Pearl Forum

The Pearl Forum is my least favorite entry level kit.  I have had many bad experiences with this model, and I regret to admit that at one time I had one of these in my house.  The sound is bad, the hardware is low quality, the shells don't look good, and wost of all, there are many better options out there. 

The pearl forum starts the Pearl drumset lines.  This is a shame because it can give a really bad impression of a very solid drum company.  First, the toms don't sound good.  I don't even know what kind of wood it is made from because their website didn't say.  The toms sounded pretty bad, and the snare was terrible.  The bass drum was the best part, but that might have been because it was muffled.  The hardware was very low quality.  I was playing a gig on a pearl forum one time in high school and the snare clamp totally fell of the drum.  The snare hardware literally fell apart, and i wasn't even striking it hard.  The lugs are few in number, making it difficult to tune the toms and especially the snare.  The look of it is pretty boring, with substandard coated shells.  Overall, this kit screams entry level.  of course, if you can get a good deal on a Forum than go for it, it isn't that bad.  It is acceptable for a practice kit, but not much else.  I would never take this to a gig.

Not much unlike the Pearl Export, the worst thing about this is the value when other comperable models are considered.  The Yamaha Rydeen is a much better choice for an entry level set.  Look at other reviews, and they will show this.