(For the sake of clarity, I will refer to Remo and Encore as separate identities)

Background:
So my Mapex horizon kit has needed a rehead for like the last 2 years but it has almost solely been used for teaching on as I never gigged with it much anymore. So I decided I’d get some cheap ‘beater’ heads because it would save a bit of money and I’m also a firm believer that practice kits don’t need good heads and to save them for the gigging/studio kits. So I went to thomann and found the encore series of heads which had varied reviews. But since they were well under half the price of normal Remo’s I figured I’d try them out.

The review:
I bought Encore Pinstripes for the batter heads of the toms and Encore Ambassadors for the reso.
The kick has an encore power stroke 3 and encore ambassador.
(I also have put a Encore CS head and Encore hazy side on a snare but that is on the kit in the background)

My first impressions were they felt alright. They didn’t ship in separate boxes but in bags (I actually prefer this, easier to store). When compared to their Remo counterparts, the metal hoops are thinner but other than that I couldn’t tell much of a difference on the clear heads. On the coated heads there was definitely a drop in the consistency and quality of the coating… but I ignored this because I doubt any audience members would realistically notice (they gotta cut corners somewhere).

Tuning them up felt standard and they felt like tuning Remo’s. My first impressions were they actually sounded pretty good, a lot better than I had hoped. Once I got the drums tuned up I played them and then let them sit for a couple of days and came back and they had lost a bit of the tuning after settling in. After a retune tho they have held their tuning pretty solidly for the last month. 

Now I can’t speak for how long they last compared to Remo but what I can say is that if a head did break: 
2x sets of encore heads for this kit is less money than 1x set of Remo’s.

They are a huge step up from many of the beginner heads that come stock on many kits that I’ve set up for my pupils. And if you know how to tune drums you will be able to get a fully gigable sound out of them. And from the way some of my beginners have hit them and me stress testing them, it’s safe to say they would definitely survive a good amount of gigs.

Now the big win with encore heads I would say is their bass drum heads. They offer a couple of Remo’s most popular heads but in a budget form and they definitely pack a punch. And they’re ridiculously cheap. I switched all of my bass drum heads to Encore Powerstroke 3’s for studio recordings, live gigs, full shows and musicals. So far I haven’t broken one, and I have had so many compliments about my kit and kick from the sound guys.

Final Thoughts:
If you are on a budget or need some new ‘thrash’ heads for a practice kit. Then Remo encore are 100% the way to go. 
While the encore heads do sound and feel good all around the kit. Personally I would have a mix of encores and Remo’s. 

Snare - Remo 100%
Kick - Encore 100%
Toms - Remo / Encore 50% (I can’t choose)

Hope that was useful for someone!
Thanks for reading :)

DJSS Drums
 

Genuinely surprised by budget ‘encore’ Remo heads!