Over my many years of drumming, I realized that getting a high-quality hi hat stand is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Your hi hats are your most used cymbals in your setup and having a solid base for them to be played from can make a huge difference in how comfortable it feels.
Nothing is worse than playing drums with a flimsy hi hat stand that doesn’t quite keep your cymbals secure. So, here are my top picks for hi hat stands. All of them are worthy choices if you’re looking for an upgrade.
5 Best Hi Hat Stands (Both Sturdy & Light Models)
There are three drum companies that are incredibly well-known for making high-quality drums as well as hardware. DW is the first one that we’re going to talk about. This 5000 Series stand is a heavy stand with only two legs, catering to anyone who wants to play a double pedal.
I found this stand to be insanely sturdy, especially compared to DW’s 3000 Series two-legged stand which is a lot lighter. The heaviness of this stand is the main selling point.
It’s fantastic to have as a permanent stand in your practice space. It’s so heavy that I wouldn’t suggest using it for playing gigs. Carrying it around in your hardware case will make things pretty difficult.
The pedal is incredibly smooth. That’s no surprise though as the DW 5000 bass drum pedals are widely popular in the drumming world. You can expect the same level of finesse with the hi-hat pedal.
My favorite thing about this stand is that you get more than one rod to choose from. DW provides you with different-sized rods so that you can set your stand up at different heights.
This isn’t something I’ve seen very often from hi-hat stands, so I love that you’re provided with options. Some drummers like having a tall rod while others prefer it to be short and indistinguishable above the hi-hat.
This stand is quite expensive. However, you’re paying for the heaviness of it as well as the different rod selections. It also comes with a drum key along with a holder to mount onto the stand. Overall, I feel it’s a fantastic option to go with for any drum practice space or studio.
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The next drum company that is well-known for making good hardware is Tama. I’ve been playing on a Tama kit for a few years and the stands that came with it have held up incredibly well.
One of my favorite stands out of those is the Iron Cobra 200 hi-hat stand. It doesn’t offer anything significantly interesting but it’s a workhorse stand that I’ve found to be very reliable.
It sits somewhere in the medium category of stands in terms of weight. It’s not too light and flimsy, but it’s not heavy either. It has what I feel is the perfect balance between those, meaning you can use it comfortably in many different settings.
Even though it’s a 3-legged stand, the legs can swivel around. I really appreciate this as it’s allowed me to position a slave bass drum pedal very easily next to the hi-hat pedal.
It’s always better to have a stand with two legs for that, but I found the Iron Cobra 200 to be quite suitable. I’m not the biggest double pedal fan in the world, so it’s nice to have the option open for specific situations.
I’d say this stand is a good intermediate option to go with. It’s fairly affordable and offers everything you need from a standard hi-hat stand. I’ve just had a few issues with the clutch that it comes with.
Once I swapped that out, everything worked perfectly. I don’t know anyone else who complains about that aspect, but it’s probably because I use 16” hi-hats instead of 14” ones.
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3. Pearl H-930
The final drum company that is well-known for making immaculate hardware is Pearl. It’s the one constant thing that I’m always impressed with across all of Pearl’s drum kits. Somehow, they manage to put the highest-quality hardware with all their drums. The H-930 hi-hat is another heavy-duty stand to add to this list.
While it directly competes with the DW 5000, it has a few main differences that set it apart. The first is that it has 3 legs. The fact that it has 3 legs makes it one of the sturdiest stands on the market. You can feel that this stand is built to last a very long time.
The second thing that separates this stand from all the others is that the pedal is a longboard pedal. Longboard pedals are longer than standard pedals and they’re typically used by metal drummers for quick foot speed.
Longboards are a bit of an acquired taste, but they can get pretty comfortable once you’re used to them. If you already love longboards, this is the stand I think you should get.
Most drummers wouldn’t expect a hi-hat stand to be so versatile. There are so many things that you can adjust on this stand that anyone would be comfortable using it.
One thing that I don’t like about the stand is that the hi-hat rod is thicker than most rods you’ll find. This thicker design means that you can only use clutches that are big enough to fit the rod.
If you already have a clutch that you like to use, chances are high that it won’t work with this stand as mostly Pearl clutches are thick enough for it.
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Gibraltar is the unique brand on this list. The company focuses solely on making drum hardware and equipment instead of hardware along with drums. Their equipment is quite popular amongst drummers, especially since most of it is very affordable.
I’m putting the 5707 hi-hat stand on this list of the best hi hat pedals as it’s a great option for beginners. It’s also a good backup stand that you won’t need to spend a bunch of money on.
The reason I say this is because it doesn’t have any significant features. However, it’s quite durable and the pedal has some very smooth action to it.
