Diference between chain, belt, and direct drive?

Just like any other piece of gear, none are “best”, only best for individual tastes and purposes. Broadly, direct drive is known for speed, not feel, while strap is the other way around. Chain is pretty good at both. My personal favorite is a strap drive, because I like the feel. Some say one system delivers more power than another, but I think that has more to do with the setup of footboard angle, spring tension, and other adjustments.
 
(y) on what @bongoman said. I have used chain, strap and direct drive pedals. I prefer double over single chain. I'm currently using a Yamaha FP9500 direct drive. I like the feel. I just ordered a DW 3000 double chain to use with my BD practice pad. We'll see if that changes my opinion on the direct drive.
 
I currently use both a strap and double chain drive. Slightly different feel for each but both work well for me. i prefer a double chain because of how durable it is. I grew up using a Speed King (Direct Drive) and loved that pedal until I replaced it with a Pearl Eliminator.

I recommend you try a variety of pedals with direct drive, double chain and strap and see what feels best for you.
 
More important than whether it's chain, strap, or direct drive is the cam or linkage geometry. I had no idea how much this affects the feel of a pedal until I got a Pearl Powershifter Eliminator. It comes with 4 cams that you can change in seconds. It was a real education to learn how much that one facet changes the feel of a pedal.

Direct drive is a bit different because the chain or strap doesn't wrap around the cam, but the way in which the linkage attaches to the axle makes a big difference.

Bottom line, you just have to try different pedals yourself, because they all feel different, and feel is personal.
 
Tamboreter said:
(y) on what @bongoman said. I have used chain, strap and direct drive pedals. I prefer double over single chain. I'm currently using a Yamaha FP9500 direct drive. I like the feel. I just ordered a DW 3000 double chain to use with my BD practice pad. We'll see if that changes my opinion on the direct drive.
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Do you feel that double chains have a heavier feel?
 
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I grew up playing a speed king, after 10yr or so around 1980 I thought the Tama Camco would be good. After a week or 2, I took it back and brought a new speed king home. It just didn't feel right after playing direct drive for so long. Then Tama came out with the pro-twin and said I have to have one of those, I've been playing chain drive ever since. It took a while but I got use to chain drive with expansion springs versus direct drive with compression springs. I can't remember what the difference in feel were at that time but I remember they were definitely different.
 
First real professional pedal I had was a Speed King which I still have but I've played it to death.

Found my happy place with a DW5000 strap drive.

Never really found a chain drive I've got on with. I've got a Camco single chain.

Find what suits your foot/feet
 
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mikyok said:
Oh man, no words.

How old were they?
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They were 60's era Hollywoods stolen in the early 80's; Acro snare, 10/12/14 toms; 20" bass and some great old Zildjian cymbals, plus all the old style fiber drum cases and hardware. Every every time I see a used one in silver sparkle appear online, I wonder if it's my old one.
 
Good advice here. Also consider how you play. I find that direct drive pedals are more suited for heel down players. I play mostly heel down and I often (not always) use a direct drive pedal. I am also happy with chain and strap drives too. To me, it's more about the adjustments and how they suit your playing style. Experiment with as many different pedals as you can before you buy. Also, have an open mind. I never thought I would like a heavy feeling DW 3000 pedal or a Pearl Eliminator, but those are both great pedals and are fun to play.
 
All three are great and can suck all at the same time. Talking about single/double chain, strap or direct drive. I remember absolutely despising the old Ludwig speed king. Couldn't get it to move with me at all, but loved my Axis X so much I upgraded to an Axis A long and hated it. the X without all the adjustments and standard footboard was so much nicer. Loved my old Yamaha 700 double chain, but hated my DW 5000 double chain. I was so, so on my Yamaha 9500 direct, but liked the double chain on that one. Absolutely love the Yamaha 7210 single chain cheapo and it's a bit pricier 8210 cousin. Love the Yamaha 9410 strap drive, but double chain feels surprisingly fast and smooth also.

There's too much physics and variables involved to call one tech better than the other. The leverage we have in our feet and playing style impacts the pedal physics, so no way to say for sure. For me, I just learned I absolutely love simple pedals. Keep all the high tech stuff off my pedals and just give me something more akin to old school pedals. Good thing too, saves me boat loads of cash not jonesing for the latest and greatest micro-adjustments beasts out there.
 
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I've played Yamaha and DW pedals for years. I tried the DW 9000 chain pedal when it first came out and as much as I wanted to like it I still preferred the DW5000 chain. Fast forward to when I got a new kit and I decided to start with a fresh palette in selecting a new bass drum pedal. I tried some direct drive pedals from different manufacturers but none felt right to me. Just personal taste. I heard about a DW employee who could choose any DW pedal for free (the perks of working for DW) and he chose an older model 5000 USA strap drive. A few weeks later I located a New Old Stock 1990's DW5000 ND II strap drive pedal (pictured below) sitting in a home studio. The only mods I've done since purchasing it are switching the DW beater to a Danmar Zoro Square Felt and replacing the stock bearing with a Canopus SS 5000 Speed Master bearing. This is my lifetime pedal.

All that to say the "best" pedal is strictly determined by your personal preference for feel.

DW5000ND Delta II .png
 
I prefer the Axis A pedals because, in my opinion, nothing is as responsive, or even close to as responsive as direct drive. I use two singles.
 
Been a fan of strap myself, too bad they are not made by that many pedal manufacturers. Love my Eliminator Redlines though. I've tried a few direct drives and chain drives as well, but they just don't feel right to me in comparison. And I play quite fast doublebass rythms, so I don't feel like I sacrifice speed either. Maybe in comparison to the quickest direct drive pedals, but they feel way too light for me, I need the power and slight resistance as well.
 
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