My Gen-16s, which I use for practice, play great. Just like normal cymbals, (but actually I can play a bit faster on the Gen-16's).

I've had no "hand issues" with them either.

As for the price, cymbal companies are in business to make a buck.......B-)

I have a full set of the Zildjian LV80 cymbals and they, along with the Remo Silent Stroke heads, were a life saver for me. I work crazy hours and it was hard for me to practice without feeling like I was effecting everyone around me although no one complained. Now I can practice pretty much whenever and my bandmates have noticed a difference in my playing also as I'm able to get more practice time in. I think the cymbals play and sound good for what they are. I have not had any issues with my hands hurting but I do not really play them for long periods at a time. When I bought them there were not really any other brands available that I can recall. I actually like how quickly the hats play. No air lock or resistance with all of those holes!

I agree they are a bit pricey.

Wes

I had a chance to trade a Stewart 5 piece blue onyx set for a pack of these cymbals...14" hi hats, 16" crash and 18" ride...I passed on the trade thinking these cymbals would be a hard resale in my area...

Cheers

I've never shopped for them, but I think I would go the route of an electronic kit before spending $200-$300 on low volume cymbals.

I've looked at used electronic kits and it seems that decent ones are $200-$400 in my area.

Something I've noticed with my low volume cymbals is the tips on my sticks wear away quickly. I do not play hard so I do not have an issue with breaking sticks but man the tips were just getting chewed up. Was driving me nuts. I play sticks with small tips to begin with so didn't have a lot of tip to lose before the stick was useless. I finally realized it was the low volume cymbals with all of the little sharp edges from the holes and switched to a nylon tip and the problem is now gone.

The "high" price is actually relative and remember this is a specialty item. Most of the new ride cymbals that I would purchase are hand-hammered Turkish made designs that list for around $500-$800. By comparison the Zildjian low volume practice cymbals are a bargain. They look, feel, and sound like real cymbals. The fact that they use B8 material is irrelevant since the quality of their sound is not the point. When used with a set of traditional acoustic drums mounted with low volume mesh heads they are an invaluable practice tool and therefore worth the price.

My son Dan who plays professionally (Milestones here), can practice on this set any time of day or night. He'll be the first to tell you that the 14-inch hats, 18 inch crash ride, and 20 in ride were worth every penny.