This is a question that everyone who is diving into the world of handpans for the first time and wants to buy their first handpan asks themselves. The most important thing to know first: Welcome to the new age of handpans. Congratulations on having such a wide and varied selection of handpan drum instruments. Not even five years ago, there was hardly any visible offer of high-quality handpans and certainly no real comparison. And the handpan offers that did exist were usually absolutely overpriced. Fortunately, a lot has changed in recent years: More and more high-quality manufacturers and instrument makers have developed. Prices have become more moderate. Suppliers like Handpan.World stock different brands, create comparability and set up places to try things out, test them and get good advice.
Despite the great development, the handpan market is still full of pitfalls, traps and dubious providers, or simply poor quality. The offers, price-performance, quality and service of the handpan manufacturers and providers sometimes differ immensely. Finding the right provider is therefore the most relevant factor in your handpan choice. In this article, we give you some pointers on what you should look out for when choosing your handpan provider.
The heart in the right place
Making a handpan is a high level of craftsmanship that requires a lot of experience and dedication. There are now numerous suppliers of handpans - not all of them are trustworthy and unfortunately, many of them do not offer a balanced ratio between quality and price. Read our article about low-quality cheap offers , which we strongly advise against. In our tests, we have not had any good experiences with handpans under 1000€.
We believe that where you buy your handpan is an important consideration, and we would like to help you with the following criteria. This way, you can check the honesty of the numerous providers, some of whom may seem more or less reputable, and make a conscious decision about who you want to buy your handpan from and who you want to support.
1. Quality of the instruments
Not every supplier has the same quality standards for the workmanship of the handpans they advertise. Sound is always a matter of taste and not necessarily a question of quality. Nevertheless, there are a few important parameters that guarantee a basic quality and make the difference to a machine-pressed steel shell, which may look like a handpan and may even sound like one to an inexperienced ear at first, but soon stops being enjoyable. For Handpan.World, we have set the following basic quality standards for our handpans:
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processing method
Of course, the workmanship should be clean. This means, for example, no sharp edges, a distinctly uneven surface structure or heavy scratches, damage on the top. In addition, the top and bottom should be cleanly glued together. -
Cleanly tuned
A handpan is tuned to a specific, harmonic sequence of tones - this is usually specified. The respective notes must of course be correct. The heart rate should also be as close to the correct as possible - slight deviations do occur and are also dependent on the current temperature. However, the frequency should not exceed a tolerance of 10 pcs. You can measure whether a handpan is correctly tuned yourself using a tuner (also as an app). We use the Pano Tuner, for example. Here you can set whether you want to measure an instrument at 440Hz or 432Hz. It also shows you exactly how much pcs the tone deviates by. -
vocal stability
A correctly tuned handpan is a prerequisite. How long it stays in tune is also an important criterion for us. It is completely normal for musical instruments to go out of tune after a while and this also applies to handpans. A good handpan should be able to keep its tuning stable for at least two years if treated carefully. However, with high-quality handpans, no noticeable detuning can occur for three to five years.
Here you can learn more about detuning and retuning.
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Balanced sound
The overall sound of the instrument and the interaction of the individual sound fields should be harmonious. The timbre, volume and sound effect should be balanced and harmonious within the instrument.
2. Selection & Comparability
Handpans are as diverse as we humans are. A different world of sound suits each of us. There are so many differences in handpans in terms of tuning, price, material, tone, frequency, length of the reverberation, etc. that we think it is very helpful to have a large selection and to be able to compare different manufacturers and handpan types, as well as prices. The wider and more varied the range of products offered by each supplier, the more freedom you have in choosing your instrument. A large selection can be overwhelming for newcomers, but with the right advice, you can quickly narrow down the few models that are right for you.
Handpan.World is a network of currently over 20 instrument makers, all of whom have developed their own unique world of sound. With us you will find what is probably the largest selection and variety of handpans currently available.