If you have an entry-level / budget drum set with a flimsy hi-hat stand, upgrading to this stand could make the world of difference to you. Since it’s so affordable, it’s one of the best options for buying and storing away as a backup option.
I’d also suggest that teachers buy this stand to use on the drum kits for their students in a teaching classroom.
One thing that I found with this stand that was a bit disappointing was that the rod and clutch system wasn’t designed too well. The clutch has a screw that directly impacts the rod every time you tighten it.
This causes the rod to get chewed up every time you retighten the clutch. To stop that from happening, you’d need to either get a new rod and clutch or put some sort of plastic on the clutch screw so that it doesn’t damage the rod.
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The final stand on the list was purely designed to be portable. I wouldn’t suggest using the DW 6000 Series Ultralight hi-hat stand if you were using it in a static space like a studio or practice room. Instead, it’s better utilized as a stand to use for gigs.
It’s so light that carrying it around takes almost no effort and your hardware bag will feel a lot less dense. DW offers a whole range of lightweight hardware like this, so getting all of them will add to that even more.
The other selling point of this hi-hat stand is that it has a vintage appearance. I love how the legs are positioned flat on the ground, resembling what stands used to look like back in the 20th century. While it’s not the most practical design, I definitely see the worth in it if you’re going for aesthetics.
You may be wondering whether the stand wobbles or not. While it can wobble a bit with no adjusted settings. You can use the screws at the bottom to dig it into a carpet to keep it more secure. Once you’ve locked in all the adjustments and screws, it stays surprisingly sturdy.
My one gripe with this stand is that the legs don’t swivel. This means you can’t set it up with a double bass drum pedal. That’s only a minor complaint though as double pedal players probably wouldn’t be using this vintage stand anyway.
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2 vs 3 Legged Stands
When choosing what hi-hat stand to get, the biggest thing you need to decide on is whether you need a 2 or a 3-legged stand. These are the only two types of hi-hat stands you get, so it’s an important decision to make.
At the surface of it, 2-legged stands are the best option to go with if you play with a double bass drum pedal. The lack of a third leg provides plenty of space for you to position the slave pedal next to the hi-hat pedal.
With that being said, most 3-legged stands can have their legs swivel to accommodate a double pedal anyway. However, it will never feel as comfortable, which is why the two-legged stand is the better option for this purpose.
3-legged stands provide more stability and security. If you’re not playing with a double pedal, I’d suggest you get one of these stands as the third leg makes the stand feel very strong in place.
Stands with 3 legs are a lot more common, making them easier to find. You can also find ones that are very affordable. I don’t know of too many affordable 2-legged stands.
Single vs Double-Braced Stands
The next thing to look at is whether the stand has single or double-braced legs. Double-braced hardware is always going to feel sturdier than single-braced hardware is. However, single-braced hardware will be lighter.
So, you should decide which hi-hat stand to get based on what uses you’re going to have for it. If you’re going to play many gigs, a single-braced hi-hat stand may be a good option.
If you’re just looking for a stand for your studio, getting the heaviest and most secure double-braced stand would be the better deal.
Hi Hat Rod Length
The length of the hi-hat rod is something that most drummers don’t think about when buying stands. It only comes to mind when you have the stand and realize that the rod is either too long or too short for your tastes.
It’s not the most pressing factor to worry about. However, having a rod that is too tall may stop you from placing your crash cymbal as low as you want to. Having a rod that is too short may prevent you from raising the hi-hat stand high enough for you to be comfortable.
Hi Hat Pedal
The final thing to take note of with hi-hat stands is what pedals they come with. Some stands come with generic pedals that you’d see on an entry-level stand. Others come with high-quality pedals that are a big reason for the price of the hi-hat stand being so high.
If you’re a fan of a certain bass drum pedal, chances are good that you’ll love the matching hi-hat stand. The Tama Iron Cobra is a great example of this. The Iron Cobra is a popular bass drum pedal, and the pedal on the hi-hat stand feels mostly the same.
Another aspect to think about with pedals is whether they’re standard or longboard pedals. Not everyone likes longboard pedals, so make sure what type of pedal the hi-hat stand is coming with before you buy it.
Wrap Up
If you’re planning on investing a bit of cash in good hardware, I’d suggest that you focus on getting a good hi hat stand before anything else. It will make playing drum grooves feel so much better when you have a sturdy stand that doesn’t feel like it will move around at all.
If you’re a seasoned drummer, getting a stand with multiple adjustment options would be the next best thing to do. Stands like these will allow you to get as comfortable as possible with your hi-hat settings.
I used to disregard the value of having high-quality hardware as I didn’t see immediate results from it. It didn’t feel the same as buying an expensive drum and hearing an expensive drum.
Don’t make the same mistake as I did. One of the best hi hat stands (in your budget) really will make a world of difference.