On Your Gear!
Sabian XSR Monarch Ride Cymbal
Overall Rating: 5/5
Unleash professional-grade sound with the 22-inch Sabian XSR Monarch Ride Cymbal. Elevate your tones today – add this precision-crafted cymbal to your set and experience exceptional musical expression!
Zildjian S Series Medium Ride Cymbal
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Discover unparalleled sound quality with the Zildjian S Series Medium Ride Cymbal. Jumpstart your cymbal journey or add to your collection– acquire this meticulously crafted cymbal today!
Paiste PST 7 Ride Cymbal
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
The PST 7 Ride caters to drummers seeking a professional-quality, medium-weight cymbal suitable for a range of musical genres. Grab yours and expand your tonal collection!
Here Are the Top 5 Choices
The 5 best rides at this budget are:
- Sabian XSR Monarch Ride Cymbal
- Zildjian S Series Medium Ride Cymbal
- Paiste PST 7 Ride Cymbal
- Saluda Mist X Crash/Ride
- Sabian B8X Ride Cymbal
These cymbals are great for either beginners or experienced drummers and for under $300, you really can’t beat it.
I’ve vetted these cymbals based on my own personal experience with either the specific ride cymbal and/or the product line specified/a similar line. They are all fairly versatile cymbals, able to help you with plenty of styles of drumming.
Ride Cymbals Are Costly
Ride cymbals are some of the most expensive cymbals you will pay for as a drummer. The best ride cymbal under 300 bucks exists, but let’s dive into a few of my personal top choices. Having a few different options should also give you some ideas about different sounds.
More Detail Required
I did want to dive into each specific cymbal and give a brief overview. This will give you some more insight into which one may be right for your style of playing.
Best Ride Cymbal Under 300 – Our Top 5
1. Sabian XSR Monarch Ride Cymbal
The Sabian XSR line is a perfect intermediate to advanced cymbal line. They feature the same B20 cast bronze as their more expensive brother lines, but with way more affordability.
This 22” cymbal has an extremely dry, focused and buttery sound. It comes in a medium-thin weight and features a vintage look and feel. You can also crash on this ride, which is a plus!
The bell is a little smaller on this ride, but it is able to powerfully punch through the mix for you. This ride can be used for a variety of different styles and I’ve even heard some drummers like it more than the high-end Sabian lines.
My experience has been with the previous Sabian XS20 line and I actually played those for several years. I always enjoyed the brightness and the fast response they offered and I know that Sabian improved on those qualities in this newer XSR line.
I have chosen this cymbal as our number 1 because there is so much uniqueness packaged into this ride. To me, it’s the most clearly defined cymbal of the rest of them and still reasonably priced. I’d say this is the best ride cymbal under 300 bucks and a lot of drummers online agree.
2. Zildjian S Series Medium Ride Cymbal
The Zildjian S Series is a versatile and clean cymbal line. They are made up of B12 bronze and also have many different weights available, so you’re covered.
The ride cymbal is articulate and has a nice, crisp bell on it. It features light hammering and a brilliant finish, so you can be proud that your cymbals will look phenomenal.
My experience with Zildjian’s B12 sheet bronze lines are with their previous ZHT and ZXT cymbals.
I always enjoyed the adaptability that they had in different styles of music. I’d say this ride has a better overall sound than the previous B12 Zildjian lines, as well as the other 2 rides we covered. At a little less than 300, it’s a good entry-level to intermediate cymbal.
3. Paiste PST 7 Ride Cymbal
The Paiste PST 7 line is a great cymbal line and also easy on the pocketbook. PST 7 is made up of the same bronze (CuSn8/2002 bronze) as it’s more expensive Paiste 2002 model.
This is essentially the same material as B8 bronze, and the same used in the Sabian B8X line (although it may vary due to cymbal companies having secret ‘recipes’).
This ride (and the entire line) features a traditional finish and is bright and clean with warmth added in there. Similar to the B8X line, PST 7 offers 3 different weight classes: Light/thin, medium, and heavy.
I don’t have direct experience with PST 7, but I’ve had a lot of experience with PST 5 and always loved the crispness of the cymbals. I’ve also played the 2002 line and enjoyed the warmth in those.
This ride has plenty of power and the bell has a nice ping to it. I’m personally not a fan of B8 or CuSn8 cymbals, but that’s my opinion.
They all sort of sound the same to me and I find more variety in B12 and B20 bronze alloy cymbals. This may not be the best ride cymbal under 300 in every drummers eyes, but you can’t deny the staying power of Paiste’s CuSn8 & 2002 bronze.
4. Saluda Mist X crash/ride
These are the first B20 bronze cymbals we’re covering. I’ve talked about Saluda before in my blog. These are quality, handcrafted professional cymbals and they’re available for around the same price as the other cymbals on this top 5 list.
I’d describe the Mist X ride as lively and very focused. It is extremely articulate and the bell can cut through like a knife.
I chose the crash/ride because that’s all I’ve ever used. The adaptability in being able to ride and crash is a must for me. Why not have the best of both worlds in one cymbal? At a fraction of most cymbals in its class, this cymbal is most definitely a steal!
You can get this ride in different weights, so you don’t have to worry about it sounding weird with your style of music. They are also polished to a mirror-like shine, but you can customize the look/sound how you’d like.
As a drummer, I’m starting to move away from the Mist X line because I’ve played it for so long. I’ve moved on to darker/dryer cymbals because my ears are changing. This is normal and you will find you start to like different sounds as the years progress.
5. Sabian B8X ride cymbal
The B8X line is Sabian’s entry-level cymbal line. They used to have a B8 and a B8 Pro line, but they discontinued those and this seems to be their sole entry-level cymbals.
This cymbal is bright, punchy, and cutting. It’s sound is described as focused and for a real good budget, this is also the cheapest of the 5 in this article. It’s composed of B8 bronze, which is what most entry-level cymbals are made of (92% copper and 8% tin).
I’ve had experience with their previous B8 cymbals and used those for several years until I upgraded. I played a lot of rock, punk, and funk music with them and they fit the bill.
I know that the B8X line replaced the B8 Pro line, so the B8X’s are actually better than the B8 line I used. They also feature a brilliant finish as well as some light hammering which adds some complexity and projection!
You can choose from a regular ride, heavy ride, and a crash/ride. These different weight classes allow a fairly large range of music styles.
This ride cuts through the mix fast and has a semi-decent pingy bell. I will say I’m not a fan of some of the twangy overtones this ride leaves.
Options Are Available Everywhere
This list of ride cymbals are my personal favorites for the price range, but I know that there are a ton of other choices.
You may find you like something else and that is completely alright! You’ll start to discover sounds that you like more as a drummer and that’s where the real growth happens.
My Recommended Ride Cymbal Under 300
As far as a best ride cymbal under 300 bucks goes, I highly recommend the Sabian XSR Monarch ride cymbal. It seems to offer the most versatility of all the rides and is even up to par with Sabian’s higher-end lines.