Originally Posted by Chris Jude

Well, the really great stuff is (unfortunately) really expensive too (for now). So it depends on your specific needs and tolerances as to how much you want/need.

The answers also relate to how much function you want/need, how quiet you need it to be, how big, what kind and quality of sounds, etc.

But here's some general thoughts:

Hart, Roland, Yamaha and ddrum all make decent pads but others like Pintech and Dauz make attractive options too. "Best" is subjective. As far as the ultimate over the counter as of today, the flagship stuff from Hart and Roland is it.

For sounds, the simplest solution is a "module". Roland, Yamaha, ddrum and Alesis do the better modules. Roland's TD-20 is the current state of the art and will set you back quite a bit. Again "best" can be subjective, and it really depends on your needs. The sounds in the TD-20 are without peer in modules, but a decent sampler setup can of course blow them away. So it depends on how complex you are willing to go and how much you want to spend. That said, you can get really workable sounds from something as (comparatively) inexpensive as a Roland TD-3 (which is a newer basic module).

You can buy kits that come with pads and module or mix and match. Unfortunately, the prices are still IMO high, but hopefully that will be changing with increasing interest and sales.