17yo looking to get into drums, torn between acoustic and electronic (mesh) at a ~$400 budget (₹30-35k)
17, played a little before but not experienced, thinking about finally getting a kit. Moving out for college in about a year though, so not sure if an acoustic kit makes sense if I can't realistically take it with me. Also tend to play late at night when I actually have free time, so silent practice matters a lot.
Budget's around $400, with the slightest wiggle room above that, if a better value can be achieved.
Been going back and forth and I see acoustic is physically doable at my house (enough distance from neighbors, could even panel a wall or two somewhat), but electronic solves both the late-night thing and the "won't be dragging a full kit to college" part of it. If electronic, leaning mesh over rubber/silicone.
At this budget I keep seeing the models Alesis Nitro Max, Alesis Turbo Mesh, or Kadence MD200S getting thrown about every now and then but from what I've read: Nitro Max has some rack durability complaints and mixed reviews on kick pad noise, Turbo Mesh has a weaker module and no Bluetooth, Kadence had at least one report of a defective unit with bad support (small sample though).
Also, even though I'm a beginner, ideally I don't want something I'll outgrow in six months. Upgrading later is going to be a real hassle for me logistically, so I'd rather get something with a bit of room to grow if possible in this range.
Anyone own a Nitro Max long-term (my top-pick so far, probably)? How's the rack held up, is the kick actually loud? Also curious if anyone's dealt with Kadence electronic kits. And if acoustic's the better call here despite the move, open to that too.
TL;DR: 17M, ~$400 budget, moving in a year, need quiet late-night practice, don't want to outgrow the kit fast. Torn between Nitro Max / Turbo Mesh / Kadence MD200S / going acoustic instead.
(used AI to help write this up, couldn't type it all out myself without making it 8 pages long, but everything said above is genuine and i've finally given up and decided i need outside help from actual experienced people over my constant hours of reading reviews, blogs and consulting LLMS..)