Top 5 Cheap Drum Sets Under 100 (with Buyer’s Guide)

Thinking about getting you or your child into drumming, but not sure if you want to make a huge investment in the kit? We put this guide together for you to walk through the best cheap drum sets under 100 dollars, so that you can get started on your drumming journey.

While a drum set for practice may lack the advanced features, it can still serve a major purpose — proving whether or not you want to make an investment in a better set.

Good drum sets will cost you way above $500 (and can cost thousands). However, you don’t need to start with such an expensive drum set. You can still get a drum set that it under 100 for you to start your journey.

In this post, we will:

  • Review the top drum sets under $100
  • Walk through a buying guide for your drum set; and
  • Answer some frequently asked questions about drum sets

Later as you progress, you can then invest in buying quality and a more advanced drum set. A drum that costs under 100 will most likely be a junior drum.

Here are five best cheap drum sets for your consideration.

 IMAGE  PRODUCT  DETAILS  LINK
Mendini 3-Piece Junior Drum Set – Best for adjustability  1. Mendini 3-Piece Junior Drum Set – Best for adjustability
  • 8″ x 13″ Bass drum
  • 6″x 8″ Mounted tom
  • 8″ Cymbal
PAXCESS Electronic Drum Set – Best for superb sound 2. PAXCESS Electronic Drum Set – Best for superb sound
  • 1 snare, 3 toms , 1 crash
  • 2 Foot Pedals
  • 8 DEMO Songs
PAXCESS 9 Pads Electronic Drum Set – Best for realistic drum set sound 3. PAXCESS 9 Pads Electronic Drum Set – Best for realistic drum set sound
  • 9 touch-sensitive pads
  • 3 Toms, 2 HI-Hats, 1 Kick, 1 Snare
  • 1 Crash, 2 Drum Pedals
First Act Discovery Drum Set – Best for affordability 4. First Act Discovery Drum Set – Best for affordability
  • bass drum with foot pedal
  • snare drum
  • cymbal, drum key
Alesis 4-Pad Electronic Drum set – Best for portability 5. Alesis 4-Pad Electronic Drum set – Best for portability
  • bass drum with foot pedal
  • snare drum
  • cymbal, drum key

1. Mendini 3-Piece Junior Drum Set – Best for adjustability


Things we liked

It is adjustable
This kit is easy to assemble
It has wooden shells
It has triple-flanged hoops

Things we didn’t like

Its drum surface quality is not the best
Its cymbal offers unpleasant sound

The design for this junior drum kit gives your child a perfect feel for drums.

Unlike 5 piece kits, this drum kit has only a few components. But, it is good enough for kids who would like to try drumming.

The bass drum pedal for this kit is eight inches, hence giving it a decent core for kids. Also, this kit has a four-inch snare drum and eight inches by six inches tom.

Consequently, this kit offers the right sound to motivate drummer beginners to continue practicing. A perfect snare drum enhances sound quality.  

These drum kits comes with a drum throne as well. Thus, it promotes excellent drumming practice and posture. Also, a drum throne makes one comfortable. Like most other drum sets, these drum kits has a pair of wooden drum sticks.

Although it is a relatively cheap drum set, it has an eight inches cymbal. The cymbal in question has a cymbal arm as well, hence holding it in place.

However, the resonance of this cymbal is not superb. But, it is made similarly to a traditional drum kit. As such, you can replace it with a better splash cymbal and still maintain its balance. So, you can add some juice to your music with this kit.

Moreover, the bass drum pedal for these instrument is metallic and spring tethered. As a result, this bass drum lever has the right friction and response, thus making it more convenient. Its setup manual makes it easy to assemble.

This set is right for small adults, teenagers, and children use.


2. PAXCESS Electronic Drum Set – Best for superb sound


Things we liked

Its battery is long-lasting
Its inbuilt speaker is quite loud
The kit is portable
It is affordable
It has Aux-in

Things we didn’t like

Static can be heard when using earbuds

The kit is one of the best electric drum sets due to its great sound.

Also, it has a perfect transitioning configuration. The feature makes the music more enjoyable and fantastic. It has a kick trigger pad, thus becoming one of the best musical instruments.

Moreover, this set comes with two hi-hat pads. As such, one pad is for closed sound while the other one is for open sound. Due to this feature, your music sounds more real and superb. It also comes with one drum pedal for the bass drum.

Although it is one of the drums under 100, it has a great set up. Its silicone pads are thick, flexible, and non-toxic. So, they enhance the right sound offered by a kit.

Besides, you can use this drum with headphones. As a result, you can enjoy playing your drums set without disturbance. It has an auxiliary input, which enables you to connect the kit to external speakers.

