I've had a a Oriental Zil for like 2 months and it's cracked, as have my top hats and 14" crash, I think this is because my dad's garage (seperate to house) is quite cold... but 2 months? How do you slope your chinas without putting such pressure on them when you hit them? Maybe I need some new felts, they're sloped too

You could use cymbal springs for your chinas. Also make sure you're hitting your cymbals correctly.. Paiste Cymbals: Frequently Asked Questions check the "Correct Playing Technique" You need to almost "swipe" your cymbals instead of hitting them straight down. Now you can't do this really if your riding on your crash or china but for quick hits its a good thing to keep in mind...

For the hihats, make sure you're not hitting them perpendicular with your stick..aka dont hit like this --\ (the \ being your stick) but instead hit the same as you would your crash cymbals.. (i can't make text look correct so I hope you know what I mean)

Also, do NOT over tighten your cymbals. Not only will it choke them, but make them crack quickly.

Best of luck!

o man...i got a cracked cymbal too...but i think its the cold in your case...see i dont know about the hat tho..i never heard anybody crack a hi hat...that is weird..!

I have a cracked hi-hat before, it's a local and cheap one though

My friend had a crack in his splash cymbals before which the original size was 10"

He had it re shaped in a machine shop up to the point of the crack so it's size now is about 9.5"-9.3"

My hats are Paiste sig reflector dark crisp hats - not cheap things so I think it has to be the cold.

I try to hit my china with a sideways kind of hit rather then straight down but this is the 2nd china or mine to crack (waiting to get one back from Paiste warranty) it sucks, I'm going to try and fix it some how, I've got a radiator permanently on up there now.

George got any tips for how to hit chinas if your there?

Ah shit man that does suck as you say they are not cheap to replace especially when the warranty does run out.Might seem a pain but every time you finish practicing/rehearsing take them off & leave them in your main house it only takes minutes to take them off and put them back on???Atleast it will save you the dissapointment of discovering new cracks as i'm sure the cold will play a part in this.Also backing what the other guys say,overtightening them,the way you hit them play a big part in their lifespan.I have 3 or so cymbals that have new cracks in them it's gutting

I do not over tighten anymore, I've learnt my lesson there, I'm sure I'm hitting them fine, really going to try and get my room warmed up, thanks for the input guys.

i use the same cymbals since lots of years , mostly sabian aa ; aax & b8 pro !!! i just broke few very cheap ones !!!

i play some paiste alpha cymbals for a long time now
even if there are thin ones they last really long

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Your countries are hotter then mine though, I really think it's got to be that it must be too cold up in my room.