I own 6 of various sorts:

20 K lite,Paiste 20in Sig,Flat K 20in,18in Ed Thigpen Sig ,Flat K 18 in.and a flat 20in Bospherous.

Yes ,they are much quieter than those without a bell.

The great sounding 18 inch Ed Thigpen crystal can be had very cheaply(under a $100 bucks) if you look around.

I got a 20" 602 from the factory in 1976. Best flat out there and perfect for quieter jazz gigs..

Pianists luv these..

You have to have good hands though...as they show everything..

Probably the most expensive flat out there.

Pai$te for a reason.

So, they have good stick definition then?

Cheers

Very little wash, but some have a lot of "hiss" which can also cover up the stick attack. Rivets would further blur the clarity.

There are some heavier flat rides that have a strong, even loud ping sound. The Aveids model or any heavier falts form other companies.

If you use a lighter regular ride, you should also use a flat in that weight range or it will stick out.

Even a light 602 can sound very loud in a bright, reflective room.

SOme poeple with a sensitive ear also perceive the high frequencies as very loud. Stick choice makes a big difference, notably the size of the tip.

The SABIAN Ed Thigpen Crystal Flat Ride is great in any size!

The one I never should have sold! I've mentioned this one before & it sang like an angel. Nice sticking, gorgeous harmonics! Funny that I never really dug the 2002 flat rides though.

I sold one that I regret selling, a Bosphorus 19" flat ride, and I now use a 20" K con. Bosphorus had a most wonderful smokey sizzle, and a really cool crash sound. My K con isn't so much sizzle, but lots of smokey sounds, and it too crashes nicely. In low volume situations, these "crash" sounds are a great fit for the right room.

It's fun to hammer on these, as you play harder, they don't necessarily get a correspondingly louder sound from them, the energy just goes into more wobble...no bell to focus the energy into sound.

Another very pretty flat ride, perhaps paradoxically, is the Paiste 2002. It was recommended to me 30 years ago by a well-respected local jazz drummer, and I picked one up for practically nothing. Thin, sparkly, but with lots of nice dark undertones. And very quiet, nice for really light trio work. I used it on a trio demo tape years ago with the great pianist Jessica Williams, and she loved the sound. Unfortunately, I don't see any up on eBay right now.

The main drawback of flat rides is that they are sort of one-trick ponies. They can have a very sweet ride tone for keeping time, but hitting them any other way doesn't do much. I like to mix in crash strokes while riding, and that doesn't really work with a flat ride because they, well, they don't crash (this is most apparent when recording, although it can be ok live). And of course there is no bell to hit. So you have to really like it's "ping" sound, because that's pretty much all it can do. I use mine only in the very lightest of situations. Oh, and they are great for a practice kit or practice pad kit because the neighbors are unlikely to hear it :) In fact, that's where my 2002 flat is right now.