What Ploughman said... Some time back I asked the question about why Big R Rogers drums were so cheap. Big R's are really the deal - if you can find 'em. Big R's are even more undervalued than Slingerland drums.

And, although slightly higher in cost than an Acrolite, a Big R Super Ten COS snare. There are wood models as well, but they command a bit more in price. For a newbie, it'll be slightly harder to tune until you get on to it. It's got twenty tuning points -vs- sixteen on the Acrolite - but wow, what a snare!