3. Fair prices
The production of a high-quality handpan is a complex process. A lot of effort and dedication goes into the production of a handpan, especially if the instrument maker wants to create not just a utility object but a soulful sound creature. In many cases, this justifies the high prices. But not every manufacturer works cleanly and with passion. This is noticeable in the sound and "character" of the instrument and, in our opinion, should be taken into account in the pricing.
Not every handpan player is looking for the very highest quality - for many, instruments with special tonal characteristics are much more interesting than a perfect sound that is refined down to the finest detail.
Newcomers in particular are happy to compromise on the finesse of the sound and often ask us for cheaper models.
We at Handpan.World can meet all requirements thanks to a very wide price range and variety of sounds. Our aim is to create a fair and balanced relationship between quality and price.
4. Service & After-Care
Your satisfaction as a handpan owner is our top priority. A provider should accompany you well and be at your side. Both before, during and after purchasing a handpan. For us, the following services are a matter of course:
- Competent advice: You should feel well advised and in good hands with your questions and concerns. Anyone who offers handpans should know a lot about them. Not every provider has understood the instrument and has studied the handpan in depth and advertises with misinformation. For example, anyone who claims that handpans are usually tuned pentatonic or who offers mallets for playing does not seem to have even dealt with the basics of a handpan.
- Opportunity to test: Being able to try out a handpan before buying it makes it less likely that you will make a bad purchase. Not every provider can guarantee that you will be able to test their instruments in your area. We at Handpan.World are constantly working with experienced handpan players to set up more handpan showrooms to enable you to try out the instrument on site.
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Granting & compliance with a right of return and/or exchange:
According to European consumer law, you as a customer have a fourteen-day right of withdrawal for online orders after receiving the goods. This means that you can return your order without giving any reason and are entitled to a refund of the purchase price.
CAUTION: European consumer law does not apply to suppliers outside the EU. They often state a 14-day right of return. However, it usually turns out afterwards that this is not the case or that they only offer a credit note. We generally advise against purchases from outside the EU, as enforcing claims, including guarantees, is almost impossible. -
Guarantee of tuning stability: A handpan should be able to keep its tuning for several years and not go out of tune after just a few months. Unfortunately, this is not the case for all handpans. So pay attention to whether the provider offers a guarantee of tuning stability. We guarantee tuning stability for at least two years. Most of our instruments, however, keep their tuning for three to five years. However, this also depends on how you treat the instrument.
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Retuning service: Handpans go out of tune after a while and need to be retuned. How often depends on the load and the quality of the handpan. The greatest load is sunlight, or rather intense heat. The load when playing is also relevant, which is why it should not be played with mallets, but only with fingers if possible. When buying a handpan, it is important to think about who will get the handpan back into tune. What do you do if your handpan goes out of tune? If you don't have a contact person to retune it, it will be difficult. A provider should feel responsible for you and your handpan even after the purchase and be able to offer you the option of a retuning service.
If your handpan is out of tune, you can use the Handpan.World retuning service. We take care of the entire retuning process, from picking it up from your home to returning the perfectly tuned instrument.
Buying a handpan is just the beginning of an exciting journey. We are happy to accompany you and provide you with everything you need to find your way:
- Part of a network: When you buy a handpan from Handpan.World, you become part of an ever-growing network that you can benefit from. With the planned Handpan.World travel pass, you can participate in our partners' events at a reduced rate and you receive 10% off equipment and accessories in our online store.
- Info: The monthly newsletter informs you about news from the world of handpans, gives you an overview of events, provides you with tips and gives you inspiration for your further development as a player.
- Learning to play the handpan can sometimes push you to your limits, but with the right input, you can quickly overcome these. We provide you with video tutorials to practice new rhythms and techniques . Our partner "Master the Handpan" offers you an extensive learning platform . Handpan.World members receive discounted access.
- Workshops & courses: Our Handpan.World network includes many experienced handpan teachers who offer lessons, courses and workshops. We give you an overview of who can support you in your playing development and where.
- The upcoming Handpan.World portal will be available to you as a guide in the future and will give you a good overview of everything you need to know. You will also be able to exchange ideas with other members of the community, learn from others and share your own experiences.