Farmer is the same price.
Farmer finishes the inside of shells. too.
Farmer uses better lugs and hardware.
Farmer uses lugs made for bass drum (Side Kick uses snare lugs which are too short and thus cause splay).
Farmer takes time to sand and finish bearing edges. The Side Kick bearings were rough.
Both companies use Keller shells.
Farmer only uses Aquarian heads. Their beater head options are outstanding. But I do wish they had a Remo option; I prefer Remo reso heads.
Farmer pre-installs rubber hoop protectors top and bottom to avoid damage from kick pedal.
Farmer uses leather gaskets under their lugs.
I prefer the finish on Farmer shells. Hoops are glossy and sanded. Kick shell has a deep multi-layer finish that really shines!
Farmer tunes up well. I have it tuned pretty high and tight. Great sound very musical. But so did Side Kick, except Side Kick started stripping the tension rods because of the extreme splay; the receivers could not rotate enough to compensate.
The Side Kick hooks don't fully engage the hoop because of the splay.
The Side Kick hooks contact the back of hoops and put dents in them. In time I suspect the hoops might even crack.
To their credit, Side Kick sent me a set of gaskets for the snare lugs. They're about as thick as a credit card, maybe just a little thinner. They are not thick enough to remedy splay. Only remedy is to use bass drum lugs. Doesn't seem like much of a big deal to do that; they're a small shop so it's not like they gotta retool a production assembly line.
Side Kick has no badge.
I attached a few pics of the Side Kick. You can see for yourself.
The folks at Side Kick are nice guys, but this particular product has issues. It's the way they make them so I can't really return it just because I don't like the way it's made. Their other products may not have issues. I can't say, I just tried the 20x8 kick.
I have a 8 year old grandson, I may use the Side Kick to put together a small kit for him for Christmas. But for my playing, the Farmer was a great choice!!
That kit looks great, Rattlin'!! I love the small, simple kits - I play a two piece myself, but a larger bass drum (20 x 16), and currently only a single cymbal, no hats (playing Leon Parker style). Though times I do miss the hats, but more so for foot patterns. I've been thinking about trying the newer DW Lowboy and see how that goes.
I've been curious about the Farmer Drums. I have been looking at both them and the Side Kick shallower bass drums - but now that I have a confirmation on the Sidekick I might just look more into the Farmer. I believe the Farmer bass drums are a bit more than the Sidekick (?) so perhaps better quality is more noticeable.