Tama Cobra Accu-Strike Beater

Had to purchase these to replace felt beaters since I practice regularly on an e-drums. They feel durable & feel great once they strike the pad.

I’ve played drums on and off for over thirty years and during that time, have at various points, incorporated double bass into my playing. The last time I was full time gigging was 2006. I recently got back into playing and wanted to really begin to get better at double kicking.

I landed on an Efnote E-kit which has pressure sensors in the kick pad. I purchased a DW 3000 double pedal to go along with the kit, but it is really sluggish to me. Patterns that I can play on the floor, don’t easily translate to a pedal in general, but the DW was really making it difficult to do relatively simple patterns. After a fair amount of research, I found that the Tama Iron Cobra is a good mix of smoothness and weight. However, I can’t afford one right now.

So, this is where the beaters come in. The stock beaters on the DW are very top heavy, but they do make an impact. The problem is that I’m not skilled enough to brute force the learning curve of a heavy pedal.

It was suggested that lighter beaters may help. Given that the price of two clocks in at about $60, I figured it’s worth a shot.

When Accu-strikes arrived, I compared the feel with my stock DWs. They are a bit lighter (not a lot, but enough). The first thing I noticed was the Accu-strikes are incredibly well balanced. I’m not constantly fighting or trying to reign in the forward momentum of the DW beaters.

While these won’t compensate for a lack of skill, I’m definitely not fighting with the pedal to get it to do what I want.

It’s worth mentioning that because my kick pad is pressure sensitive, it’s imperative to be able to get some power behind my kicks and these do not disappoint. They hit every bit as hard as the DWs and are easier to control.

Also a plus is the ability to adjust the angle of the striker, which by default is angled up a touch too high, but is easily adjustable with a drum key.

I’m really pleased with them so far. I know at least one other reviewer mentioned they stick to their Falam Slam. My setup is in a well air conditioned house and I haven’t experienced and sticking at all, but it’s probably something to be mindful of if you’re actively gigging.

I like the overall design, aesthetic, power and most importantly, balance. I really can’t stress that last point enough. So, if you’re unhappy with your current pedal or double pedal, try changing out the beaters for something that suits your style. I would give these a solid recommendation for all styles, single and double playing.

Plus, $60 beats $550 for a new pedal. Even then, I’d imagine if you’re here reading reviews, you already know that the best most expensive pedal won’t make up for a lack of skill, but it may very well be a little more user friendly.

I highly recommend the Accu-strike beaters.

I’ve been playing drums for over twenty years and this is absolutely the best beater I’ve ever used. The build quality, the weight, everything. The only instance I can think of where I wouldn’t use this is maybe in a trad jazz context. Aside from that, this thing will work in any genre. Also, the angle of the beater itself is adjustable, which should just be a standard beater feature by now but, of course, it’s not. My 20″ Yamaha Stage Custom kick is on a riser and the hoops are just deep enough to make the beater hit at too much of an angle, so the aforementioned feature is a lifesaver.

UPDATE, 10/14/23: Everything I said in the original review still stands, but I did encounter a very unfortunate flaw that seems to be common with this model: if you use a plastic protector pad on your bass drum head, the rubber beater can actually end up getting stuck to it. Thankfully, there’s a very simple solution. I took an adhesive label with a paper surface, attached it to the beater and cut around it (see attached photos.) Problem solved. No more sticking to the bass drum head.

Wish I bought this when they first came out… I put them on both of my Tama Speed Cobra 310 bass drum pedals and they added aome extra punch that my previous beaters were missing… Also the weight and size of these beaters are perfectly balanced which gives you great control… Well Done TAMA, I strongly recommend this product

Compré estos baquetones para probar suerte con mi pedal Tama (iron cobra jr) ya que los de fábrica estaban bastante desgastados y gracias a esa decisión parece que tengo un doble pedal completamente nuevo, brindan buen sonido gracias a los materiales y la forma, tienen buen rebote y el peso ayuda demasiado a la agilidad. Definitivamente volvería a comprar.