Best Drum Practice Pad: Tried and Tested for Proven Results

The Evans/RealFeel pedigree is fully present in this practice pad… and for a pretty good price too!

The fabric coated gum rubber part has a very nice texture – you know this is the main surface.

This cloth-textured gum surface is where you’ll be spending most of your time.

The hard recycled rubber side seems durable and refined – much like a corkboard in texture but with a lot more rigidity. It doesn’t feel like an afterthought – some so-called double-sided practice pads have one good surface and one that’s just an excuse to market the pad as double-sided with anti-slip purposes as the main function of the second side. But no, not the RF6D.

Having no side dedicated to preventing slippage poses its own challenge. This works better mounted on a snare stand. Or modulate your playing to a maximum of F (forte) and leave your FFF practicing to full-sized 12″ pads that have less tendency to jump around while you’re smacking the life out of it.

The wood base is a different story. It seems to be made of a soft, light-colored MDF of some kind. And it gives me the impression that this would suck up moisture like it’s nobody’s business. I’m not going to test that by dropping any liquid on it and risk damaging the pad, but I would have liked to have seen some sort of varnish or coating to protect it from accidental spills during those late-night practice sessions with some hot cocoa.

The 6″ size is great for practicing accuracy, hitting close to the center of the drum gives you a very consistent and full sound. The problem is, most people (including me) end up hitting stick to stick. Also, being on the small side lets you chuck this in your backpack with no hesitation. The best pad is always the one you have with you, and I think the beaten-up tables, chairs, and mousepads around me are grateful that I got this little dedicated practice buddy.

The play feel is very familiar and reassuring – much like a medium-tuned concert snare. The gray gum rubber section has less bounce, more of a “thuddy” feel to them with a little more body in the sound. It’s not completely quiet, but it surely is a far cry from any kind of drum designed to make a sound. Inconsistencies in my playing were instantly unmasked, and the unbalanced pitch of the sticks I was using quickly made its way into the forefront.

This is the harder, louder side that feels a lot like a marching snare.

The recycled rubber part is where it gets interesting. Fully expecting less bounce (possibly due to my lack of knowledge in material sciences) I was pleasantly surprised in the contrast this black side gave to me in both feel and sound.

In terms of feel, it’s very bouncy… almost like a Mylar snare head, not extremely close but enough to simulate it without the extreme projection those heads are known for. The rubber is hard, it almost feels (and sounds) like playing on wood with just a bit of the edge taken off, damaging your drum tips a lot less than if you went wood to wood and with a less peaky sound.

I really like the concept of 2 different surfaces for practice. It might even mitigate that dreaded “pad hand” to an extent by accustoming your hands to different surface feels never letting you get comfortable with 1 feel that wouldn’t be entirely translatable to a snare drum.

But pad practice is never a full substitute for practice on your actual instrument – just a convenient way to keep you warmed up, or maybe a way to practice rudiments without having your neighbors call the cops on you.

For those purposes, this pad is excellent. It is the best practice pad for drummers who want to keep their chops up while traveling.

I’ve done a number of other drum gear review articles, including one for the Vic Firth High Fidelity Ear Plugs.