This is an excellent, bright, full-bodied crash cymbal for a variety of styles of music. It speaks quickly and has just the right amount of sustain. It's loud enough to act as a great crash/ride in the heaviest heavy metal song, but also sensitive enought to respond to a light touch at fairly low volumes. The cymbal also works as a ride with a nice ping and cool wash when played softly, and its bell has an excellent, clear, cutting sound. The 18" size means that this isn't the ideal cymbal for VERY low-volume applications - a cymbal of this size and weight naturally has a certain volume level - so a smaller size Full Crash would probably work better for your dinner-party gig at the local hotel. But if you're playing pop, rock, R&B, or metal, you should definitely check this out.
The 18 " Full Crash isn't an indestructible cymbal; I've personally cracked two over a period of 10 years of regular playing, most of that heavy metal (so they do hold up pretty well!). But while they don't last forever, Paiste's legandary quality control ensures that if you do have to get a replacement, it'll sound damn near identical to the one you had before.
