How do drum triggers work?

Drum triggers work in the same fashion as drum pads. The trigger casing is clamped to a drum, with a a piezo pickup held against the drum skin. Each time the drum is struck, the piezo pickup detects it and sends a signal down the cable to your drum module, telling it to play a sound. This happens instantaneously, so fast drum fills and rudiments can be accurately triggered by the module.

Why use drum triggers on my kick drum?

Some genres of music require fast, precise and consistent kick drum rhythms. This is frequently used in metal genres, where a short higher pitched 808 kick sound is used. The 808 kick sound cuts through the guitars in the mix and keeps an even timbre to the overall sound, even when fast double kicks are played, while the sound of the acoustic kick fills out the low end.

How long do drum pads last?

Rubber drum pads should last a lifetime, they're very hardwearing. You can change the skin on a mesh drum pad, however, these do last much longer than acoustic drum skins as they're made from a composite blend of fabrics.