I had a Dream. It was of a Stagg.

Cymbals.  They are the bane of every broke drummers life.  They are expensive, and despite being sheets of metal, they break.  After being hit with not inconsiderable force in the same spot repeatedly, they crack, and once this happens they are doomed. £100-£200 down the pan. Ouch. And believe you me, having played in a metal band for a long time I have broken more than my fair share of cymbals. Yes, you can prolong its life with some keyhole repair, but ultimately it's headed for the tip

Enter Dream cymbals.  Dream have got it right.  Dream are a Chinese manufacturer who have made Chinese cymbals for many years and have now branched out into making Turkish (or Western) type cymbals.  It has long been regarded that the Chinese have been the oldest cymbal-makers (although they came to China from Tibet), so one can not simply turn their noses up at them just because they are cheap.

Generally, cheap cymbals = rubbish sound.. Don't even bother with them if you are any kind of seasoned player. But Dream, are a frigging DREAM!!!  Seriously.  They look great, and sound utterly amazing for the price.  I have invested in the Bliss and Vintage Bliss range and I love them.  A 20" crash/ride is only £100!!!

But it gets better.

When playing heavy-metal, at some point a crash cymbal will die.  After the 5th or so cymbal in a year, enough was enough so I thought to hell with it, if they're gonna break I'm just gonna buy cheap dustbin lids, and ventured forth and bought 2 Stagg DH 14" Medium Crashes for....wait for it....£29 each!!!!  I scoured ebay for cymbal deals and found these babies and can't believe how good they sound.  Hear for yourself:

Sound bad? I think not.

Stagg are another Chinese manufacturer and have clearly stepped up their game.  That's not to say that a set of £400 Zildjian hi-hats aren't worth the money, as they definitely are, and you are getting something that is created with love, experience and attention to detail at the highest level, and with good care will last you a lifetime and give you years of playing enjoyment.  I'm merely pointing out that cheap cymbals are definitely worth a look at, especially if you're on a tight budget, as I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.  If the cheap name really bugs you that much, then buy some cymbal cleaner and polish it off, but I am happy to sport them at a gig with cheap brand names in full view, as it's not what you rock, it's how you rock it.

Check out Rockem Music on ebay for amazing deals on Stagg cymbals and Birmingham Drum Centre for Dream cymbals.