Thomann Wind Gong 80

This was a great investment for me. I had put off buying one for years because I only play musical theatre, and most shows don't require a gong, and those that do often only require one smack haha, so it's hard for me to justify the expense of a Paiste or similar for maybe two hits a year. But at this price... This sounded good in the audio samples on this website so I took the plunge, and was delighted when it arrived that it sounded EXACTLY as i'd expected. Rumbles nicely at low volumes, and swells VERY pleasingly as you put more energy into it. And for big single fff hits it's a really very nice sound. Not quite as loud as the far more expensive instruments I've played, but unless you're playing with an 80 piece orchestra it'll be fine I think. The included beater certainly works, but you may well want a more upmarket one (or two)..