Sabian Stratus Cymbal 14"/16"/18"/20" Review: Thin Crashes and a Crashable Ride

Who Should Buy It

Key Specifications

Overview

The Sabian Stratus Cymbal 14"/16"/18"/20" is the four piece Stratus set, model S5005G, sold in the mid-range tier. The title lists four sizes and the bullets describe 14 inch hats, thin weight crashes and a ride, which reads as 14 inch hats, 16 and 18 inch crashes and a 20 inch ride. Stratus is a current line pitched at drummers who want a contemporary voice without stepping into the premium tier.

The published description is brief but specific about intent. The hats are credited with crisp, clear attack, the crashes with quick decay and a deep tone, and the ride with a balanced combination of stick and a crashable undertone. Every bullet frames the set as sitting comfortably in current music, which is the clearest statement of its target.

This is an editorial research review built from the listing and general knowledge of the series, not from a playing session. Where the listing is silent, on alloy, finish, weights for the hats and ride, and country of origin, the review says so plainly rather than filling the gaps.

Sound and Tone

The crash description is the most useful line in the listing. Thin weight crashes that produce a quick decay with a deep tone point to a modern design that opens fast, blooms with a lower pitched body than a typical bright crash, and then steps out of the way. That combination suits recorded music, where long sustain tends to smear.

Crisp, clear attack from the 14 inch hats suggests a defined stick sound and a tidy chick without excessive brightness. Hats in a warmer modern line like this one usually sit well under vocals and keyboards because the attack reads without the sizzle dominating. Players who want their hats to slice through heavy guitars may find them polite.

A ride that delivers a balanced combination of stick and a crashable undertone is a dual purpose piece. On paper it should give enough ping for patterns while still opening into a wash when struck on the edge, which makes it useful in small bands where one cymbal has to do two jobs. How dark the overall color is cannot be judged from the listing alone.

Alloy, Weight and Build

The alloy is not published in the listing, and the spec table records that. Finish, hammering, lathing and country of manufacture are also absent from the published text. The model number S5005G gives a buyer a route to the manufacturer's own specification sheet for those details.

Weight information is partial. The crashes are explicitly thin, which explains their quick decay, while the hats and the ride are described only in terms of what their weight achieves rather than with a class. A ride that is both articulate and crashable usually sits around medium or medium thin, but the listing does not say.

Thin crashes shape how the set should be treated. They respond at low effort, which is the point, and they reward a drummer who plays with the cymbal rather than through it. A buyer who hits very hard at every gig should factor that into the decision, because thin crashes do not shrug off abuse the way heavy ones can.

Versatility Across Styles

Quick, deep crashes and a crashable ride are tailor made for modern pop, worship, indie and singer songwriter settings. The sound gets out of the way quickly on stage and sits in a mix without heavy editing, which is exactly what the listing means when it says the cymbals sit in today's music.

Rock at club volume works well, with the caveat that thin crashes have a ceiling. In a very loud band they can feel like they open all the way and then have nowhere left to go, and sustain is short by design. Drummers who want big, sustained rock crashes may prefer medium weights from a brighter line.

Jazz and acoustic music are plausible for lighter players because a crashable ride with stick definition covers a lot of ground, and thin crashes at low volume behave gently. The set is not voiced as a dark vintage jazz line, however, and anyone chasing that sound should audition a K Zildjian or Meinl Byzance alternative.

• Worship and contemporary church bands
• Pop and indie sessions where short sustain helps the mix
• Singer songwriter and acoustic gigs
• Club level rock with a measured right hand
• Home recording through a single overhead pair

Durability and Care

Thin crashes are the pieces most likely to need care. Mounting them with the wing nut loose, felts and sleeves intact and the cymbal fairly flat lets them flex and move, which spreads the energy of each strike and protects the edge. Glancing strokes rather than direct downward hits extend their life considerably.

The listing does not publish a warranty term for this set, so a buyer should check the manufacturer's standard cymbal warranty separately. Established makers generally cover defects in materials and workmanship for a fixed period, and that protection applies regardless of what the product page prints.

