Sabian AAX X-plosion Crash Cymbals & X-treme Chinese Cymbal

I have only been drumming for about 9 years but in that time I have come to find that Sabian AAX cymbals are a great fit for me. Here's why. First off, everyone will tell you, if you want to be professional, you have to get yourself a pack of Zildjian A Customs or K Customs, however i find that the sound the AAX's give off is far more fuller and natural sounding. Although i do personally like the sound of K Customs for playing metal or darker sounding music, I don't believe they are as versatile as the AAXs. I play in two bands, a progressive metal band and and an alternative, post-rock indie band, and these cymbals are the perfect fit for these polar opposite genres.
One trait I love about them, is how full they sound. Even when using the bell or as a ride they give off a gentle nice sound but when struck hard, have a projection that in my opinion is unmatched. these are the cymbals you play arenas with. There's a reason why they named them x-plosion cymbals. I have owned a 15", 18" and 19" crash and a 19" X-treme Chinese cymbal.  A the crashes have been spectacular, and the bigger the better. The smaller ones like the 15" are great for quick accents but can still be used to crash on when needed. 
The best cymbal, is the 18". It has the perfect sound and pitch for, I think, everything. the bell is amazing, you can ride on it, sounds amazing when played with mallets or cool rods, and perfect for single cymbal hits or 4/4 crashing. If you haven't heard this cymbal I recommend you hit up a local music shop and check one out. One thing about all these cymbals that will make or break them for you, is they are very bright cymbals. The fast- crash versions of all the AAX cymbals are twice as bright and thinner(hence the brightness). So if you like darker warming sounding cymbals, you can still go out and get a 19" or larger, but just know its still going be bright. I personally love bright cymbals so these were a perfect match for me. I have nothing against Zildjian A Customs, but I just think they're too, initially gong and artificial sounding at times. If I was not playing Sabians I definitely would be playing the A Custom or K's.

One cymbal I do want to specifically talk about, is not an x-plosion, it is a Sabian 19" AAX-treme Chinese cymbal. This cymbal... I believe is the best china to ever be created by the hands of man. I first discovered it on the August Burns Red album, Messengers. I heard the amazing crash Matt Greiner was playing and had to find it. Low and behold, it was that cymbal, later I found out The Rev from Avenged Sevenfold, And Disturbed were also well known drummers who have used this cymbal. This cymbal is amazing for many reasons, some being its unbelievable loudness. I recommend wearing earplugs if you play one of these because you ears will be shot playing this thing. It is amazing for quick china accents with a snare or whatever you're playing and great for playing 4/4 on as well, as Matt Greiner does a lot. A lot of people are switch to the Zildjian Oriental China Trash which at first I thought was a pretty good sounding cymbal, but the sheer power of the X-treme Chinese just can't be outdone.

These cymbals usually run about $20-$40 cheaper than the leading A Custom Cymbal but I believe in less is more. One personal word of advice to drummers looking for cymbals: go big or go home. Don't waste your money on lower end cheaper cymbals when you could just save up the extra money and get some awsome dream cymbals. That's just my thinking. Especially if you're on a budget.

The ONLY flaw with these cymbals is they break pretty easily. BUT Sabian does offer a 2 year factory warrenty. They will replace any cymbal that gets busted within the time frame of 2 years from the purchase date, just make sure you keep the original packaging and receipt.