I have quite a few cracked Paiste 602's that I've picked up at swapmeets etc., I've also heard from some drummers of the time who have cracked 602's, that there is nothing really wrong them , but that they were vulnerable to the hard hitting drumming of the time, & also fell easy prey to poor technique of striking the cymbal. They were considered great sounding cymbals, but just not as strong as Zildjians.

I have a old set of Ludwig Paiste 15" hi hats. I think these were the entry level cymbals. Not sure but remember reading something like that I think. Anyway my son cracked the top one some 15 years ago from the edge in maybe 1/2" then drilled a hole. Crack spread past the hole and guess he missed the true end of the crack. Fast forward years later I looked at them with a lupe and marked 2 points where the fractures ended. The one crack spread into 2. Drilled a hole at each and the metal melted slightly around the drilled holes. This seems to have sealed them a bit. That's now the bottom cymbal (sort of a thin set to start with) and I clearanced the crack a bit to eliminate any buzz from cracked edges touching. Been playing them several months and so far so good. I hope they last a while they do sound good. ;)

I've got 7 pre serial 602s--I'll check the stamps for cracks. (hope I don't find any).......marko