Tom go to the store.....  The problem has become that people buy cymbals based on sizes and makes of other players.  This is the most wrong thing I think a drummer could ever do.  

Quick story about a lost sale at the guitar center here:  A drummer spent 8 hours in the store going thru EVERY cymbal available.  Yes, he made them pull everything out of the back.  He finally found 8 cymbals and a pair of hats he loved and that worked together.  He bought a new clutch as well and stacked them all up on the clutch.  He then paid 50% down and told them he would be back in a week.  A week later when he showed back up to pay them off and pick them up he was told they had broke the set up and returned them to the shelves.  The drummer raised so much hell that the store manager called the police on him.  The police office told the store that they had made a huge mistake.  He also told them to make this customer happy or they could be in big trouble (we are talking about over $1800 worth of cymbals).  To rectify the situation he was given all the cymbals for FREE.

EACH AND EVERY cymbal is different (yes even by the same manufacturer).  You must go and listen to each and every one.  You also need to have a good idea of what your other cymbals sound like so that it will fit in the soundscape (studio talk).  I personally loved my old Zildjian 24" big bell from the '60s but it got lost and I've never found another like it.  Now I use a 20" Sabian Rock Ride most of the time but have the 22" in the same style, a 20" Piaste Rude and a couple of old 18", 20 and 22" Zildjians.  Different sounds for different styles...

Good luck

Studio Technologies

thats true also. when i pick out a new cymbal, i bring all my cymbals with me, and compare the tones. That way you dont buy a 16" crash and a 19" crash that end up with the exact same tone. I've done that twice previously.

kind of sucks though....maybe sabian and other company's should pay me hundreds of thousands a year to beat all their cymbals for a month before they sell them....sound like a winner?

Better if you could borrow the cymbal (leave a hefty deposit) and try it with your cymbals on your own kit, and with your band, if possible.

I bought a ride once that sounded awesome in the store, and with my cymbals, but when I got it into my "element" like with my band, it was completely different.

Play it instore like everyone has said and on a kit as well. I made the mistake of buying a Zildjian A series 21" Rock Ride out of the brochure and hated it the moment I got it home. TRY TRY TRY B4 U BUY