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35 of 35 found the following review helpful:
 Great tuning tool - essential for good sound Dec 01, 2004
By Victoria Tarrani
"writer, editor, artist, designer"
I generally use the Rhythm Tech Memo Key (ASIN B0002E2EOE) to tune my heads, but this one is as good and has a feature I like more than the Rhythm Tech model - this tuning key clicks and disengages when the dialed-in torque is attained whereas the Rhythm Tech model requires you to reset a lever.
It is simple to use. All you do is hand tighten your lugs, set the dial on the key to an initial setting, then go around your drum in the standard opposing tightening pattern. Test, and increase the dial setting until you get the sound you want. Once you do achieve the sound I strongly recommend that you write the settings down so you can quickly dial in your preferred tuning the next time you tune your drums or change heads.
A few things to consider: tuning involves more than just the batter side heads, which is especially true in the case of snare drums. Unless you are seeking a flat sound, do not tune the resonant heads to the same torque as the batter side heads, else the heads will cancel each other out because they will be vibrating at the same frequency. Also, make sure your lugs are lightly oiled so that each has uniform resistance or the torque settings will be inaccurate. Finally, if you cannot get the sound you are looking for between setting increments (i.e., between dial setting #3 and #4), use a standard key and try one eigth turn increments.
Regardless of whether you play as a hobby or professionally, this key is an amazing tool that will allow you to quickly and easily change the dynamics of your drums.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Worth every penny Apr 17, 2009
By Thiago Aquino
"MusicMan"
Well, first of all I must say that I'm an experienced drummer, and not tone-deaf. Still, tuning my drums was a long and often frustrating process.
It took me a lot of time to get a beautyful, resonant sound from one head, then I moved on to the other head of the same drum, and when I thought it was nice too I played it - just to find out that the heads were out-of-tune with each other... At this point I would start to make adjustments on one head in order to try to fix this, and usually got it right, but not all the times. Then, I would start the whole thing on the next drum... It took me a couple of hours to tune the whole kit - and it's a standard five-piece drumset! Not to mention that it was not rare to have one tom with a nice, full sound, and the one next to it sounding a bit like a plastic trash can...
Sounds familiar? Well, I must say that those days are over. Now, with this key I can easily and quickly have the sound I want from each drum. It is very easy to get both heads resonating - and it makes a BIG difference on he sound. It also encouraged me to quickly and effectively try different tensions and explore the whole pitch range of the toms and snare drum. I'm proud to say that, after playing the same kit for almost ten years, I'm finally discovering my drums' true sound.
That said, remember: for this key to work, you need to have a drum with flat shell borders, flat hoops, lubricated and aligned lugs and tension rods, and new heads. Otherwise the tension reading on the lugs will be inaccurate. Also, you might still need a regular drumkey for fine tuning - and for the hardware: this key is not supposed to mess around with tom holders and cymbal stands!
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Good product but not perfect Feb 15, 2010
By Nekcih
"Mark"
This product does exactly what it says. It helps you get equal tension on the tuning rods. It DOES NOT help you tune your drums. Having equal rod tension doesn't necessarily mean that your drum head will have even tone distribution. It helped me tune a bit faster than doing it by ear. I wish I had purchases the drum dial instead and probably still will. You need a measurement of the head, not the tuning rods.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
The Evans Torque Key Does The Job Jul 16, 2010
By Wilee D
As many know, there is a standard way to tune a drum head, and the tension of any given rod might feel different than another, yet the pitch of the head will be the same at those positions. The torque key functions on rod tension - BUT - IF your rods are lubricated properly and the rods and tension sleeves are clean, you'll be surprised how close you can come with this key, and how fast head changing and tuning can be. You simply dial in the tension you want, then tune the head as normal, until the key clicks off at the given tension. Once you know what tension reading you want for any given drum and drum head, the next time you tune or change a head, simply dial in that tension and tune the head - simple. You can fine tune the head after that if you need, but after a bit of use, you'll find you can tune a head with this key quickly, and equal tension should be quite close each time. Super useful for a quick head change at a gig. And the tension head slot on the key is magnetized which is also handy. It's comfortable and easy to use. I think the large black portion is nice, compared to the size of a normal drum key. I'm on my second one, only because I used it as a normal drum key for tightening bass drum foot pedals, etc. Don't do that. Use it to tighten drum heads only and it will last a very long time. It's not a magic bullet. It is a tool; to help you do a job. I'll always have one in my stick bag.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A Must-Have Tool Dec 05, 2009
By David
Tune your snare the way you like it; test your Evans Torque Key to get a reading; write it on your head and it makes tune-ups a breeze.
Also keep it handy during sessions for quick re-tunes in case things slip a little or you want to dial up or down a little.
One of the little inventions that make it easier for players.
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