I bought this cymbal on clearance at a local music shop and was shocked when I first struck it at home. It sounds like a 16"! It has so much tone for a 15" cymbal, and sustain that you'd find on a 17". Absolutely no "splash effect" on this cymbal!

I recently bought a 18in HHX plosion and I was blown away by the tone and musicality of this cymbal. It has a dark projection that gives me chills when I play it. Everyone ask what kind of cymbal it is when they hear it cause it doesn't have the sabian stamp on top. These cymbals top K's & K customs any day and I am a believer in Sabian xplosion series.

This cymbal has quickly become my favorite. I've been a Zildjian man for years and never gave Sabian a 2nd thought until my buddy got a AAX Xplosion. Man the AAX was far better than my A & K customs hands down. Don't get me wrong I'm not dissing zildjian but I know quality when I hear it. The 18' HHX has character, warmth, passion & a voice that speaks thru the music. Zildjans sound good but are lacking that special something that sets the xplosions apart. I'm hooked & out to buy a 17' HHX Evolution to add to my collection next.

Wow! This cymbal has me going. I bought it as a secondary crash to sonically match my AA Metal-X 16" Crash. Boy, secondary is not the word. It's my primary now. The sound booms and explodes, hence the name. The bell compliments it, and you can tap it or smash it to ride it, the possibilities are endless! Get this cymbal, it's amazing. Not to mention, it's very flexible, you can see it absorb the impact after you hit it, it won't break for a long time..

I picked up the 18" HHXPlosion about 3 years ago at a Don Bennet's Drum Studio in Seattle. I tried out almost every crash I could find at the store. I narrowed my choices down to an 18" HHX Evolution crash, A K medium-thin crash, and an HHXPlosion. There were no students taking lessons at the time and the salesperson let me into a teaching room to try all the cymbals out on a kit. It didn't take long to figure out I'd be going home with Sabian cymbal that day. I play in a Folk Rock band that gigs locally about 3 weekends out of the month. I had a 16" crash and I was looking for something to move little more air with. I wanted something with could cut through the amps, but didn't want that brittle sound that sounds like glass breaking(A customs). Well I found what I wanted in HHXPlosion. It's medium thin and has a large unlathed bell. It absoultely roars when you give it a good whack. It is responsive at lower levels but I find it's best traits come out when you really give it some energy. It can probably even be used quite well as a ride cymbal in lower volume situations(However, I have not tried it on a gig). The salseperson warned me that one of his friends bought an HHX cymbal and broke it after a couple months. It was nice of him to let me know that these cymbals aren't for bashers. I picked it up anyway. 3 years later after repeated gigging(and some definite bashing) it's still around and has nary a crack. My favorite crash for amplified music.