8 Best Affordable Metal Snare Drums

Ludwig 14" x 8" Universal Brass Review

The Ludwig Universal Brass is essentially a more affordable alternative to the legendary Black Beauty, sharing a similar design and 1mm beaded brass shell. This particular model has an 8-inch depth, giving it plenty of body and a really powerful sound.

I really enjoyed playing this snare. There’s loads of power behind it, with a nice amount of warmth from the brass shell and a really solid attack when you start playing harder.

I think it has quite a similar character to a Black Beauty, particularly in the way it combines that full, rounded brass sound with plenty of bite. The extra depth gives it a lot of presence too, and I found the rimshots particularly satisfying.

The hardware is really nice as well. The strainer feels smooth to operate, and the die-cast hoops give the drum a solid, substantial feel. It’s one of those snares that feels really good to play, and I found it so easy to get a great sound out of it.

Despite the size, I think it’s a pretty versatile drum. There’s obviously more than enough power here for rock and metal, but it still has a nice musical quality to it rather than just sounding loud and aggressive.

I really liked this one. It’s got loads of body and a great attack, and I think it offers a lot of what makes a Black Beauty so enjoyable without the same price tag.

Tama S.L.P. Black Steel 14" x 8" Review

The Tama S.L.P. Black Steel is another deep 8-inch snare, but this time with a steel shell and a completely blacked-out finish. It’s also one of the most affordable drums in this comparison.

I’ve wanted to try this particular S.L.P. model for quite a while, so I was really looking forward to getting it set up and hearing what it could do.

The first thing I noticed about this drum was its aggression. There’s loads of volume and projection from the steel shell, and the rimshots sound huge. It’s also a really satisfying snare to lay into.

It’s got a very sharp attack, but there’s also plenty of body behind it. I really liked that combination, especially when playing heavier grooves where you want the snare to have a lot of presence. 

I also think the blacked-out hardware and finish look fantastic. It’s quite a simple design, but it suits the character of the drum really well.

What surprised me most was probably the price. Considering how much power this drum has, and how good it sounded during the comparison, I think it’s a really good option for the money.

I was really impressed with this snare. It’s loud, aggressive and has a huge rimshot sound, which makes it particularly enjoyable for rock, punk and metal.

DW 14" x 6.5" Design Series Workhorse Brass Review

The DW Design Series Workhorse is a fantastic snare that features a 1mm beaded nickel-over-brass shell, with 2.3mm steel hoops and DW’s MAG throw-off. It’s a great quality snare, with plenty of the hardware features you’d expect from a more expensive DW drum.

I’ve actually got this exact DW brass snare myself, although mine is the slightly shallower 5.5-inch version, and I love it.

I’ve always found these drums incredibly versatile. They’ve got a nice balance of warmth and attack, and I find them easy to tune and get an awesome sound out of. The brass shell has plenty of body, but there’s still a nice amount of musicality and definition too.

The 6.5-inch version has a little more depth than my own snare, and I really like the fuller sound it produced. There’s plenty of power behind the rimshots, but it doesn’t feel like a drum that’s suited only to heavy playing.

I also think the build quality is fantastic. The MAG throw-off feels really high-quality, and the 2.3mm hoops give the drum a nice solid feel without making it sound overly restricted.

This is one of those snares that I think would work well in pretty much any situation. It’s really versatile, easy to tune and has a great overall sound, which is exactly why I’ve enjoyed owning one myself.

Pearl 14" x 5.5" Primal Aluminium Review

The Pearl Primal Aluminium is part of Pearl’s newer Primal Snare Collective range. It features an aluminium shell with a brushed finish and 2.3mm triple-flanged hoops, and it’s the most affordable aluminium snare featured in this comparison.

I’ve always really liked aluminium snare drums, particularly because of their naturally tight and focused sound, and I thought this was a really nice example.

There’s a crispness to the attack that I really enjoy, especially when playing ghost notes. The snare response feels very articulate, and there’s a nice amount of definition without loads of unnecessary ringing.

But it absolutely opens up nicely when you start playing harder. The rimshots have a satisfying crack, and there’s enough volume and projection for the drum to work really well with heavier music.

I also like how controlled the overall sound is. Compared with some of the brass and steel snares here, there’s less of that ringing character, which makes it quite easy to get a focused sound.

The hardware is fairly straightforward, but everything feels solid, and I think the brushed aluminium finish looks really nice too.

For the money, I think this is a great snare, especially considerably it’s more affordable than some of the other aluminium options.

Gretsch 14" x 8" Black Hammered Steel Review

The Gretsch Black Hammered Steel features a 14″ x 8″ hammered steel shell with die-cast hoops- giving the drum a really solid feel and a slightly more focused response.

