Admit I
Sarospan 22-inch D minor Kurd handpan
Players who want the notes and pitch named
| Scale | D minor Kurd, 10 notes |
|---|---|
| Pitch | 432 Hz |
| Size | About 55 cm across |
| Weight | About 7.5 kg, claimed |
4.3/5 on Amazon from 91 ratings
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From Bern, with reverb
The handpan:a drum witha Swiss accent
The handpan began in Bern in 2000 as the Hang, and has attracted a long line of imitators. We compared five entry-level models and say plainly what they are and are not.
By Rhys Entwistle, updated 4 November 2026
Act I
Handpan, hang drum, Hang: sorting the names
A handpan is a tuned steel instrument played with the hands, built from two shaped shells joined at the rim, with a ring of dimpled note fields on top. It exists because of the Hang, made in Bern in 2000 by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer of PANArt.
Hang is a trade mark, which is why makers coined the word handpan for everything else. Hang drum is a misnomer that stuck, a name the makers never used for their own instrument.
| Name | What it means |
|---|---|
| Hang | The original, made by PANArt from 2000, and a protected name |
| Handpan | The general name for instruments of this kind |
| Hang drum | A popular misnomer, still heard everywhere |
| Tongue drum | A different, slotted instrument, covered on our tongue drum page |
Act II
Five handpans, one honest sort
Entry-level is the fair label for all five, and we would rather say so now than in the verdict. The sorting that matters is between true handpans and look-alikes. Three of the five show scarce stock on Amazon, so see what is actually in the warehouse first.
Admit II
TIWIHON 22-inch D minor handpan, gold
Players wanting a stand and bag in the box
| Scale | D minor, 10 notes |
|---|---|
| Pitch | 440 Hz |
| In the box | Soft bag, two mallets, stand |
| Weight | About 8 kg, claimed |
4.4/5 on Amazon from 22 ratings
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Admit III
LOMUTY 12-note D Kurd handpan, silver
Players wanting D Kurd at 440 Hz with a stand
| Scale | D minor, D Kurd, 12 notes |
|---|---|
| Pitch | 440 Hz |
| Steel | 430 stainless, claimed |
| Size | About 56 cm across |
4.2/5 on Amazon from 2,100 ratings
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Admit IV
SRMNFADZ 12-note D minor handpan
Players wanting 12 notes and a tripod
| Scale | D minor, 12 notes |
|---|---|
| Pitch | 432 Hz |
| Weight | About 4 kg, claimed |
| In the box | Bag, tripod, mallet |
4.4/5 on Amazon from 15 ratings
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Admit V
LOMUTY 6-inch tongue drum, olive green
Small-drum buyers who know it is not a handpan
| Notes | 8, C major |
|---|---|
| Size | About 15 cm across |
| Weight | About 930 g |
| In the box | Mallets, book, bag, picks |
4.2/5 on Amazon from 2,100 ratings
See it on AmazonSarospan, the handpan that lists its notes
Sarospan gives 22 inches (about 55 cm) across, D minor Kurd at 432 Hz and ten notes. It claims 1.2 mm steel with heat treatment, and a weight of about 7.5 kg.
The notes are spelled out: A3, Bb3, C4, D3, D4, E4, F4, G4, A4 and C5. A listing that names its notes expects to be checked, which we like.
TIWIHON, the gold handpan with a stand
TIWIHON offers 22 inches, D minor, ten notes at 440 Hz and a nitrogen steel body, claimed. A soft bag, two mallets and a stand come with it, and the stock is scarce.
LOMUTY 12-note, the one in D Kurd at 440 Hz
LOMUTY’s 12-note model claims 430 stainless steel with nitriding, in silver, and is listed as D minor, D Kurd, 440 Hz. A drum bag, a disc holder, a pair of sticks and a stand are in the listing, and the stock is scarce.
SRMNFADZ, the 12-note handpan with a tripod
SRMNFADZ lists 12 notes in D minor at 432 Hz, with a bag, a tripod and a mallet. At a claimed 4 kg it is the lightest of the full-size models whose weight is given.
LOMUTY 6-inch, the look-alike
This LOMUTY calls itself a handpan, then describes a 6-inch, 8-note steel tongue drum in C major. It is a fine little instrument with mallets, a book, a bag, stickers and picks, and it belongs on a different page.
