This was surprising to me, I got this cymbal to pair with the same PST5 series 18'' '14 Crash / Ride and I must say that for most of the punk rock / loud / metal stuff I usually play, this blew the other cymbal out of the water. It crashed louder, in an assertive way, and proved suitable for crash / riding in loud contexts. Less washiness and sustain though, when compared, but still a very good practical crash cymbal that does its job brilliantly.