This was one of my absolute favourite snares from the entire comparison.

There’s loads of body and attack to the sound, and the rimshots on this thing are absolutely massive. I really enjoyed how powerful it felt to play, particularly when laying into it with heavier grooves.

The 8-inch shell gives it plenty of depth, but there’s also a really satisfying sharpness to the attack. It’s got that aggressive steel character, but there’s loads of fullness behind it too.

I’m also a big fan of the Die-cast hoops. They feel really substantial, and I think they help give the drum a nice amount of focus without making it sound overly controlled.

Visually, I think this is one of the nicest-looking snares here as well. The black hammered finish looks fantastic, and the whole drum has a really solid feel.

But probably the biggest endorsement I can give this snare is that I actually decided to buy it after recording this comparison.

I enjoyed playing it so much that I wanted one for myself, and I’ve since used this exact snare to record my band’s latest single.

It sounds phenomenal, and it’s a drum I will definitely be using a lot more in the future. For me, this was easily one of the standouts of the entire comparison.

Mapex Black Panther Metallion Brass 14" x 5.5" Review

The Mapex Black Panther Metallion was one that really impressed me and took me by surprise. This is one of the more expensive snares in the comparison, but I really enjoyed playing it.

It features a 1.2mm seamed brass shell with rolled SONIClear bearing edges. It also comes fitted with Sonic Saver hoops, staggered offset locking lugs and Mapex’s Black Panther snare strainer. The whole drum actually feels really high-quality.

There’s a lovely warmth to the brass shell, and although it has a lot of punch and body (especially for a shallower drum) I found the overall sound slightly more mellow and rounded than some of the other metal snares here.

I also found it extremely easy to tune. The rolled SONIClear bearing edges help the drumhead sit more naturally against the shell, and the drum had a really nice, even response when I was playing it.

The hardware is another thing that stood out. I really like the Sonic Saver hoops, and the strainer feels smooth and well made. Everything just has a really solid, premium feel to it.

And visually, I think this is one of the coolest-looking snares in the comparison. The staggered 1/8-inch offset locking lugs give it a really distinctive appearance.

Overall, I was really impressed with the Metallion. It’s got a beautiful brass sound, excellent hardware and a really polished feel. You can definitely see where the extra money has gone.

Sonor Kompressor Steel 14" x 5.75" Review

The Sonor Kompressor Steel is a 14″ x 5.5″ snare featuring a steel shell, 2.3mm Power Hoops and Sonor’s smooth snare strainer. It’s one of the more affordable metal snares in the comparison, but the hardware is particularly impressive.

I’ve actually got the aluminium version of the Kompressor, which I absolutely love, so I was really keen to try this steel model.

It has a slightly sharper and more aggressive character than my aluminium snare, with plenty of bite to the attack. I thought it cut through really nicely, particularly when playing harder grooves and rimshots.

There’s a good amount of body behind the sound too, although it doesn’t have quite the same fullness as some of the deeper 6.5-inch and 8-inch drums here.

The 2.3mm Power Hoops feel really solid, and I particularly enjoyed the rimshots on this drum. There’s a nice amount of crack and definition without the sound becoming overly harsh.

But I think the biggest thing that impressed me was the hardware quality. 

The strainer feels really smooth and well made, and the overall construction is just as good as my more expensive aluminium Kompressor. Considering the relatively affordable price, I think that’s particularly impressive.

I really liked this snare. It has a nice aggressive steel sound, but the build quality is what stood out most to me. It genuinely feels like a more expensive drum.

Tama S.L.P. Classic Dry Aluminium 14" x 5.5" Review

The Tama S.L.P. Classic Dry Aluminium features a seamless 1.2mm aluminium shell with Tama’s Mighty Hoops. It’s a very different sounding drum from the S.L.P. Black Steel I tested earlier, with a much drier and more controlled character.

There’s a nice tightness to the sound, with very little unnecessary ringing, and it has a really crisp and articulate response when playing ghost notes.

Compared with the Black Steel, which is all about volume and aggression, this drum feels much more controlled. It’s got a naturally dry sound, but there’s still enough attack available when you start playing harder.

When tuning it, it didn’t take much effort to get a sound I liked, and I thought it responded nicely across different dynamics.

The Mighty Hoops are a nice touch too. They give the drum a solid feel, but there’s still a nice openness to the sound rather than everything feeling overly restricted.

Compared with the Pearl Primal Aluminium, I think the Tama has a slightly more specialised sound. Both have that crisp aluminium character, but the Classic Dry is particularly controlled, whereas the Pearl offers a more straightforward aluminium sound at a lower price.

If you prefer a drier snare sound with plenty of definition, the Classic Dry Aluminium is a really nice option.