I bought this ride two years ago to replace a cheap ride that came with my kit. At the time I despised that tinny, pingy, echoey sound and wanted something with a very fast decay and something that cut through. This cymbal delivered. You get excellent stick definition - I use nylon tips to get even more ping. You get an ear pleasing, low level wash with the ping on top of it AND a quick decay, so no more ringy, echoey sound hanging out there when you stop hitting hit. My only qualms are 1) it does not produce a desireable crash sound for most rock/classic rock sound as some rides do, and 2) it isn't very bright. Brightness is really my biggest issue with it - on some songs you want that brighter wash, and this, as the name implies, is a darker, lower wash and even a slightly lower toned ping. I am now considering a sweet ride to fill in where this ride comes up short - as a occassional crash and brighter ride. If you want a more versatile ride, go with a sweet ride or similar product. In my opinion, the dark ride pairs best with metal, grunge, goth. I don't play much of that stuff, but this ride is quality enough to hold its own in any genre.

This cymbal is great I used it for about 3 years and I sold it because I wanted more "Ping". The only issue is that I ended up getting a Sabian HH Raw Bell Ride, I loved it untill I recorded with it. So I went back to the K Dark, it is a little washy when playing live but in recordings it sounds great (not to washy not to bright like the raw bell) I also use the dark crashes and a K 13.25" Hybrid Hat. I play everything from Alternative Rock to to old Country tunes. And I record with Senhieser e614s for the Cymbals.

I play this ride(which belongs to our church) all the time in a large venue- a church that seats 1300. There are mics on the whole kit. This cymbal has a cutting bell a lot like my old ping ride and I own a K custom Dark Ride. There is more projection on the church ride than mine. It responds very sensitively to hot rods, sticks or even mallets. The custom would be better in a rock setting than the dark ride in that its a louder cymbal. There is a lot of volume to this ride even unmiced. In comparison the dark ride has a little less volume but to me is a beautiful sounding cymbal. Hope this helps you comparison shoppers.

I recently upgraded to this cymbal at the advice of more experienced drummer, and I don't think I will ever have to replace it. It has great stick definition. It's thinner than most 20" rides and produces warm sounds. It has a clear, cutting bell and a unique, thundering, low frequency crash. Probably not too good if you are into metal, but good for me 'cuz I'm not.

I recently upgraded to this cymbal at the advice of more experienced drummer, and I don't think I will ever have to replace it. It has great stick definition. It's thinner than most 20" rides and produces warm sounds. It has a clear, cutting bell and a unique, thundering, low frequency crash. Probably not too good if you are into metal, but good for me 'cuz I'm not.