Moreover, this set has an updated DSP circuitry. So, it enables you to change the styles and the layout as well. This acoustic drum feature assists you to add some taste to your music.

The bank for this electric drum set is more extensive. Also, the bank in question has Latin, pop, and electronic styles.

This drum set has rechargeable batteries, which are long-lasting as well. Its inbuilt speakers sound right, thus making you enjoy the music you create. Similarly, it offers the right bass drum, highs, and mids sound.


3. PAXCESS 9 Pads Electronic Drum Set – Best for realistic drum set sound


Things we liked

It has built-in speakers
It has a headphone output
It has roll-up pads
It is affordable
It is portable
It has a high-capacity rechargeable battery

Things we didn’t like

It doesn’t have practice songs

The kit is one of the best drums under 100 due to its superb music production.

It is an upgraded version of other PAXCESS drums kits. It has nine touch-sensitive pads, which sets your music to be more fantastic.

It has three toms, two hi-hats, and one kick for better practice. Also, this drum set has one snare drum, one crash, and two bass drum pedals.

As a result, it gives you rear drums response, hence being more realistic. This kit enables you to play several music styles, such as electronic, Latin, and pop, among others.

Besides, this kit allows you to connect your headphones and practice in silence. It also has inbuilt dual speakers that produce the right sound quality. Also, their bass effect is astonishing.

Besides, you can go wireless with this drum set. It has a rechargeable power battery that offers up to eight hours of playtime.

Unlike other drum sets, you can roll up this drum equipment to save space. Also, it is highly portable due to its lightweight. Besides, a drum throne is not necessary for these drum kits.

Conversely to other drum sets, this set has safety measures for kids. It comes with an environmental protection food-grade silicone. The feature makes it one of the safest drum sets.


4. First Act Discovery Drum Set – Best for affordability


Things we liked

It has a fantastic acoustic sound
It is easy to assemble
It is durable
It has a stylish design
It is affordable

Things we didn’t like

Its bass drum knob keeps moving inconsistently
It’s only suitable for smaller kids

The design for this piece drum set is ideal for youngsters interested in drumming.

The drum set has two color options, one with pink sparkles for girls. The other option has a blue star pattern, thus ideal for boys. Also, the size of this junior drum set is suitable for young drummers.

Moreover, the drums’ surface for this kit has a perfect design. As such, it offers an authentic music tone that everyone can enjoy.

Besides, this set has a good bass drum, which comes with the right bass drum pedal. As such, it produces a perfect bass. Its cymbal, tom drum, and snare drum enhance the right sound of this set. A great snare drum improves the tone produced.

Like most other drum sets, this kit has a pair of drum sticks. Although this product does not have free shipping, it is affordable.

Also, this acoustic drum comes with a drum throne for better posture while drumming. Also, a drum throne makes you comfortable. This junior drum is suitable for about six-year-old kids.


5. Alesis 4-Pad Electronic Drum set – Best for portability


Things we liked

It has velocity-sensitive pads
It has a skills coach feature
It comes with electronic desktop drums
It has a headphone output
It is portable

Things we didn’t like

The drum heads are too small

This piece kit is ideal for drumming practice.

Apart from being portable, this electronic kit is small in size. As such, it doesn’t consume much poof your space.

Also, it comes with a powerful inbuilt speaker. This feature enables you to enjoy the music you are playing. Besides, the headphone output in this drum equipment facilitates for private practice.

This set has four sensitive electric drum pads. The pads in question help in capturing the entire subtle nuance in your performance.

The kit has seventy acoustic drum kit voices and 50 songs to play along. Also, it has ten built-in effect voices, thus helping in drumming skills development. This feature makes it different from most drums in the market.

Besides, this drum kit has a coach feature that displays notes on the LCD screen. As a result, it instructs the drummer, thus making drumming lessons easier. It also has a gaming function that makes your learning more fun.

Buyer’s Guide

A drum set of under 100 may never have all the quality features of an advanced drum set. When you buy such a drum set, you are likely to compromise on several things.

Among the things that you may end up compromising, include:

What build quality can I expect from the best cheap drum sets?

The build quality of a cheaper drum set is likely to be of low quality. Cheap drums are produced in masses; as a result, many features are of low quality. The hardware and the cymbals are among the features you may find compromised.

How durable are these drum sets?

Because of the low quality, many cheaper drums will hardly last long. The hardware is usually of low quality. As such, it tends to strip out and break easily.

 It may also make the drum not to produce the ideal sound. Consequently, for most of them, you may have to do a replacement after 1-2 years.

