snare drum opinion wanted

[drumaddix]

hi all,
Has anyone owned or played the Smitty smith sig.snare or the Mapex 12x5 Black panther maple.I'd like some professional advice for a next purchase.I've heard good things about the Smitty's but was turned on to Mapex recently.
Need some in-depth info if you guys have some.
Thanks

[palmerlouie]

i went to a virgil clinic last night (that guys power and projection blows my mind) and his new sig snare sounded gorgeous - so much so that i bought one!! really lovely sounding drum - i dont often get that excited about snare's but this was great.

[Randy walker]

I actually own a 12x5 black panther, very nice drum for recording. Gavin Harrison uses a 12" snare quite abit in the studio.

[CLWarunki]

Comparing those two snares is like apples vs. oranges. They are different in EVERY aspect!
One is maple, the other is copper. One is 14" diamiter and the other 12", etc.

I've heard a lot of good things about Smitty's snare, but it is a piccolo. The 12" mapex might be a bit more powerful, but limiting as well... not great for diverse primary snare.

That's my 2 cents.