So much has been written about bass drum pedals. But the majority of reviews and opinions goes out to the legendary Iron Cobra series by Tama, the elitist 9000 series by DW or the maybe most popular pedal in the world, the Pearl Eliminator. At the same time, many people forget about the great pedals that the German drum manufacturer Sonor produces. For sure, everybody has heard about the "Giant Step" pedals, but due to my experiences, most Sonor pedals unfortunately are way less popular than the ones mentioned above. Unjustly!
I bought this pedal nearly 4,5 years ago and can say: I have experienced so much with it that I really dare to give a solid and profound opinion.
For a start, I have to say that I switched from chain drive to strap drive. I like it that way, but the difference is so small that it doesn't affect the report.
I've been using the pedal for 4,5 years, nearly everyday for at least half an hour up to 2 hours. The only thing to break was the spring, but that might be my own fault, as the angle has been set inconveniently in the beginning. All the other parts: in best condition. No cracks, no squeaking, nothing. I have never greased the bearings, the only care was to dust it by times. So, as an interim conclusion: the durability is nearly perfect! (5/5)
Adjusting possibilities: there are other pedals on the market that offer even more options, but for me as a hobby drummer, it's definitely enough. Spring tension, angle of the beater, beater height and so on. If you are not a studio drummer or someone who loves to puzzle over the perfect adjustment for the whole lifetime, then it is more than enough. (4/5)
Most importantly for me: the feeling. Of course, you can change the feeling by adjusting spring tension and so on. But out of my experience, every pedal has its unique feeling which bases on the interaction of the board (how wide is it? what's the "texture" and as a result, do you have a good grip or is it easy to slide? What's the weight of the board?), the bearings (smooth-running?), the beater (heavy or light-weight? head of the beater) and many more small things that engage with each other. I like this pedal a lot more than for example the IC by Tama. I never took to the boards of this pedal, but the Sonor SP673 has never betrayed me regarding the feeling. There may be pedals that run even smoother and have a beeter feeling, but for this amount of money, it's unmatched! (5/5)
Another nice feature is the Sonor-unique cage with which the pedal is mounted to the hoop of the bass drum. I really do not want to change this any more in my life. If you have to take the pedal off, it is so simple, as you just have to pull the bail on the pedal to the side and remove the pedal. This is truly awesome!
To sum up, in this price area, you barely get a better bass drum pedal! I am completely satisfied with this pedal and don't see any reason why I should swap pedals during the next years. I give it a 4-star rating, as there are definitely even better pedals on the market. Not in this price area, but if you buy a single pedal for 400?, I do expect it to be better than this pedal!