Is the sound quality good?

Professional drummers wouldn’t use a drum kit of under 100. Their sound is usually of lower quality. If you are to get the sound you want, you may have to spend much time tuning the drums.

Do these drum sets come with a warranty?

Most of these drums do not come with a warranty. That means you cannot return the drum set in case of any damage.

Do you want your drum set to be visually appealing?

Most of these drums don’t have an appealing appearance. Most of them will look almost like toys. It is the reason that these products target young drummers.

Do you plan to resell your drum set?

Unlike the higher quality drums that you can resell, you may not resell cheap drum sets.

These musical instruments tend to wear out so fast, rendering them not worthy for reselling.

Things to Consider Before Buying a Drum Set under 100

Most of these drums are meant for use by kids. As such, many people buy them as a gift or present to their kids.

Nonetheless, you would not want to buy your kid a drum that will not interest them at all. As such, it is essential to consider a few things before you buy one.

How old is your fledging drumer?

Take time to consider the manufacturer’s details about the suitable age for the drum set. Most of the cheap drum sets will be appropriate for kids of three years or more.

However, you can also gauge the skills that your kid has. If he has some basic skills or is old enough, you can skip buying the cheaper drum kit. Instead, you can buy them a beginner drum, although it will cost you slightly above $200.

What accessories do you need?

Every drum kit requires some accessories that make it enjoyable to play. You may need to buy some of them such as drumsticks, stools and dampening pads.

Some cheaper drums may come with drumsticks. However, you may still have to buy additional accessories such as the dampening pads.

Other crucial accessories that you need to have are the training booklets. These manuals will be beneficial in helping your kid to master drumming skills faster. You may also need to acquire a drum key to enable you to tune the drum kit.

How much space can you commit to a drum set?

The space available in your house is a crucial consideration when buying a drum set. Fortunately, most cheap drum sets for kids do not occupy much space.

If you buy a 3-piece drum set, it will mostly use up around 36 x 24 inches of your space. On the other hand, a 5-piece drum set will occupy 40 x 26 inches.

Using these dimensions, you can have a rough idea of what drum kit to buy. To ensure that you get the right drum, measure the available space in your kid’s room.

How many folks will be using the drum set?

If you have more than one kid to play the drum, then a five-piece drum set will be ideal.

Where do you live?

Keep in mind that most drum sets, even those for kids, will attract a shipping fee. If you are buying your drum kit online, it is, therefore, crucial to pay attention to this.

Ty and look for a retailer who may not charge you shipping fee for a kid drum. If you have to pay a shipping fee, then look for the cheapest retailer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest drum set?

Drum sets come in various budget categories. When determining the cheapest drum set, you need to consider the budget-friendliness of the kit to a regular person. The cheapest drums fall under 100 dollars price category. Our review above has the five best cheap drum sets under 100.

How can I get a cheap drum set?

There are plenty of online resources that offer a variety of cheap drum sets. You can use Google or Amazon to find these drums. Our review has the top-rated drum sets on Amazon.

 

What is the best cheap electronic drum kit?

There are many cheap electronic drum sets in the market today. However, not all of them are great sets. When shopping for the best e-kit, consider the age suitability of the user, the number of drum kits and accompanying accessories.

 

What does a good drum set cost?

A great drum set will cost you around 500 dollars or more. Such drum kits are ideal for professional drummers since they have highly advanced features.

However, for beginners and kids, you can get an excellent junior drum set below 100 dollars.

How can I make a cheap drum set sound great?

Drumheads are the most significant determinants of a drum’s sound quality. So, start by getting new high-quality heads. Then, spend as much time as possible with your kit to hone your tunning skills. Alternatively, use a tuner to help you out.

Also, ensure you have decent cymbals and use dampening methods to rid of nasty frequencies.

What age is appropriate for a junior drum set?

There is no definite answer for this because it mostly depends on a child’s height. On average, junior drums are perfect for kids aged three to ten years. However, if the child is older or taller than average, consider buying a full-sized kit for them.
 

What kind of drum kit should I buy?

A five-piece drum kit is the most common setup for a beginner or kid. It comes with a bass drum, snare drum, a floor tom and two rack toms. However, it would be best if you get extra hardware like cymbals, stands and hi-hats.

Conclusion

A cheap drum set is ideal if you are starting to drum or if buying it for your kid. You can easily get one that is under 100.

However, keep in mind that these drums will lack most of the advanced features. Also, you may have to purchase extra accessories to improve on the sound quality.

If you are buying it for your kid, be sure to consider the kid’s age. Do not forget to measure the available space before you buy the drum.