Lightweight Hardware Guide
Lightweight hardware guide comparing Tama Classic, Yamaha Crosstown, DW 6000 Ultra Light and Tama Spartan. Covers packed size, carry weight, boom reach, cases, and the best set for gigging, students and compact setups, with our in-store price ranking and real-world experience informed recommendations.
Lightweight Hardware Guide
There are loads of ways to “travel light” with hardware, but at Graham Russell Drums we tend to see the same three priorities come up again and again.
1. Packed size (what fits in the smallest bag, and what is realistic to carry)
2. Weight (especially if you are on public transport, stairs, or long load-ins)
3. Placement and stability (how far you can reach, how wide the footprint is, and how it behaves with bigger cymbals) We don't want your cymbals going out into the world and crashing to the floor !
Below are the lightweight options we rate in-store from DW, Tama, and Yamaha, plus the real-world trade-offs that actually matter once you start gigging them.
DW 6000 Series
DW’s 6000 hardware is built around a retro-style flat base, which keeps the footprint tidy and gives you loads of placement flexibility when your kit is tight on stage. The DW 6000 Series Ultra Light Hardware Pack with Bag is aimed at drummers who gig a lot and want something compact, lightweight, and still properly solid. It includes a hi-hat stand, snare stand, two straight cymbal stands, and the UL hardware bag.
The pack includes DWCP6500UL hi-hat stand, DWCP6300UL snare stand, two DWCP6710UL straight cymbal stands, plus the DW UL Hardware Bag.
A big advantage here is the bag system, since the interior can be reconfigured to carry extra bits like a pedal or accessories, rather than being locked into one layout.
Boom stands do exist in the 6000 world, but with any ultra-light setup you always need to think about balance and reach. Flat base designs naturally encourage closer-in cymbal placement, which is great for compact setups, but less ideal if you like cymbals way out in space. The boom arms in the 6000UL series are not that long at all
Tama The Classic hardware
The Tama HC4FB Classic Hardware Pack is the “small bag, gets the job done” option. It is a proper pack and it comes in the smallest case of the main lightweight sets we carry.
The Tama Classic Hardware Pack is the most compact full pack we stock. It includes two HC52F cymbal stands, HH55F hi-hat stand, HS50S snare stand, plus a carrying bag.
That bag is properly small for a full pack, at 670mm x 180mm x 190mm, which is why this setup works so well for students, rehearsals, function work, and anyone doing public transport or tight load-ins.
The main limitation is simple. This range is about minimal footprint and minimal bulk, so it suits straight-ahead setups best. If you need booms for awkward cymbal positions, you will either add attachments or look at a different stand choice for your cymbals.
The matching pedal option
If you are building a lightweight rig, the pedal is the piece you feel the most. Tama’s HP50 The Classic pedal is popular for this sort of setup because it folds down into a compact shape for transport, so it pairs nicely with a small hardware bag and fits in perfectly along with one or two extra Tama Classic stands!
Tama Spartan
The Tama Spartan Boom Cymbal Stand is a really useful option if you want lightweight hardware but still need a boom for reach and positioning. It is designed around portability and fast setup, but it is not a full hardware pack in the same way the Classic or Crosstown sets are, it is a cymbal stand solution.
In other words, Spartan makes loads of sense if your current lightweight setup is missing just one thing, proper boom placement, and you want to solve that without suddenly jumping back to heavy stands.
There is also a Spartan Straight Stand Available!
Yamaha Crosstown
The Yamaha Crosstown HW3 Hardware Pack is the all-rounder lightweight pack designed to be 25–34% lighter than comparable standard hardware and it might be one of if not the best selling hardware pack we have ever had in store. It is aluminium hardware and comes as a full usable set with two CS3 cymbal stands, one SS3 snare stand and one HHS3 hi-hat stand, plus a carry case that is designed to take the pack and still have room for extras like most thrones and pedals.
It’s worth noting there is no Crosstown pedal in the range but the Yamaha FP7210A single chain drive pedal would keep the whole setup lightweight and packs down neatly for the Crosstown case as it does not have a solid floor plate.
Crosstown is a great choice when you want the feel of a full pack with a slightly more substantial, modern stand design, but still want to keep the carry weight sensible. The trade-off is that this range is about straight stands and compact positioning, not long booms.
Price ranking on the GRD website, plus the direct comparison that matters
Based on the sets we stock at Graham Russell Drums right now, the pack pricing ranks like this.
1. Tama HC4FB Classic Hardware Pack (least expensive)
2. Yamaha Crosstown HW3 Hardware Pack
3. DW 6000 Series Ultra Light Hardware Pack with Bag (most expensive)
Now the important bit, what you actually get for that money.
Packed size and transport
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Smallest bag goes to Tama Classic. If you are prioritising “fits anywhere”, it wins.
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DW and Yamaha both come with sturdier, roomier cases. They take more space, but they give you more flexibility for adding extra stands, pedals, and accessories.
Booms and cymbal reach
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If you need booms, Spartan is the clean solution in this lightweight category.
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Crosstown and Classic are ideal when your cymbals sit fairly close and you do not rely on boom reach.
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DW 6000 can do booms in the wider series, but the flat base philosophy still leans towards compact, balanced placement rather than maximum reach.
Footprint and stage layout
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DW 6000 flat base is brilliant when you have limited stage space and want stands to sit “in” the kit rather than sprawled around it.
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Crosstown feels like a modern lightweight stand layout.
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Classic stays minimal and tidy, especially when your whole setup is built around compact positioning.
Value for what you get
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Best value pack tends to be Tama Classic, because it is a full pack, comes with the smallest bag, and covers the core stands most drummers need.
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Most premium is DW, with the flat base design language and the reconfigurable bag system.
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Best all-round pack feel is Crosstown, especially if you want a complete aluminium hardware setup with a case that is designed to carry more than just the stands.
The GRD real-world take (and why I went Tama Classic)
I went for the Tama Classic set myself and built it out. I added the matching pedal and an extra stand, so I ended up with three Classic straight stands, two snare stands (one for rack tom, one for snare), a hi-hat stand, and the bass drum pedal, and it still all fits into the smallest case of the bunch.
For me, the priority was size. I was travelling to university, and I needed to get hardware, cymbals, and a snare onto a bus to get around town without it becoming a mission. That is exactly where lightweight hardware makes the biggest difference.
If your priorities are different, the answer changes. If you need booms, Spartan suddenly makes a lot of sense. If you want the most complete aluminium pack feel, Crosstown is hard to beat. If you want flat base placement and a premium bag system, DW 6000 is the one.
Do not overlook used hardware
If budget is tight, here at GRD we pride ourselves on our used drum hardware stock. Pre-owned drum hardware can be a smart way to build a gig-ready setup for less. Anything we sell is checked and complete, so you are not gambling on missing parts or half-working stands. From time to time, we may have a full range of pre-owned lightweight options available in store. Keep an eye on our social media and the pre-owned hardware category page for updates.
Short summary
Tama Classic is the smallest packed full set, Yamaha Crosstown is the best all-round lightweight pack, DW 6000 Ultra Light is the premium flat-base option, and Tama Spartan is the go-to lightweight boom solution when cymbal placement needs more reach.
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