Offworld Percussion Invader V3RED Practice Pad Red Rim (Single Pack) (One Pack)

Amazon review of the Offworld Invader 14” Practice Pad with RED rim I surprised our son and bought him this Offworld Percussion Invader Practice Pad! Our son participates in the Winter Guard International - Percussion. When he needed a practice pad I asked his directors which one they recommended. The Offworld Percussion Invader was one of two they recommended, and because we could get it so quickly through Amazon, I ordered immediately! Both our son and the director say what's different about this pad is that it has the feel of a real snare. The surface of this pad is amazing! It's so much larger than the other pads we've looked at, tried, and seen. And, it DOES have the feel of a real snare! Both in the pad feel, the rim effects, and he can turn it over to the non-slip surface for a rimless playing area. The V3 was created specifically by Offworld for drum and bugle corps, and other percussionists who want to maximizing their performance excellence, when not on the drums - in practice settings. It features a fully functional 360 rim element - which serves two purposes - rim-shot effects - which are the most authentic of any practice pad in it's class. Shots, pings, cross shots, effects, mock hi-hat options are all easily achieveable with this rim component. This rim also serves as a stick saving feature. But, if you don't want the rim, turn it over, this pads non-slip base was made to double as a high definition, rimless playing surface. The V3 is a new type of surface never used before - one that achieves the closest to Kevlar / Aramid-Mylar drum head feel and articulation of any drum pad currently available. This pad has been specially made to be industrial strength, abrasion and weather resistant, with a incredibly durable nylon composite matrix, designed for a lifetime of drumming. Fits perfectly onto any 14″ snare or snare stand hardware. The Offworld Invader V3 practice pad is the one of the toughest, largest, most heavy duty practice pads. Offworld has incorporated something they call "Darkmatter " - Offworld's own branded surface which surface closely resembles that of a modern marching snare drum. It provides an area on the pad to practice on a harder, more articulate surface. Sometimes drummers need to be able to really hit the pad and go to town, lose themselves practicing! I walk into the WGI team practice and that's what I see and hear! The kids can be found at any time while at rehearsals Friday afternoon - Sunday evening sitting just about anywhere practicing, or if they're standing, it can be on a table, counter, stage - anything the right height, and they're going to town on it - practicing! Sometimes seemingly completely lost in the experience. There are about 50 of them - it’s quite a sight to behold! (You can also put it on a stand, but if you want, and if it's less inclined to be moved, but it's easy enough to remove and take on the go!) Our son thinks the Offworld Percussion Invader is a great pad, he uses it all the time - so we're glad we got it, and we feel it was a great choice for our son! It's really pretty cool to walk into a rehearsal of a Winter Guard International team, and hear all of these kids practicing on their pads in the hallways in between rehearsals on their instruments - which is even more amazing! The Offworld Invader is a great choice, offering pad, rim, a pad that fits onto a 14" snare, and can use mutes for another effect! Check out the Alien Skin! If you want a great pad at a great price - the Offworld could be the pad of choice! Our son's WGI team made it to the World Finals in Dayton, OH this year, and it was freaking amazing! 24 teams made it to the World Open Finals, and another 30 teams made it into the World Finals. The Marines Drum and Bugle Corp played in exhibition ... and I have a feeling from talking to them, to recruit from the WGI - many of whom are high school seniors and college students. Anyway, it was not lost on me, in the big vendors tent that there were only two brands of practice pads being sold - Offworld and Xymox. (at least I only found two! The tent was very big!) I got our son’s pad with the red rim because I wanted to differentiate between his and all the others in the drumline. With 50 kids running around all Friday afternoon until Sunday evening together with their pads, it might be easy to get them mixed up IF they all looked alike. They wouldn't, because kids have different levels of wear and tear - they've had them longer, they’re different colors, and most of them rarely have them out of their hands for very long! ... But I still wanted his to have it’s own look, I really liked the black/red combo, and he LOVES it! In another review there was a comment about the bottom of the pad being sticky. It was made this way intentionally for 2 reasons: It’s non-slip surface. It's not sticky like tape, it's sticky like the cell phone holders you put on your dash - the ones that actually stay on the dash and don't slip ... but it's better - it's a drumming practice pad! LOL The non-slip surface also, it serves as a rimless playing surface - it was made by Offworld in this manner for those who also want the rimless experience! It's SO multidimensional! If you have a son or daughter who’s seriously into drums and has been playing for at least 3 - 5 years, and you think they’ll continue into college or might want to try something like Winter Guard International indoor drumline, or if you’re seriously into drums and are looking for a great practice pad that has the feel of a snare … Look no further! We very highly recommend this pad!

