does anyone know why practice pads are so darn expensive. i mean seriously 30 bucks for the cheapest 12 inch pad is more than i make in 5 weeks.
thanks

Well, practice pads aren't exactly the biggest industry around. Also, the cost for materials must be pretty high. I'm presuming gum rubber is expensive.

They aren't exactly a necessity. If you don't make much money, don't buy one.

I really can't see the reasoning behind that statement. What other ways are there (besides practicing on an actual drum, which is often not possible for many people) to improve your drumming technique? Maybe you should rephrase that comment as "If you don't want to ever get good at playing drums, don't buy one."

Practice pads are worth it if you plan to improve your percussion skills. Even if you are lucky enough to own your own drum, chances are you do not get much opportunity to play it, due to potential conflict with neighbors, family, etc.

Back on topic.... Well, as Dave correctly pointed out, practice pads aren't a very in-demand product, so to compensate, the manufacturers and retailers must raise the prices. The rest probably comes from the gum rubber used to make most pads, which, I assume, is the most expensive component (in most cases.) If you want to do a little detective work, you could look up prices for bulk gum rubber sheets. Maybe even do a little DIY and put your own pad together with some help from your local hardware store, which would likely have all the necessary components in stock (I believe there are some on this forum that have done this.)

You have a pretty bad job if it takes you more then 5 weeks to make $30. Just thought I would put that out there.

But I mean, it's not really that bad, those pads will also last you really long. It's a very worth it investment.

It's a solid investment if you love music, and love to play drums at a higher level. As 9Volt correctly pointed out, you only get so many times to use a real drum. I myself own a Pearl 14x12, and I use my baby 3 to 4 times a year. My pads however, are daily hackers. You don't need to own an arsenal, just one solid dependable pad that will last you year to year, on the bus and off it, and arena to arena.

Another thing you could use at home would be the ScoJo Practice Sticks. They're pretty good for playing around in your house or wherever you are as long as you have a surface to play on

Yo, Try Ebay. They have some cheaper priced Practice Pads on there.

Take a mouse pad (1-2) and glue it onto a piece of wood.

You can get a Remo Putty Pad if money is an issue. They're like $6 and you can play it anywhere. And some practice Scojo's wouldn't hurt either. Just trowing some ideas out there

That is the best pad I ever had. In fact it is still the only one I ever really use. I didn't even glue mine down. It is even more portable as just a mouse pad. And you can get a dozen at Staples for $1.75

As everyone here has said, you need a practice pad if you want to get better and be the best you can be. Now, if you want another idea, real feel hq pads are great and run about $20. The one i got brand new for that price had two sides a gum and hard, work-out side so it kind of is like 2 in 1 for $10 each side. Either way, the time spent on a practice pad won't annoy anybody too much, will build your chops like no other, and honestly is probably one of the things that doesn't get old day after day. if it does, well your on your own there. That's not to say it should be the only thing you do, but a daily drum workout is a good thing.

A really good pad is well worth the money!
cliche: take the invader
It may be $60-80, but it's insanely durable and feels just like a drum
It's not just a pad, in the long run, a good pad is an INVESTMENT!

The pad you get also depends on the type of player you are. If you're not a hardcore snare player, a pad like the Invader may not be necessary for you.

For instance, I'm a tenor player. Now I've got a tenor pad, but I really wanted something I could put in my backpack and take with me. I've tried out several pads, including the Invader, but I went to Guitar Center last weekend and bought a rather generic Vater two-sided practice pad for $30, and I love it.

Finding the pad you like is almost a matter of trial and error. It's like you're trying out different mattresses until you find that one with the sweet spot - the one you'll just fit right into. Get what I'm saying? Make sure you find the right one. You will be spending a lot of time with your practice pad, believe me.

Whaaaaa? Genius!

Can anybody give me a good DIY for a tenor practice pad? I really don't want to spend $100+ on a Heavy Hitter.
I see the mouse pad idea but I think it would slightly more complicated for Tenors and I'm looking for the most realistic thing I can get a hold of for my Spirit tryouts.

for a cheapest DIY tenor practice pad in my country, we used an old rubber slipper and a plywood. 1st, we cut a plywood than we shaped it follow our likeness shape. then we cut the rubber slipper and we stick it at the plywood by using super glue.

my wife actually used to work for a company called zymox percussion. it is the company that was the original supplier of vic firths tenor pads, they also maked the vega tenor pads and the dynasty tenor pads. if you go online and spend ten minutes on google you can find hundreds of places that sell just gum rubber sheets you could get enough to make your tenor pad for about 20 dollars. then all you would have to do is trace the rims of a set of tenors or just do half circles if you wanted to save rubber and you can either glue it to a couple peices of wood or for potability leave them loose and just lay them out on a table.

did glue will make the mouse pad become hard? i mean i can get the bounce from it