Pearl Export drum kit | Ultimate guide (2026)

The Pearl Export drum kit is globally known as one of (if not) the best intermediate-level drum kits you can buy. There is a valid reason for this. It is a lot of drum kit for the money.

A drummer’s gear journey usually goes like this.

1. Buys a cheap drum kit
2. Realises they love the drums
3. Progresses to a Pearl Export drum kit
4. Eventually moves on to a more expensive kit of their choice

We first wrote this guide in 2021, when Pearl had just refreshed the range. Five years on, the Export has picked up a better hardware pack, a stack of new finishes and a new set of cymbals in the box. So what exactly do you get in 2026, and does it still deserve its reputation? Let’s find out.

What has changed since 2021?

If you read the original version of this guide, here is the short version of what is different now.

• A better hardware pack. The HWP-830 pack with one boom and one straight cymbal stand has been replaced by the HWP-834, which gives you two boom stands plus a tom holder.
• New cymbals in the UK and Europe. Full kits over here now ship with a Sabian PX cymbal set rather than the old SBR pack.
• New finishes. Three swirl wraps arrived in 2024, and two more, Midnight Blue and Satin Scarlet, dropped in 2025.
• Nothing structural. The shells, the Opti-Loc mounts and the three core configurations are the same, and Pearl’s NAMM 2026 launches (the eRoadshow electronic kit, the Primal snare range and the Eliminator Mono Pro pedal) left the Export alone. It is Pearl’s 80th anniversary year, and the Export is very much a “don’t fix what isn’t broken” product.

The legacy

Pearl Export is the best-selling drum kit of all time. It passed the one million mark back in 1995, and it has not slowed down since. First released in 1982, the Export has been on quite a journey. As you can imagine with a drum kit of this heritage, it has had a few names.

Drum roll, please… Pearl Export EX, ELX, ESX, EPX, EXR, EXX and EXL, with multiple versions of each over the years.

How did Pearl Export drums become popular?

Pearl Export kits have always sat in the sweet spot between the very cheapest drum kits that don’t sound great and the entry professional level kits that are expensive. That makes the Export ideal for players who love the drums and want a good sounding kit but don’t need a professional one. For example, drummers who mostly play at home and maybe some smaller shows.

Why are Pearl Export drums still so popular?

The legacy is so strong for a couple of reasons. Mainly, because the kit has been around for over forty years, many of today’s professional drummers have owned a Pearl Export at some point. We know how influential the pros are to up and coming drummers. If your favourite pro had one, why wouldn’t you want one?

Secondly, those drummers who had an Export as their first kit are now adults buying their kids a Pearl Export.

Who is the Pearl Export for?

The Export is a step-up kit. If you are buying your very first drums on the tightest budget, our beginner drum kit buying guide covers cheaper options.

But if you know you are going to stick with drumming, the Export is the kit that will not need replacing in a year. It is good enough to gig, good enough to record at home, and good enough that a lot of drum teachers use them as their lesson kits.

What are the Pearl Export drum kit shells made with?

The Pearl Export shells are a six-ply, 7.5mm blend of white poplar and dark Asian mahogany. It is a blend of woods, so you can’t be too sure of the exact ratios used, but the idea is that the poplar gives you attack and the mahogany gives you warmth and low end.

The main thing to note is that Pearl uses SST (Superior Shell Technology) to make them. SST is a high-temperature, high-pressure hydraulic curing system, and the plies are bonded with Pearl’s AcoustiGlue, which dries to the same consistency as the wood so there are no gaps or pockets of air in the shell.

So in short, you are getting a blended wood shell with the characteristics of a single ply. Using a blend of woods means two cheaper kinds of wood can be combined to mimic the sound of a more expensive one. It is the same recipe Pearl has used since the EXX arrived in 2013, and there is a reason they have not changed it.

Here is Pearl showing off the two newest wraps, Midnight Blue and Satin Scarlet, on a full kit:

What hardware comes on the drums?

The most notable feature on the Pearl Export drums is the Opti-Loc tom suspension mount. It suspends the tom from two tension rods and one of the air vents, so the shell is held at just three points. Drums resonate at their best with minimal contact with the shell, so this is a welcome feature at the price.

Beyond the Opti-Loc mount, the rest of the hardware on the drums is standard for a mid-tier kit: 2.3mm hoops, Pearl’s classic lugs and a set of bass drum spurs with retractable spikes. There is nothing wrong with that, and it is expected to keep the price down.

What comes in the box?

This is where the 2026 Export differs most from the kit we wrote about in 2021. The full kit is genuinely everything you need to start playing.

