Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am a professional composer, percussionist and father of a three year old, so I am probably more critical than most when it comes to educational musical instruments. My wife bought me the Paddle Drums 8 and 10 inch Set w/ 3 Balls over ten years ago, and they're still going strong. In fact, my set is so old that they didn't even come a birdie (shuttlecock used in badminton), just the foam balls. We lost the balls years ago, but it's pretty easy to find replacements here on Amazon, such as these Monkey Business Foam Replacement Balls.
A digression about the drum heads: they are made by Remo, one of the oldest and most respected drum head companies. They are pre-tuned, meaning they have distinct pitches, and they hold their pitches quite well. The heads are textured FiberSkyn? Heads, so it's actually possible to play them with drum brushes (you probably wouldn't, but I thought I should mention it). You can even play these heads with drumsticks, if you'd like. However, if you constantly play the heads with real drumsticks day after day, eventually the heads will "detune" and the pitches will lower slightly, as ours did. The pitches of ours are lowered by ca. a whole step, but they still sound good and are very playable. Replacement heads are probably available from the Remo company (just search Remo on the internet and give them a call). However, unless you take a knife to these heads, they should last a very long time. The supplied drum key is used from removing or replacing the drum heads, which are a cinch to replace. As for the exact pitches, since these detuned over ten years, I'm not sure what the original pitches were, but you could probably contact Remo to find out.
Back to the review... the description here is vague as to which balls this set will come with, but it will probably ship with at least three foam balls and two short mallets, it might also ship with a synthetic shuttlecock (the little feathered-looking projectile used in badminton). You can use other balls with the drums, including ping pong balls, and even squash balls, although they don't bounce much. Tennis balls are a little too heavy. The light foam balls are wonderful since they allow kids to use the paddles inside without breaking anything. The blue and white ball floats in water and has a harder consistency (and is louder when paddled), so it's better for using outdoors. The spongy yellow and red balls are porous and will absorb water, but they produce a soft, gentle sound and are better suited for indoor use. In theory, you can use these in a pool or even in the ocean, but they might get a little dirty. The heads will not be affected by water.
Finally, the age group this is most appropriate for is probably ca. age 5 on up, and adults with have fun using these as well.
All in all, I give these an enthusiastic five stars. I wish more toys were this inventive, fun and well-made.
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