This product is amazing. The pad doesn't give too much rebound so it will be a long while before you get pad hand. It is extremely quiet so I don't need to worry about pissing off neighbors. The rim and pad itself are the closest I have ever found to playing a real snare drum. Practice rim shots all you want, the rim will never break before your sticks do. The bottom has rubber on it so it doesn't slip off your lap, counter top, table, etc. Fits perfectly in any snare drum stand as it is a standard size (14in). All my friends used this pad in high school drumline, and I still use this same pad ten years after graduating because it is still the best on the market.

This practice pad is fabulous! The size of it is so much more functional to use for practicing Marching Snare. It is quite heavy but the durability is awesome. The rim is well built! This pad is a little more noisy as compared to some of my other ones but is is definitely not bad. I have suggested this product to my other friends that play the drums as well!

Drumeo Pat Petrillo P4 Practice Pad vs Offworld Percussion Invader V3 Red I own both of these pads and love them both. I do not favor one over the other; each has small advantages and disadvantages. In order to help those buying new, I thought I’d share some of my findings about each of these excellent pads and post them on the reviews for each item. Sound: Your favorite video channel has many sound videos for each of these pads, so you can listen there with headphones and judge for yourself. I do notice that, a couple reviews for the Petrillo P4 pad state that the distinction between the red and black pads is not enough; I disagree, although the distinction on videos seems not as noticeable as in real life. I think all four pads on the Petrillo P4 pad are distinct, and I could tell with my eyes closed. Note: when I place the P4 on my snare stand, and the bottom is open as opposed to resting on a table, the distinction is ever greater. The Offworld V3 pad has a solid single sound, but oddly enough, I can hit the 2” nameplate Offworld badge on mine that has the branding and that has a distinct pop of its own. So, it can make two sounds. I have a friend that cut a piece of laminate, like you’d find on a countertop (aka Formica) and stuck it on half his Offworld pad and that gives it a very sharp and distinct sound, if that’s what you’re shooting for. The variety of sound on the Petrillo P4, though, is a plus for that model if variety is your goal or you typically play on a drum kit. I enjoy the variety and hand movement while practicing more than I thought I would; it adds to the sometimes mundane task of practice. I wondered if the middle pads, in particular, on the Petrillo P4 would be too small to hit consistently, or if I would miss and hit the edges, but this has not been an issue. Rim: The Petrillo P4 has no rim, the Offworld V3 has a full-sized rim. This alone makes the Offworld perhaps the better choice for marching drummers, and for players who do plenty of rimming, such as jazzy shuffle players. The Offworld rim seems to take a licking and not get dented; it’s some sort of hard plastic that truly seems solid. Weight: Honesty, to the feel, they weigh about the same. The Offworld is a touch heavier, but not enough to make one choose the Petrillo P4 over it for carrying. The Offworld can be carried short distances by it’s rim, though, like from room to room, which might be helpful in a crowded band room setting. The Petrillo P4 might better fit in a carrying case than the Offworld. Quietness: hands down, the Petrillo P4 has the quietest pad on the gray middle zone. I can play it on my apartment balcony in the summer without the neighbors calling the cops. The larger blue pad on the Petrillo is a touch quieter than the Offworld, the black middle pad is about the same volume as the entire Offworld surface, and the red top level of the Drumeo Petrillo P4 is sharper but again about as loud as the Offworld surface. Cost: the two pads are roughly the same cost, in the sixty dollar range as of early 2018. Note: currently, the Petrillo P4 pad is free if one signs up for a year pre-paid membership to Drumeo, so that is something to consider if video lessons are your goal. It’s on their website (and may change at any time; what I mention is applicable at the time of this review). Construction: I feel this is a tie. Note that they are both robust and look to stand up to the test of time (I will update if they do not). An Amazon comment from Drumeo on one of these reviews states that the P4 Petrillo model is made in New Jersey; I do not know where the Offword model is manufactured. The P4 ships in a cellophane shrink wrap, the Offworld in a plastic clear bag. Neither feels loose, slippery, sketchy, or cheap. They both feel robust and like you bought something that will last. The hardwood of the Petrillo pad can be seen on the black painted sides, and I like that even the risers for the tiers are stacked hardwood; they are not some cheap foamy riser. The Offworld shows no hardwood, just the hard matte plastic rim and the surfaces top and bottom. There are a couple reviews of each pad stating some glue runs or paint flaws, but mine at least, for both were completely