Act III
An entry-level handpan against a hand-built one
Be honest about what a marketplace handpan is. It is a playable, tuned instrument made in volume. A hand-built one, made and tuned by one maker, is another league in tone and sustain, and none of our five claims to be that.
| Aspect | Entry-level, as here | Hand-built |
|---|---|---|
| Making | In volume, to a listing specification | By one maker, shell by shell |
| Tuning | Claimed by the seller | Done and redone note by note |
| Sound | Pitches that play a tune | Overtones that blend with each other |
| Where it comes from | Marketplace sellers | Workshops, often with a waiting list |
A hand-built handpan is a long relationship with a steel disc. These five are an introduction, and an honest one if you read the listing carefully.
Act IV
Handpan scales: D minor, Kurd and the 432 question
Four of our five are in D minor, and two of those say Kurd. The Kurd layout is, in practice, D natural minor with the lowest note on D, and it has become the default handpan scale because it sounds agreeable whatever you play.
| The act | Best for | Rating | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarospan 22-inch D minor Kurd handpan | Players who want the notes and pitch named | 4.3/5 | Amazon |
| TIWIHON 22-inch D minor handpan, gold | Players wanting a stand and bag in the box | 4.4/5 | Amazon |
| LOMUTY 12-note D Kurd handpan, silver | Players wanting D Kurd at 440 Hz with a stand | 4.2/5 | Amazon |
| SRMNFADZ 12-note D minor handpan | Players wanting 12 notes and a tripod | 4.4/5 | Amazon |
| LOMUTY 6-inch tongue drum, olive green | Small-drum buyers who know it is not a handpan | 4.2/5 | Amazon |
The ding and the tone fields
The centre note is called the ding, and the notes around it sit in a ring of tone fields. On the Sarospan the ding is D3 and the ring climbs from A3 to C5.
432 or 440 Hz on a handpan
440 Hz is the usual concert pitch for the A above middle C. 432 Hz is the alternative some makers tune to, and it sits about a third of a semitone lower. Match 440 if you play with a piano or a tuned guitar.
Act V
How a handpan makes its sound
The sound starts in the top shell, where each note field is a patch of steel stretched and hammered to one pitch. The lower shell is a resonating chamber, and the whole instrument rings like a bell that has been taught several notes.
- Each note field is tuned to its main pitch, and then to overtones above it.
- The two shells are joined at the rim so that air inside can move.
- The ding at the centre is the lowest note and the one the others orbit.
Overtones, and why they matter
A good tuner sets the octave and the fifth above the main pitch so they reinforce it. That blend is the sound most people mean when they say a handpan is beautiful, and it is the part a volume-made instrument can only approximate.
Act VI
Playing a handpan: hands first
The handpan is played with the fingers and the heel of the hand, not with sticks. The listings send mallets with some models, but the instrument is at its best bare-handed.
The ding first
Start on the centre note with a loose hand and let it ring. Then add the ring of notes one by one, alternating left and right, and stop when the sound gets crowded.
- Sit with the instrument steady, either on the lap or on a stand.
- Play the ding ten times, evenly, before you try another note.
- Move to the next note in the ring, and the next, one hand after the other.
- Stop while the sound still has room in it.
Fingers, not fists
The note fields respond to a light, quick touch. A hard strike deadens the steel and rarely sounds better.
On the lap or on a stand
A handpan rests on the lap, with the bag between the steel and your legs. TIWIHON, LOMUTY and SRMNFADZ include a stand or tripod, which saves the lap and lets you sit up.
Act VII
Looking after a handpan: oil, case, no heat or damp
Steel has a long memory for neglect. A handpan wants the same few habits every time.
- Wipe the surface with a clean, dry cloth after playing.
- Add a thin film of the oil the maker recommends if the steel is untreated.
- Keep it in its bag or case between sessions.
- Store it away from heat, damp and direct sun.
- Take rings and watches off before playing, since hard metal marks the finish.