The HWP-834 hardware pack

Every full Export kit now ships with the HWP-834 pack, which replaced the older HWP-830. Inside you get:

• 2x BC-830 boom cymbal stands
• 1x H-830 hi-hat stand
• 1x S-830 snare drum stand
• 1x TH70I tom holder
• 1x P-930 Demonator bass drum pedal

The upgrade over the old pack is the second boom stand. The HWP-830 gave you one boom and one straight stand, and a straight stand is a pain to position over a rack tom. Two booms is how most of us set up anyway.

The P-930 Demonator is the star of the pack. It is a proper chain-drive pedal with a Demon-style footboard, and it is far better than the pedals bundled with most kits at this price. Plenty of drummers keep it long after they have upgraded everything else.

The cymbals

The cymbals depend on where you buy. In the UK and Europe, full kits come with a Sabian PX pack: 14” hi-hats, a 16” crash and a 20” ride. In the US, the big retailers bundle the Export with Zildjian Planet Z cymbals in a 13” hi-hat, 16” crash and 20” ride set, and you will still find older stock with the Sabian SBR pack we described back in 2021.

Whichever pack you get, be honest with yourself about what they are. These are brass cymbals designed to get you playing on day one. They are fine to learn on, but they will be the first thing you upgrade. That is not a criticism of the kit. Even a bad set of brass cymbals costs Pearl something, and it keeps the price of the whole package down.

The heads

Out of the box you get Remo UT heads all round: clear single-ply heads on the toms, a UT Powerstroke 3 on the bass drum and a coated head on the snare. They are Remo’s budget line, made in Asia rather than the US, but they are a big step up from the no-name heads on cheaper kits and they tune up nicely. Run the kit through our free drum tuner before you judge the sound. Most disappointing kits are badly tuned ones.

What is the difference between the Pearl Export EXX and Pearl Export EXL?

In short, the Pearl Export EXX and EXL are the same drums. The EXL has a lacquer finish rather than the wrap you will find on the EXX. Because of the lacquer, the EXL costs a little more.

So if you prefer one of the wrap finishes on the EXX, you may as well save yourself some money. There is nothing else you are missing out on.

What finishes can the Pearl Export be purchased in?

This is where Pearl has been busiest. The exact list varies by region and by shop, so treat this as a guide rather than a catalogue.

Pearl Export EXX finishes

The long-running wraps are still here: Jet Black (#31), Pure White (#33), Smokey Chrome (#21), High Voltage Blue (#717), Burgundy (#760), Grindstone Sparkle (#708) and Mirror Chrome (#49). Some shops still list Electric Blue Sparkle, Black Cherry Glitter and Red Wine from older runs.

New for 2024 were three swirl wraps:

• Slipstream White (#777)
• Graphite Silver Twist (#778)
• Metallic Amethyst Twist (#779)

New for 2025 were two more:

• Midnight Blue (#863)
• Satin Scarlet (#864)

The swirl finishes are the ones to look at if you want the kit to stand out. Metallic Amethyst Twist in particular looks like a much more expensive drum kit from a few feet away. Our pick of the newest pair is Midnight Blue. Satin Scarlet is lovely but it is a satin wrap, so it shows fingerprints more than the gloss ones.

Pearl Export EXL finishes

The EXL has three stocking lacquers:

• Natural Cherry (#246)
• Black Smoke (#248)
• Honey Amber (#249)

On top of those, the four fades that were new when we first wrote this guide are still around, but they are getting harder to find:

• Azure Daybreak
• Raspberry Sunset
• Ember Dawn
• Indigo Night

Several UK shops have now marked the fade kits as discontinued, so if the Azure Daybreak blue fade is the one for you (it was our pick in 2021 and still is), buy it when you see it.

What configurations of the Pearl Export are available?

The Pearl Export has three core configurations. All of them are five-piece kits, and the full-kit versions come with the HWP-834 hardware pack and a cymbal set, so you get everything you need to start playing straight out of the box. You just need to choose from one of the tom configurations below.

Pearl’s model numbers tell you what is bundled. EXX725 is the drums, the letters after it (S, N, BR, Z and so on) describe the tom sizes and whether hardware and cymbals are in the box, and the number after the slash is the finish code. Shops use these inconsistently, so check the sizes and the “what’s included” list rather than the code.

Option 1 (the studio set, 20” bass drum)

Model numbers start EXX705N (wrap) or EXL705N (lacquer).

• 20”x16” bass drum
• 10”x7” tom
• 12”x8” tom
• 14”x14” floor tom
• 14”x5.5” snare drum

This is the one for small rooms and jazz or funk players. The 20” kick is punchy, easy to tune and much easier to get in a hatchback.

