares, boom cymbal stand, straight cymbal stands).

Also, I used to think a boom stand was always better that a straight stand because of the increased options, but what I'm realizing is a boom has one more pivot point...which no matter the quality of the product, gives one more point of potential failure.

Good rule of thumb...get something with an 800 or 900 series (or 80/90 or 8000/9000). Stay away from 600 and 700 series in most brands. Exception might be DW...which has a 3000 and a 5000 series that MIGHT be ok (to be determined).

Best option, take a tour of your local shop to get an idea of features of the various brands/models...but buy online where you can compare prices and can see the model number clearly. Buy from a retailer that doesn't charge shipping, cause this stuff is heavy.