ngage strainer, anyone tried it?

Andy

Honorary Member
I've just fitted an ngage strainer by Rocket Shells to my ebony stave for tonight's show. We're strongly considering it for our new series snares. Initial trial results are excellent. At $139:00, it's expensive, but the quality & benefits shine through. Just about the only thing that's stopping us pulling the trigger right now is availability in chrome finish.

Any experiences?
 

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Seen them on DfD and they looked quite nice, but wasn't so sure about the pricetage- double that of Trick/Ego/whatever else! Nice to hear that they at least sort of live up to the price.
The quality is certainly a step up :) A little bulky in the body, but understanding the mechanism, I can see why. That said, it's half the weight of a Trick strainer, so in reality, it has advantage, especially on our new In-Tense series snares. The biggest deal for us right now is lack of availability in chrome.

I tested it out a gig last Saturday, & I'll be using it again this weekend. It performs flawlessly. I'm really liking it a lot!

Here's a shot of the clear anodised version installed on my Ebony stave drum. Actually, I think the finish works OK with chrome lugs. Opinions please guys :)
 

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The quality is certainly a step up :) A little bulky in the body, but understanding the mechanism, I can see why. That said, it's half the weight of a Trick strainer, so in reality, it has advantage, especially on our new In-Tense series snares. The biggest deal for us right now is lack of availability in chrome.

I tested it out a gig last Saturday, & I'll be using it again this weekend. It performs flawlessly. I'm really liking it a lot!

Here's a shot of the clear anodised version installed on my Ebony stave drum. Actually, I think the finish works OK with chrome lugs. Opinions please guys :)



Don't know much about them, but it definitely looks very well made
 
The quality is certainly a step up :) A little bulky in the body, but understanding the mechanism, I can see why. That said, it's half the weight of a Trick strainer, so in reality, it has advantage, especially on our new In-Tense series snares. The biggest deal for us right now is lack of availability in chrome.

I tested it out a gig last Saturday, & I'll be using it again this weekend. It performs flawlessly. I'm really liking it a lot!

Here's a shot of the clear anodised version installed on my Ebony stave drum. Actually, I think the finish works OK with chrome lugs. Opinions please guys :)

Wow, it's bigger than I had imagined! Not crazy about the anodized finish, but it does look alright with the chrome lugs. And if it works as well as it sounds like it does, then I can forget about the looks :)
 
I don't really care for the anodized finish with the chrome. I think it looks out of place. It looks like one beast of a strainer however, like someone actually put some THOUGHT into the design. Form follows function, is that an acceptable standard from your standpoint with the snare?
 
Honestly I really don't like the look of it. If it functions well then I'm sure anyone could learn to love it. I still think the trick is ugly but it is a very well made machine.

There is a guy in my area that makes stave drums and his shtick is to modify Tricks by shaving off most of the unnecessary bit of aluminum then polishing them to a mirror finish. I have tried with no success to get him to modify one of mine.

Any thought about modifying an existing part or would that leave you in the hole for the time invested? I haven't tried the strainer but it obviously must work excellently if it earned your praise. I just can't see spending that much on something that I felt was so lacking in the looks department.
 
Never heard of it before. It's big and ugly. Very industrial looking. It seems overbuilt to a flaw. No one really sees it so that's not really an issue for me. Hard to believe it's half the weight of a Trick. It needs to be chrome plated IMO. If it works great, that's the main concern. I have no experience with Trick strainers, or this one. What does a Trick strainer, or this one, do, that a regular P-85 type strainer doesn't do? I always thought the Trick lever sticks out to far, but I'm only going by pics, never used one for real. It might be a non issue.
 
So you said the quality and benefits shine through. What benefits does this strainer offer that others don't? Just asking as I've never seen or heard of this one before.
 
If'n you're gonna do this strainer I think it has to be chromed. You guys don't hold back anything on the creation of your drums so the strainer should work perfectly, aesthetically and functionally IMO.

I'd say that this strainer being half the weight of a Trick is pretty big stuff. And the sound of your snare in that video was pretty special. Cheers!
 
I don't really care for the anodized finish with the chrome. I think it looks out of place. It looks like one beast of a strainer however, like someone actually put some THOUGHT into the design. Form follows function, is that an acceptable standard from your standpoint with the snare?

I agree that the clear anodize looks mismatched when next to the polished chrome. Maybe they could polish the aluminum and bright dip anodize for a closer match. That would drive the price up as well.

On the whole aluminum/chrome topic, does it bug anyone else that Rims mounts are clear anodized and look mismatched next to chrome rims and stands? I hate it.

Sorry for the slight derail.
 
I agree that the clear anodize looks mismatched when next to the polished chrome. Maybe they could polish the aluminum and bright dip anodize for a closer match. That would drive the price up as well.
I'd live with that Jeff, but they're telling me their cost increases by $15 above & beyond their existing finishing cost. Same with triple chrome plate. I know chrome plating aluminium can be a bit tricky, & best placed with a plater who specialises in aluminium, but still, the premium seems high.

As you know, we get all our aluminium triple chrome plated, & $15 would represent the total cost, not an additional premium.

Hey, I just thought on Jeff, can your boys offer that service?
 
Kinda ugly, mainly because of the giant bat wing lever.

It needs to be chrome to match your other offerings IMO.

Man, on the drum, that thing is just way too big. It looks out of place on the classy look of the Guru drum IMO.
It would never go with the look of the lugs on your shells. The tom/bass lugs you have are awesome, this thing would kill it for me.

The non-availability of Chrome (possibility of pitting at some point too?), AND the price would be a no if it was my company.

The ngage might go up and down great, but you didn't compromise on anything else so far, so why do it with this?
 
I'd live with that Jeff, but they're telling me their cost increases by $15 above & beyond their existing finishing cost. Same with triple chrome plate. I know chrome plating aluminium can be a bit tricky, & best placed with a plater who specialises in aluminium, but still, the premium seems high.

As you know, we get all our aluminium triple chrome plated, & $15 would represent the total cost, not an additional premium.

Hey, I just thought on Jeff, can your boys offer that service?

We perform clear anodize on previously polished components regularly but without the bright dip, it is not as bright as the chrome.

I would go for the chrome plate.
 
The Dunnett R7 would go great with your lugs and look. Comes in Chrome too.
His stuff is very well built, and classy looking.
 
For as little as we drummers turn our snares on and off do we really need a 130.00 strainer? I would be more interested in one that had a tighter thread, more per inch, to really fine tune the sound.
 
The ngage might go up and down great, but you didn't compromise on anything else so far, so why do it with this?
A most valid POV Karl. I do really like it's function though.

We perform clear anodize on previously polished components regularly but without the bright dip, it is not as bright as the chrome.

I would go for the chrome plate.
Agreed Jeff, it has to be chrome really.

The Dunnett R7 would go great with your lugs and look. Comes in Chrome too.
His stuff is very well built, and classy looking.
I've been looking seriously at the R7. The only thing that's putting me off a little is that we caught a cold on a batch of R4's last year.

For as little as we drummers turn our snares on and off do we really need a 130.00 strainer? I would be more interested in one that had a tighter thread, more per inch, to really fine tune the sound.
Agreed. I just wish our own strainer had come to fruition. I'm really pissed about that :(
 
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