Zildjian A New Beat HiHat 13"

I purchased a pair of 13” Zildjian A series New Beat Hi-Hats in the March of 2008. I was looking for a good “back-up” pair of hi-hats since I had two kits and it made sense to have two pairs so I could have both kits playable at the same time. Since I knew that I was getting a pair for my jazz kit, I decided 13” hats would be more suitable than the 14”. The first thing that struck me about these cymbals was how great the “chick” was. Even when I was playing softly I still got a great “chick” sound on every 2nd and 4th beat. The next thing I noticed was how great of a stick sound they got. The rebound of the hats gave me the ability to play very fast, and the clarity of the notes produced was incredible. Fortunate for me, the hats I got were a floor model and they were marked down an extra $50 bucks, but I think if they were brand new I still would have made the same purchase. I got a lot more than a “back-up” pair. After using these just for jazz, I tried them out on my rock kit and brought them to a few gigs. I wasn’t planning for them to work so well, I figured that since they were only 13” that I wasn’t going to be able to get all the power I needed out of them but boy was I wrong. These hats ended up replacing my other pair which were 14” and about twice the price. Another great thing about these hi-hats and the Zildjian A series in general is the non-gloss finish; they don’t have the brilliant finish like a lot of the custom cymbals. The finish makes me feel like I need to play harder to get the sound out and it feels like a protective coating (and they get that glare in your face). Overall one of the smartest purchases I have made all year for my drums. I would definitely give them two thumbs up!