mesh head question

i'm considering getting mesh heads for an old crap kit i have to use at my house for practicing. i've read all the posts on here about mesh heads but haven't really seen an answer to my questions. no stores around here carry them so i really can't even look at them first.

for all you people out there who use these, what exactly do they feel like? are they close to a real head or like trying to play on a screen door? basically how close are they to real drum heads in all aspects...

also if anybody knows if they make rubber cymbals like ones you'd find on an e-kit minus the triggers. i saw ones from pintech on mf but from what i've read their flimsy....

The feel is not exactly like a drumhead. It's maybe a little bit bouncier, but it's very hard to tell what is a physical reaction and what is a reaction to hitting a drum as you normally would but not hearing it (except for the very slight resonance of the lower head). But it's much closer to a drumhead than the bouncy tabletop feel of a practice pad.

I don't know what you read about the Abel/Pintech cymbals being flimsy - I've owned mine for over 15 years, taken them with me to three continents, and played them as hard or harder than my real cymbals. They don't break under sticks... maybe under cars or steamrollers, but not sticks.

i didn't mean flimsy as in breaking but i saw a lot of people say the top hat tends to invert when you step down on the pedal and the others were a bit thin and could use more weight to not flex as much while striking repeatidly.

all i really have to go on is pictures so it's really hard to tell what their actually like....

They will invert if you put the whole weight of your body on your hi-hat pedal. For regular playing they do just fine. They are very tough PVC-type plastic, like the same stuff a 30-gallon Rubbermaid trash can is made out of. They bend more than metal, but far far less than what you think. Unless you drum with running chainsaws instead of drumsticks, they are going to withstand whatever you dish. Honest.