Overview of Snare Drum Stands from Mapex and Sonor
Mapex S350 snare stand
Lightweight construction, thin tubes - all this gives this rack as the youngest of the Mapex models.
The lock for changing the angle of inclination of the position of the snare drum is a simple lamb (bolt), although Sergey Navetny noted that if the thread breaks, then the lamb can simply be replaced due to its simplest design with any other "nut" of a suitable diameter.
It immediately catches your eye that the lamb for clamping the snare drum turned out to be plastic. From the experience of my friends, I can’t say that it will break right away, but the plastic does not inspire confidence.
The term "memory" will be used throughout this review.
This is the simplest clamp that allows you to "remember" the height of the position of the snare drum, set by you. This is very useful if you are constantly transporting stands to gigs, ie. stack them up. "Memory" will allow you to simply get the stand, unfold the legs, put the drum and play, the height of the setting is clearly held by the clamp.
This rack has no memory.
Legs - single with non-slip rubber feet.
This rack is supplied with Mapex Q and Mapex V PLASMA units.
Price in March 2006: 1856 rubles
Snare drum stand Sonor 200-series
This is the second rack in Sonor's lineup.
Clamp snare drum - steel lamb.
There is no memory.
The lock for changing the angle of inclination of the position of the snare drum is a simple lamb (bolt).
This rack is equipped with Sonor Force 1005, Sonor Force 2005 units.
Price in March 2006: RUB 1960
Mapex S550 snare stand
This is the next Mapex stand in their range.
It features a steel drum clamp thumb that inspires confidence that it will never break.
This model is no different from the S350.
Legs - double with non-slip rubber feet.
This rack is supplied with Mapex M and Mapex VX PLASMA units.
Price in March 2006: 2400 rubles
Mapex S750 snare stand
This model already has a "memory", which is very useful for touring drummers, but if your rack is constantly at the base / studio and no one except you uses it, then this function will not be particularly useful for you.
More massive clamps are immediately noticeable. The higher the hardware class, the heavier it is.
This rack is supplied with the Mapex SATURN and Mapex PRO M units.
Price in March 2006: 3040 rubles.
Mapex Forge XL-S30 Snare Stand
The Forge XL MAPEX brand is produced by a separate company, at a different plant, but specifically for MAPEX, so all racks have a double name. The quality is not worse, but the price is slightly lower.
The youngest model of this series could not be seen, so we start with the second representative.
The plastic lamb of the snare drum catches the eye. Again, no one has tested the durability of the plastic, so it's very difficult to judge the pros/cons of this part.
There is memory in this rack.
Legs - single with non-slip rubber feet.
Price in March 2006: 1600 rubles
Snare drum stand Sonor 400-series
This rack differs from the 200 series only in a more powerful and larger basket mount for the snare drum.
The tilt adjustment is threaded, but the number of possible tilt options is greater than with the 200th rack.
Also, this rack has thicker tubes compared to the Sonor 200-series rack. Sonor 400 Series Snare Drum Stand No memory.
This stand comes with Sonor Force 3005.
Price in March 2006: 2100 rubles.
Next, we will talk about the top racks Sonor and Mapex, as well as Mapex Forge XL.
Mapex S950 snare stand
In this model, there is a "memory" and a blocker appears at the bottom, whose function is only to ensure that when the height of the rack increases, the tube does not come out of the mount.
In this model, we see a very significant detail - the spherical fastening of the basket. With this important detail, you can turn the drum at any angle. If, when adjusting the angle of inclination on a simple thread, we get fixed angles, the number of which depends on the thread range, then here we can really fine-tune the position of the drum "for ourselves".
Legs - double with non-slip rubber feet.
This rack is supplied with Mapex ORION and Mapex Deep Forest units (no longer available due to a shortage of valuable wood).
Price in March 2006: 4032 rubles
Mapex Forge XL-S70 Snare Stand
This snare drum stand differs from the Mapex S950 only in price.
Memory is also present.
Legs - double legs with non-slip rubber feet.
Price: 2560 rub.
Snare drum stand Sonor 600-series
This is the top of the range Sonor snare drum stands.
This model already has memory.
The fastening of the basket for the drum is no longer threaded.
It is just two rubber pads, and the clamp is not a lamb, but a lever.
The tilt angle of the drum is easily changed, because the internal thread does not interfere.
These are no longer fixed angles that the thread provides us with, the snare drum can really be placed at any angle.
This stand also makes it easy to change snare drums on the fly.
If you are using multiple workers, then this option will be very useful for you.
This system works like this:
You raise the lever, the snare basket releases its clamp on the drum itself (the degree of "release" of the basket clamp is regulated by a screw that is located just below the release lever) - now the snare can be easily removed from the basket, and another one can be put in its place.
After that, you lower the lever - and the basket holds the drum tightly again.
An interesting feature of the 600 series stands is the ability to change the angle of one of the legs of the stand.
The variable angle of one of the legs allows you to change it from 30 to 180 degrees.
This feature will be very useful when using a large number of racks at the same time, because. with a large number of "legs" on the floor, you need to look for a place where to put the next one.
This rack is equipped with Sonor Delite, Sonor S Class PRO, Sonor Designer.
Price in March 2006: 4400 rubles.
Results:
Budget racks
This category includes racks Mapex S350, Sonor 200-series, Mapex Forge XL-S30.
Compared to the Mapex S350 snare stand, which is about the same price point, the Sonor 200-series snare stand wins only because of the steel snare clamp, which on the Mapex S350 is made of plastic, as is the snare stand. Mapex Forge XL-S30 snare drum.
Author's Choice: Sonor 200-Series Snare Stand
Racks of medium functionality
This category includes racks Mapex S550, Mapex S750, Sonor 400-series.
These racks are not particularly different from each other.
Author's choice: Mapex S550 or Sonor 400-series.
Top racks (by functionality)
This category includes racks Mapex Forge XL-S70, Sonor 600-series, Mapex S950.
The Sonor 600-series excels in this category with its snare quick-change lever.
The Mapex S950 surprises with a ball-mounted snare basket that allows you to quickly adjust the snare drum angle in any direction.
Mapex Forge XL-S70 is a lightweight copy of Mapex S950, but with the same functionality, BUT much cheaper than Mapex S950.
Author's choice: Mapex S950 or Mapex Forge XL-S70.
The choice is due to the ball mount of the snare drum basket, which allows you to adjust any angle of the drum.
These are really professional stands that take into account all the requirements of artists who are willing to pay for, at first glance, insignificant amenities, but this is what pro-drummers differ in - comfort in everything is important to them.
The best model in terms of price\quality\functionality ratio
The author's choice fell on the Mapex Forge XL-S70 snare drum stand.
In terms of price / quality / functionality, it is she who wins.
For a reasonable price, we get the top model Mapex with a ball-mounted basket for the snare, but under the Forge XL brand, which, as mentioned above, is produced by a separate company, at a different factory, but specifically for MAPEX, so all racks have a double name.
Article author: Sergey Kolmakov (www.drumnet.ru)