Video summary

My Favorite Electronic Drums Out RIGHT NOW

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Summary of the Reviewed Electronic Drum Picks (Key Points)

Justin ranks his favorite electronic drum sets across a wide price range, emphasizing:

  • Module quality
  • Pad/hat behavior
  • Triggering
  • Editing features
  • Overall “works-for-me” usability

He repeatedly advises:

  • Choose a budget you’re comfortable with
  • Compare both new and used options

Unique Products Mentioned + Key Claims

1) Simmons Titan 50 (≈ $380) — beginner/value

  • Replaces his prior “go-to beginner option”: Alesis Nitro mesh
  • Reason for switching: the Simmons module “tips it in favor”
  • Expansion available: can add a 4th Tom and an additional Crash/Crashing symbol (as described)
  • Con/weakness (in later comparisons): not “best” at trigger quality or sounds (relative weakness vs others)

Net: Solid low-cost entry, but not best-in-class on module sound/triggering.

2) Roland TD-07 (TD07 TMK/DMK) (≈ $700–$800) — better module & pads

  • Compared directly to the Titan 50 / Nitro-class look
  • Major difference: better drum module (more editing features) and pad quality
  • Justin’s trust: Roland for pad/module feel over Simmons

Net: Best pick among the ~$700 kits due to module + feel.

3) At the ~$1000 level (3 options):

Justin lists three kits at about the same price, saying your choice depends on priorities.

a) Simmons SC 1250

  • Largest kit/package at this price tier (most components)
  • Best for players whose priority is a “big drum set”
  • Con: trigger quality / sounds not the best

b) Roland TD-17 KV (temporary deal at ~$1000)

  • Often discounted because it’s being replaced by newer models
  • “Temporary option” while inventory lasts
  • Best module among the ~$1000 trio: decent sounds + accurate triggering
  • Downside: lacks a 3-zone ride (contrasted with some competitors)

c) KAT Percussion KT 300 (≈ $1000)

  • Smaller kit than Simmons, but still includes 2 crashes and a 3-zone ride
  • Module: described as middle of the pack
  • Overall weakness: no particular standout strength (“average at everything”)

Cross-comparison conclusion (at ~$1000):

  • Pick Simmons for the biggest kit
  • Pick Roland TD-17 if you care most about module quality/editing/sounds + triggering
  • Pick KAT if you want a 3-zone ride and a more balanced-but-average experience

4) Roland TD-17 KVX (≈ $1500) — strong recommendation

  • He calls it a highly recommended buy at this price
  • Also being replaced by TD-17 KVX2, which is why it drops in price
  • Claim: if you care mostly about the module, software updates can make older/newer versions effectively identical (“module identical” after update)

Personal ownership story:

  • Bought a used TD-17 for about $1000
  • Later found a hi-hat malfunction
  • Sold parts individually and “made all my money back and more” despite the hi-hat issue

Net: Great value for module + playability, with awareness of potential hardware issues in used units.

Value Tiers Under ~$3000 (The “Sweet Spot”)

5) Alesis Strike Pro SE (≈ under $3000, described as a “value sweet spot”)

  • Polarizing product: some call it a beacon/savior, others call it hot garbage
  • Justin’s stance: middle-of-the-road—can be amazing value if purchased for the right purpose

What you get:

  • Lots of drums/cymbals
  • Surprisingly good built-in sounds

Common complaints:

  • People don’t like the hi-hats
  • Sometimes dislike the ride
  • Store anecdote: store sold VH10s or VH11s to Strike Pro SE/related owners who wanted better hats
  • Justin personally doesn’t “see a big problem” with the hi-hats when set up correctly
  • Potential historic issue: earlier Strike Pro versions had snare trigger plate cracking problems
    • He doesn’t know how prevalent it is on newer versions, but says there’s less chatter

Best intended use (his view):

  • Great for a large home practice kit
  • Not the best for venues doing heavy long-term use

Net: Strong home-practice value; hi-hat/ride complaints exist and some users swap in better aftermarket hi-hats.

6) Yamaha DTX8K Mesh (≈ $2800)

  • Positioned as the best Yamaha ecosystem entry within this family (DTX6 / DTX8 / DTX10)
  • Reason to choose DTX8: “enough flagship features” without paying flagship price
  • He thinks it’s overpriced vs sales performance, suggesting it may be selling slowly
  • Overall: still a good drum set worth looking into, especially if on sale

Net: Good Yamaha pick if you want flagship-ish features at a lower price tier.