Finish is not stated, which affects cleaning advice. A natural or traditional surface can be wiped down after playing, while a brilliant finish benefits from a dedicated cymbal cleaner. Either way, a padded bag and avoiding stacking cymbals bare against each other preserve both the look and the sound.

What Is in the Pack

Four pieces are implied by the title: 14, 16, 18 and 20 inch. The bullets confirm hats, thin crashes in the plural and a ride without attaching a size to each, so the review reads the contents as 14 inch hats, 16 and 18 inch thin crashes and a 20 inch ride. That is a complete core setup for most kits.

Two crashes is the detail that matters most. Many mid-range packs ship one crash and expect the buyer to add a second later, so getting a 16 and an 18 inch pair in the box saves a purchase and gives left and right side accents with different pitches from day one.

Nothing else is listed. No bag, no stands, no felts or sleeves and no lesson trial appear in the published text, which is worth knowing because some competing packs from the same maker do mention a lesson trial. Hardware and a case should be planned for separately.

Daily Use and Setup

A conventional layout places the 16 inch crash on the left above the hats, the 18 inch crash over the floor tom and the 20 inch ride between them, tilted slightly toward the player. Because the crashes are thin and quick, they can sit a little closer to the toms than heavier crashes without ringing into every fill.

The crashable ride invites a two cymbal approach in tight spaces. Riding on the bow for patterns and leaning into the edge for a crash gives a small jazz or acoustic setup a full vocabulary from one stand, which is useful for cafe gigs and rehearsal rooms where real estate is limited.

In the studio, deep, quick crashes tend to need less high frequency taming than bright ones, and the clear hat attack reads well through a single overhead pair. Engineers generally appreciate cymbals that stop ringing before the next downbeat, and the published description suggests this set does.

Who Should Buy It

The Sabian Stratus Cymbal 14"/16"/18"/20" is for a drummer who wants a warm, modern, quick sounding set that behaves well on stage and under microphones, bought at a mid-range tier. Worship, pop, indie and session players are the natural audience.

It is also a sensible first professional set for a player graduating from a sheet bronze starter pack, because two crashes, a dual purpose ride and clear hats arrive together. The short sustain of the crashes makes the step up feel controlled rather than overwhelming in a small room.

Hard hitting rock and metal drummers who rely on long crash sustain, and players who insist on published alloy and weight figures before spending, should look at other options. The listing is honest about intent but thin on specification.

Alternatives Worth Considering

Within the same brand, the Sabian XSR packs offer a brighter, more cutting mid-tier voice with more pieces per box in some bundles, and Sabian AAX moves up to a bright professional sound with stated weights in some listings. The larger Stratus Performance set trades up to 15, 19 and 22 inch sizes for drummers who want bigger cymbals.

From other makers, the Zildjian A Custom packs deliver a brilliant, bright professional voice at a higher tier, while Paiste PST 7 is a close mid-tier rival with a cleaner, brighter character. Meinl HCS sits below as a sheet bronze budget option.

For dark and complex, Meinl Byzance and the K Zildjian lines remain the reference points, and Zildjian L80 Low Volume is the answer for practice spaces where even thin crashes are too loud.

Verdict

The Sabian Stratus Cymbal 14"/16"/18"/20" reads on paper as a well judged modern four piece set: crisp hats, two quick thin crashes with a deep tone and a ride that doubles as a crash, all at a mid-range tier. The description is consistent and the intent is clear.

Points come off for the unpublished alloy, finish, origin and hat and ride weights, the lack of itemized contents in the bullets, and the absence of any accessories. For drummers in pop, worship and session work who want short, warm crashes, it is a confident recommendation.

Strengths and Limitations

Alternatives to Consider

Arborea AP

Recording minded drummers and gigging players who want a complete B20 bronze set with effects cymbals at a mid-range tier.

Read the Arborea AP review →

Zildjian K0834 24" K

Jazz, indie, Americana and studio drummers who want a large, light, articulate ride that can also be crashed and that sits lower in pitch than a 20 inch.

Read the Zildjian K0834 24" K review →

Sabian XSR

Drummers who want a fast responding, bright modern crash and hat package from an established mid-tier series with a stated warranty.

Read the Sabian XSR review →

Questions Buyers Ask