Option 2 (the fusion set, 22” bass drum)

Model numbers start EXX725S or EXL725S.

• 22”x18” bass drum
• 10”x7” tom
• 12”x8” tom
• 16”x16” floor tom
• 14”x5.5” snare drum

The all-rounder. Small, fast toms up top and a big bass drum and floor tom underneath. If you are not sure which to pick, pick this one.

Option 3 (the rock set, 22” bass drum)

Model numbers start EXX725 or EXL725.

• 22”x18” bass drum
• 12”x8” tom
• 13”x9” tom
• 16”x16” floor tom
• 14”x5.5” snare drum

The classic Export sizes. Bigger rack toms for a bigger, deeper sound. If you play rock, this is the one.

The big ones

Pearl also runs limited-edition larger configurations from time to time. The most recent is an eight-piece Export in Graphite Slate with two 22” bass drums, 8”, 10” and 12” rack toms and 14” and 16” floor toms, sold with the HWP-834 pack and PX cymbals. Some UK shops have built a nine-piece “Beast” kit the same way. These are shop-specific and come and go, so if you want a monster Export, ask your local dealer what they can put together.

Is the Pearl Export drum kit good value for money?

Without a doubt. Prices have crept up since 2021 like everything else, but so has what is in the box.

In the UK, expect to pay somewhere around £800 for a full five-piece kit with the 834 hardware pack and PX cymbals, a little more for the lacquer EXL. In the US, the drums with hardware come in at around $1,100, with the cymbal bundles above that. Shell-pack-only options exist in both places if you already have the rest.

When you consider that you aren’t just getting a shell pack, you are getting a proper hardware pack, a pedal worth keeping and a set of cymbals to learn on, that is a lot of drums for the money.

The only time it may not be the best deal for you is if you mainly want the shells. If you already have cymbals, a snare you like and a bass drum pedal, it may be cheaper to buy the shell pack rather than be left with a load of redundant parts. And if the budget will stretch a fair bit further, have a look at the Pearl Session Studio Select, which is the next rung up the Pearl ladder.

Where can I buy a Pearl Export drum kit?

As you can imagine with the best-selling drum kit in the world, you can pick one up almost anywhere. Most online music stores sell it, or you can visit your local drum shop and hear one in the room, which we always recommend.

The right shop depends on where you are: Guitar Center in the Americas, Gear4music in the UK, or Thomann for Europe and the rest of the world.

Because so many Exports have been sold, the used market is enormous. A tidy second-hand EXX is one of the best-value drum kits going. Check used Pearl Export kits on Reverb and the Reverb price guide before you pay new money, and read our guide to buying used drums online first.

Hear it in action

Frequently asked questions

Do Pearl Export drum kits come with cymbals?

The full kits do. In the UK and Europe that is a Sabian PX set (14” hi-hats, 16” crash, 20” ride). In the US it is usually a Zildjian Planet Z set (13” hi-hats, 16” crash, 20” ride). Older stock came with Sabian SBR. All of them are brass cymbals that are fine to learn on and will be the first thing you upgrade. Shell-pack versions come without cymbals, so check the listing.

Do Pearl Export drum kits come with hardware?

Yes. Full kits ship with the HWP-834 hardware pack: two BC-830 boom cymbal stands, an S-830 snare stand, an H-830 hi-hat stand, a TH70I tom holder and the P-930 Demonator bass drum pedal.

What heads come on the Pearl Export drum kits?

Remo UT heads: clear on the toms, a UT Powerstroke 3 on the bass drum and a coated head on the snare.

Is the Pearl Export a beginner kit or an intermediate kit?

Both, really. It is the kit we recommend to beginners who know they will stick with it, and it is good enough that plenty of gigging drummers never feel the need to replace it. Find more options on our beginner drum kits hub.

Does the Pearl Export come with a throne or sticks?

Not as standard. Some shops bundle a throne and sticks into their own packages, so it is worth a look, but do not assume they are in the box.

Final thoughts

The Pearl Export is iconic, and in 2026 it still lives up to the reputation. Sure, the competition has grown since it launched back in the ’80s, but the recipe of solid SST shells, a hardware pack you will actually keep and a finish for every taste still holds up.

If you are starting out and can stretch to an Export over the cheaper entry kits, it is a great investment. The sound and build will make your drumming journey a little sweeter, and you won’t need to upgrade for a better-sounding replacement any time soon. Our honest caveat is the same as it was five years ago: budget for better cymbals down the line.

If you are looking for an alternative, we recommend having a look at the Tama Imperialstar drum kit. And if you are stuck between the two, ask our Gear Guru and it will talk you through it.