7) Fnote 3X (under $3000) — solid, not flashy

  • Newer company: “came out of nowhere” (background described as ATV/X employees)

Package:

  • Nice drums
  • Nice cymbals
  • A simple module that just works

Major strengths at this price:

  • Best hi-hats he claims you can get at this range: 14” two-piece optical hi-hats
  • 18” 3-zone ride that “feels fantastic”
  • Dedicated extra rim zone so rim/cross-stick is easier without extra mode button complexity
  • Good drum tracking

Weakness:

  • Module is fairly limited
  • For hard rock-level use, he suggests using drum plugins for sounds

Net: Very intuitive + best-in-class hats/ride at the price; module flexibility is the tradeoff.

Mid-High Tier (~$3500–$3800)

8) Roland TD-27 KV2 (≈ $3500)

  • Described as “fantastic”
  • Upgrade focus: digital hi-hats (VH14D) as primary improvement
  • Claim: VH11 → VH14D is a “massive upgrade”
  • TD-27 module is very advanced with many editing options

Net: Top-tier Roland experience focused on high-end hi-hats + deep editing.

9) Fnote 5X (≈ $3800) — aesthetic/feel alternative

  • Not necessarily “better than” TD-27 KV2; framed as an aesthetic/feel alternative
  • Highlights:
    • Great tracking
    • Great symbols
    • Module is simpler / lower-key than Roland TD-27 module
    • “Shell sizes kept down” due to price
    • If you want full acoustic sizes: Fnote 7X (≈ $5200) mentioned

Fnote 7X note:

  • Larger shells
  • Includes a “cool ozone-looking crash”

Sound realism note:

  • He’d still use Superior Drummer 3 because sounds aren’t at the level of top references like Pearl Mimic / TD50X

Net positioning: Fun, works, acoustic-like experience.

Net: Strong acoustic-like feel + aesthetic appeal; less “bleeding edge,” relying more on external sound solutions.

Highest Tier Mentioned

10) Roland VD-507 (≈ $3000+, “peaks near the value limit”)

  • Says it reaches the top-of-its-class Roland “best in 90% of categories” value
  • Mentions spending an extra $3600 to reach the very top line (VD-706)
  • If money is unlimited: points to Roland VD-706
  • Claim: the biggest upgrade from VD-507 to V8 706 is likely the TD-50X module
  • He finds VD-507 incredibly fun to play, but not fun enough personally to justify that spend

Net: Outstanding “best Roland” value within the family, leaning toward module upgrade as the true step-up beyond it.

Overall Pros / Cons Themes

Pros (Recurring)

  • Better modules improve:
    • Trigger accuracy
    • Sound quality
    • Editing features
  • Some models emphasize best-in-class hi-hats, especially Fnote 3X and Roland TD-27 KV2
  • Fnote focuses on intuitive modules and realistic play feel
  • Value wins: multiple products positioned as “sweet spots” for bang-for-buck

Cons (Recurring)

  • Every ~$1000–$1500 tier has tradeoffs:
    • Missing 3-zone ride (Roland TD-17 KV)
    • Trigger/sound compromises (Simmons SC 1250)
    • Average at everything with unclear strengths (KAT KT 300)
  • Some user groups report hi-hat complaints (Alesis Strike Pro SE)
  • Potential hardware faults in used units
  • Higher-end value depends heavily on the module; otherwise you may pay for cosmetics/feel more than capability

Numeric / Pricing Points Included

  • Lowest: $380 — Simmons Titan 50
  • Next: $700–$800 — Roland TD-07
  • Trio: ~$1000 — Simmons SC 1250 / KAT KT 300 / Roland TD-17 KV
  • Temporary discounted: ~$1000 for TD-17 KV (due to replacement)
  • Next tier: $1500 — Roland TD-17 KVX (replaced by KVX2)
  • Sweet spot: under $3000
    • Alesis Strike Pro SE (price in that range; no exact number)
    • Yamaha DTX8K Mesh: $2800
    • Fnote 3X (under $3000; no exact number stated)
  • Mid-high:
    • Roland TD-27 KV2: $3500
    • Fnote 5X: $3800
    • Fnote 7X: $5200
  • Peak-value:
    • Roland VD-507 (value at/near limit)
    • Top-up spend described as +$3600 to reach VD-706

Main Verdict / Recommendation (Based on the Video’s Guidance)

  • Best overall value direction: Justin’s picks consistently favor Roland modules + triggering (TD series) when you care about editing/sound/accuracy, and Fnote when you want excellent hi-hats + intuitive “just works” experience at lower-mid pricing.
  • If you want the “best module + realism upgrades,” his high-end standout is Roland TD-27 KV2 (~$3500).
  • If you want a home practice mega-kit under ~$3000 and can tolerate polarizing hat/ride opinions, go with Alesis Strike Pro SE.
  • If you want simple, solid, and best hats/ride, Fnote 3X is his best-in-class-at-price pick.

Speakers / Viewpoints

  • Justin (single speaker): provides the full ranking, comparisons, anecdotes, and “value vs tradeoffs” framework.
  • No other reviewer perspectives are presented as separate speakers.

Original video