[COLOR="DarkRed"]Agreed...if ever in doubt...old A's are so ubiquitous...and providing you don't end up with one as heavy as a boat anchor...they will always do a good job and really, for the $, are a great deal.
drumdad...if your BEATERS are old 505's ???...hehehehehe...that's NOT too shabby !
big daddy...I sorta disagree with you on those Dreams...everyone initially went ga-ga on em when they came out...but methinks folks have cooled a bit. They sorta sound vintage-ish-turkish-ish, on one level...but after listening and playing 'em for a bit, a lotta cats 'round these parts came to the same conclusion I did : they are a mile wide and a quarter inch deep. Regardless of the more "western" spec used in their design, they are still, all in all, chinese cymbals made from asian alloys by chinese cymbalmakers. True, you could buy 2 Dreams for the price of one Istanbul or Masterwork...but....
I mean, you could say that they cost about the same and are certainly better than the big 3 + UFIP's lower line cymbals...can't argue that. But that is where I'd stop.
Beatnik...a lotta good points. And yes, you can get sniped on eFlay....for the BIG names. But consider it an "opportunity as opposed to a setback"...
If you like doing some investigation, there are TONS of great cymbals out there which are not of the BIG 3-1/2. Meinl makes some nice ones, very nice. Soundcasters, Amuns, Byzances, Candelas. Then all of those UFIP stencil brands from the '60's-70's. Those go for a steal...but you gotta bone up on 'em. Sabian AA's...the ones with the ink logos worn off...those are GREAT nabs, too because if folks don't see the model name on Sabians, they stay away (but all you need do is look at the hammering/lathing to determine what it is). Paiste's less-popular lines...they can be a very good take. 505's, 404's, 802's, etc. Not top pro/master cymbals, but good sounding ones for the $$. Just saw today, a 21" Alpha Groove Ride go for $90 incl. shipping (cost of a new ZBT or Sabian B8 18" retail shop). I ran across one a few weeks ago locally...that is a SWEET SWEET B8 ride cymbal...perfectly balanced (not something one would necessarily assume from the Alpha line).
I am digressing bigtime....but the point is, for the reasons a lotta folks have mentioned above...used cymbals give so much greater a value than what most mfr's are offering new these days.[/COLOR]