flawless. Neither has even a hint of “homemade” character to them. Solid. Pad material: I included photos so you can see the surfaces after a few days of use, uncleaned. The Petrillo P4 shows stick marks, especially the black pad, but these clean off with Windex. The surfaces show no overall signs of wear or degradation, although they are generally (even the blue area) softer than the Offword surface. Time will tell if they slowly wear in striking locations, but that is the trade-off for a generally quieter, less strident-sounding pad. The Offworld pad has some sort of proprietary material that is stiff and strong, feels like it will not wear, but certainly catches anything in the air on its sticky surface. The company says to use Armour All car cleaner on the surface, and I have done this with great success. That said, it only takes a day of use for things floating through the air to catch on the surface (dust, hair, anything). If you’re a neat-nick that is bothered by that, the less sticky Petrillo might be better for you unless you plan to Armour All your Offworld every couple of days. Storing it in a bag might help, but I don’t do that. As to rebound, I find them both to be pretty authentic to my snare. The Offworld surface and the main Blue Petrillo P4 surface are pretty much indistinguishable for rebound; the other P4 pads vary on rebound (with the quietest gray level being the least rebound). I like the rebound character of both pads, but rebound is a personal thing and this may be the most difficult for me to help you with in a written review. Bottom: The original Ludwig (older) P4 Petrillo pad had a threaded cymbal stand mount on it; the current (newer) Drumeo version sold here does not. The bottom is a black, medium weight closed cell foam that works well to keep the pad in place on a flat surface. That said, I would not drum on the bottom foam as it looks not to be robust enough for long-term sticking. The Offworld pad also has no cymbal stand threads, and has the same sticky material on the entire bottom as it does on the top striking surface. So, the bottom can be used as a practice pad, and one without a rim if one does not want rim interference as they play (for instance on a high table). The downside is that the bottom, like the top, will pick up everything that you set this on (food crumbs, lint, dust, etc.). Size: The exact measurements you can read on the listings for each pad, but this is key: the Petrillo P4 pad fits inside the playing surface of the Offworld pad (see photo). There is about 1/8” all around the P4 pad (i.e. showing surface of the Offworld pad) when placed like this. In essence, though, one can think of the playing surfaces as roughly the same (P4 slightly smaller), and the thick plastic rim is what adds to the overall diameter of the Offworld pad. Playing on either pad is not a problem…I never feel as though one is too small or too large compared to the other. Some might say I want the rim and don’t mind a bigger overall profile, others might say if it’s only the rim adding the size, I’d rather have more portability. They both work well, but I just wanted to give a size comparison. I must mention that the Petrillo P4 placed inside (atop) the Offworld does not allow rimshots, the Offworld rim is too low. Note that the top tier of the P4 is slightly higher than the overall surface of the Offworld, but it’s not an issue when playing (and is an advantage for simulating the movement around a drum kit). I will say that the rim of the Offworld does get in the way when I’m playing on a high surface, like sitting on my barstools and playing on the bar; the solution is to either flip it over and use the bottom (which mades it 1.0” higher, though, the thickness of the upturned rim) or to place it on a lower surface or snare stand. Otherwise, I have to sort of reach over the rim to play, if that makes sense…where a rimless pad like Petrillo P4 does not have a rim to contend with. That said, rimshots are fun, so it’s a trade-off. Summary: I can try to answer any questions you have in the comments and hope this review helped you decide between these two premium and popular practice pads. Overall, I truly love both pads and feel glad to have paid a premium compared to the many thirty and forty dollar pads available. I use both regularly and enjoy them. I love the variety of the Drumeo Petrillo P4 pad (Pat Petrillo shows how to make best use of the tiers with even something as simple as paradiddles on this YT videos; check them out), and the rimshots and marching band similarity of the Offworld. You can’t go wrong with either pad. Thanks. Wayne :-))

Great product, great durability. Rim is superb. This is the best practice pad you are going to find on Amazon. The only better feeling pad is a Drumslinger but even then I would prefer this because it costs half as much and the feel difference isn't that worth it. Minimal difference between this and the actual snare drum so "Pad Fingers" won't be a problem. My only complaint is that the DarkMatter on the back side is pretty rough around the edges and the pad came that way. If you are a Marching Drummer, I would get this pad, people looking for a quiet pad or kit drummers might want to stick with the old RealFeel