Act VIII
A short history of the handpan
The Hang drew on the steelpan of Trinidad and on hand percussion such as the Indian ghatam, and PANArt spent years in Bern refining it before the public saw one. Its success produced a crowd of makers who wanted to build something similar.
| Stage | What happened |
|---|---|
| Before 2000 | Steelpan and hand percussion supply the ideas |
| 2000 | PANArt makes the Hang in Bern |
| Afterwards | Workshops everywhere build handpans, and the name handpan spreads |
| Today | Hand-built instruments sit beside volume-made ones on the marketplace |
Why the name handpan caught on
It does the job. It says that the instrument is played by hand and that it is a pan, in the steelpan sense, and it keeps clear of the protected name.
Act IX
Reading a handpan listing
A handpan listing contains a great deal of language and very few measurements. This is how we read the usual phrases.
| The listing says | How we read it |
|---|---|
| Nitriding or heat treatment | A claimed surface treatment, meant to protect the steel |
| Hand tuned | A seller claim, and not the same as hand built |
| 22 inches | About 56 cm across, which is full size |
| D minor, 10 notes | A ding and nine notes around it |
| 432 Hz or 440 Hz | The pitch of the A, which decides who you can play with |
The handpan weight test
Full-size models weigh several kilograms, and the claimed weights run from about 4 kg to about 8 kg. A listing that gives no weight for a 22-inch instrument deserves a second question.
Act X
The handpan against its neighbours
People arrive at the handpan from three directions: percussion, melody and decoration. The table puts it beside the instruments it is most often confused with.
| Instrument | Notes | Played with | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handpan | 8 to 12 on a ring | Fingers and palms | A long, blended ring |
| Steel tongue drum | 8 to 13 on slots | Mallets or fingers | Simplicity |
| Kalimba | 8 to 17 on tines | Thumbs | A pocket-sized plink |
| Melodica | 32 or 37 on keys | Fingers and breath | Sustained notes |
If you want one tuned thing to play over another, the melodica sits comfortably on top of a handpan’s ring.
Act XI
Handpan stands, bags and cases
A handpan is a heavy, delicate disc, and the accessories do real work. All five come with something to carry or hold them.
- Bag: protects the finish between sessions and keeps dust out. The TIWIHON lists a soft bag with a dual zip.
- Stand or tripod: holds the instrument at a playable angle. Three of the five include one.
- Mallets: supplied with some models, optional for the rest.
- Note stickers: easy to read and easy to remove, which suits a first week.
Where to keep a handpan
The right place is dry, cool and away from a radiator. A handpan lives happily in a wardrobe and badly in a conservatory.
Act XII
Who a handpan suits
The handpan is bought mostly by people who want a tuned instrument that asks for no lessons. It rewards patience and does not forgive impatience.
- A player who wants to learn the instrument before committing to a hand-built one.
- A musician who plays alone and prefers a fixed, agreeable scale.
- A gift recipient who has heard one in a busker’s hands and asked about it.
Act XIII
The handpan we would book
The Sarospan leads, because it names its notes and its pitch, and the TIWIHON comes second for its stand. The little LOMUTY is a tongue drum, and an honest buyer should know it before paying.
A handpan is the grown-up cousin of a kalimba and the louder cousin of the simpler drum. The rest of the bill is stranger.
Encore
Hand-held questions, answered about the handpan
- Are handpans illegal?
No. Nothing in UK law stops anyone owning or playing one. The confusion comes from Hang being a protected name, which is why other makers say handpan and avoid the original word.
- How difficult is the handpan?
The first tune is easy, because the notes belong to one scale and nothing clashes. The difficulty is control: an even touch, a steady rhythm and the patience to let the steel ring.
- Why do hand-built handpans sit in another league?
Each one is shaped and tuned by a single maker, note by note, until the overtones agree with one another. A volume-made instrument can play the right pitches without that blend.
- Is hang drum the right name?
It is the popular name and the wrong one. The original Hang was made by PANArt, and the makers did not call it a drum. Handpan is the general term for instruments of its kind.
- What is the difference between a handpan and a tongue drum?
A tongue drum has slots cut into a single steel top. A handpan has two shaped shells and notes hammered into the surface. One of our five is listed as a handpan and is really a tongue drum.
- Should we choose 432 or 440 Hz?
Choose 440 Hz if you will play with a piano or a tuned guitar, since that is the usual concert pitch. Choose 432 Hz if you will play alone and like the idea.