Black Shark Cannon Review: A 14×8 Deep Snare With Serious Low End

Reviewed by a working pro drummer collabed with Beatello.

The Black Shark Cannon is Beatello's 14×8 deep snare, and it's built around one idea: low-end punch. The matte black carbon steel shell goes eight inches deep, with eighteen precision-drilled vents to keep it from getting muddy. At $99 (down from $119), it's aimed at rock and metal drummers who want that chest-thumping backbeat without spending real money.

Sound

The low end is the whole point, and it delivers. An eight-inch-deep steel shell gives you a fat, dark backbeat with real thump, and the eighteen vents keep the response open instead of choking it. Owners keep saying the same thing: it cuts through loud guitars and has almost no ring. Rimshots pop clean, without the tinny top end cheap steel snares usually have.

The honest catch is the stock head. It ships sounding a little dead, and a couple of owners say it only really opens up after you swap in a fresh batter and snare-side head. Robert G. bought two and says they tightened up nicely out of the box but would be better with new heads. It's a cheap, easy fix, but plan on it if you want the sound the spec sheet promises.

Build Quality

The build is solid but unremarkable. Twelve chrome lugs and 2.0 mm reinforced hoops hold tune evenly, and the matte black finish looks clean.

The trade-offs are the same as every budget deep snare: the stock heads are the weak point, and quality control can be hit or miss across units. On the plus side, you get a 1-year warranty, 30-day returns, and US-warehouse shipping in three to seven days, which softens the risk.

Features

Features are where this stays a focused budget snare. You get the deep shell, eighteen vents, twelve lugs, a 45-degree bearing edge, and premium steel snare wires. Solid basics, nothing fancy like a high-end throw-off or upgraded hoops. It's a no-frills rock snare, and that's the point.

Value

This is where the Black Shark wins. It's $99, normally $119, and there's a bundle that throws in a drumhead and a five-piece overtone control set for about the same money. Good luck finding another 14×8 deep snare with this much low end anywhere near that price.

That fat rock backbeat usually costs way more from the name brands, so you're getting the sound for a fraction of what a comparable deep snare runs. If you can handle a head swap and a little hardware fiddling, the value is hard to beat. A couple of owners even note these resell easily if you ever move on.

Verdict

The Black Shark Cannon earns its spot by delivering the one thing a deep snare is supposed to have: serious low-end punch with a dark, articulate tone, at a price that's tough to argue with. For rock and metal players who don't mind swapping the stock head and doing a little light hardware TLC, it's an easy recommend.

Specifications

• TypeDeep-shell snare drum
• Drum size14 × 8 inch
• Shell materialMatte black-finished carbon steel
• Shell designDeep shell with 18 precision-drilled air vents
• Bearing edge45-degree precision bearing edge
• Lugs12 chrome-plated steel lugs
• Batter headPre-mounted Carbon Black sandblast low-frequency head
• Hoops2.0 mm reinforced bronze steel flanged hoops
• Snare wiresPremium steel snare wires
• Price$99 (regularly $119)