Best drive I own at any price point

Easily the best overdrive/distortion pedal you could get at this price. Unbelievably versatile and crunchy (just as the name suggests), this pedal could be used for most rock applications as well as some metal. From meaty thick rhythm sections to wailing leads, this pedal could handle it all.

In build quality, the pedal could strike you as one with a somewhat light case and a flimsy switch. I have not had any problems with mine, but better switches are definitely preferred. The pedal is very light by any standards and reasonably sized. The power socket however is located at the side, close to the jack input, and could occasionally be troublesome.

The volume of the pedal does appear to be lower than most other drive pedals. To get a desirable volume level (especially one matching the volume of the rig when this pedal is bypassed), not very uncommonly do you find yourself turning the volume knob past 12 o'clock. Moreover, the pre(sence) knob significantly affects the pedal volume, so adjustment is required. The "pre" knob affects the tone quite drastically. When turned down, the mids are slightly cut, while the pick attacks soften yet the gain is retained. This gives a smooth, fluid overdriven tone most lead players can appreciate. The other direction implies the contrary. As previously mentioned, turning this knob affects the volume a lot. Rock or metal lead players may find the pre knob useful when turn up higher. The gracious mid offered ensures that a guitar stands out in a mix. Loudly.

Tonally, this pedal is on the bright side, no matter how you turn the tone knob. The highs and lows of the pedal appear to be flatter than some others, meaning that it might not achieve as much low end as a djent chugger would prefer. For rock rhythms, this pedal is unparalleled.

The touching on this pedal is superb. When engaged, the strings are very responsive to a player's touch (even at a lower gain setting) and adjustments with the volume knob yields different results to each's own preference.

This pedal is NOT transparent at all and offers a lot of its character to the tone. It doesn't quite serve the purpose of being a boost (experimenting with it in that direction hasn't turned out to the most satisfactory results).

I usually play with a boost pedal in front of drive pedals to achieve tone saturation and better touching, but this pedal requires no boost to sound superb and feel comfortable to play. For this reason, this pedal could serve as the only pedal in one's drive unit and comes in especially handy when you cannot afford too much space or ports for more pedals.

Would highly recommend for any rock guitarist. Can't beat the price and tone.

Great cheap distortion

This is a great pedal when I want a grittier sound than my standard drives. Comparable to the Rat but with more bottom end - great value