MEINL HCS China Cymbal 12 in.

I got this china but never really used it that often compared to my other, bigger china. It's honestly not a great cymbal at all. There's no projection at all, no matter how hard I hit it. It simply doesn't have any volume compared to any of my other cymbals, which is why I don't use it.

I got the 16" HCS China in a larger pack and was disappointed in the lack of projection and attack from it. Being that I'm generally a prolific user of effects cymbals, and since they're cheap anyhow, I decided to buy the 18" as an upgrade. Sadly, it suffers from the same deficiencies as its smaller sibling; no attack, no projection, and a flat sound. I own most of the HCS line, and while everything in the lineup is a compromise to achieve a price, this is the only one I would say was truly disappointing even taking that into consideration. Granted, it's still useful as a cheap option to beat up in practice (especially given how fragile China cymbals can be), but beyond being a tackle dummy for your sticks it just has no use. Would highly recommend stepping up to one of the Meinl Customs Classics lines for a China, even if they are double the price.

The 12'' china was bought for me as a Christmas gift and it is a fine addition to my drum set. Is it the best-sounding china cymbal? No. However, I do like the sound of it as it makes for a good accent with my other cymbals. But, for almost $40, it makes sense for how it sounds.

Good products and fast delivery

Now I'm gonna come clean and say this is one of the worst chinas I've ever used. I'm not sure if I don't like this cymbal because I'm used to my AAX Sabian china, but like the majority of the HCS Meinl series, the issue is attack and the dynamics. And when it comes down to chinas, it's very important that they have both of these key features. To me, it doesn't sound like a cymbal at all, and in my ears, sounds more like kitchen pan. There is very little attack, does not respond well to dynamics, and there is just an overall lack of response. It is not trashy at all, and unless if you hit it obsessively hard, the sound is very flat. It isn't durable either, and it dented only after the first use. I've had better luck using wuhan chinas, and I wouldn't normally buy anything outside the "main four" cymbal companies due to the lack of trust. Either way, there are positive reviews for this cymbal, so I guess someone likes these, but I wouldn't miss the cymbal if it was stolen. Probably wouldn't even report it. Otherwise, I'll say try to find something else if you can avoid it.

i recently bought the 16" and it was a little to bright but i see many comments saying it gets a better tone the more you use it.