My school has a carlos set and we've been using it for all in-school gigs and stuff, so here's some comments on it.
1) The toms/bass/snare sounds quite okay, though nothing too spectular. The finishing on the drumshell itself is poor, with some of the coverings not properly taped or the inner shell of the drum not smoothened entirely.
I'm not sure if there's only ONE kind of carlos set, but the one my school has is usable for both practice and gigs. Only thing I'd recommend is to go out and get a good set of heads for your drum kit. Mostly the toms and the snare. The bass drum's batter head does its job pretty well unless you're the double pedal kind that rips through the batter like crazy. Other than that, you won't find much dents.
2) Cymbals are scrap metal, yes. So if you're practicing and not intending to take it anywhere, you can use the cymbals and kill it literally. The crash 'disc' sounds more like a splash but cracks and bends pretty easily. Heck, just apply some pressure and the thing can bend around if you want it too. The hats are also made of very weak metal, so you'll have to change it sooner or later. The crash ride (if yours does come with one) is quite okay, although I'd rather double it off as a crash than a ride.
3) Pedal is reliable for a while, then it starts to get creaky and you either have to oil it or pray it doesn't fall apart. My school eventually changed to Iron cobras.
So bottom line, it's pretty much what's expected of a budget set. Somewhere around 600+ i think. Go ahead and spend it if you need it =)
