Picked up tenor a few months ago for my high school jazz band and couldn't have done it without them. I could instantly hear and feel how much better I was when I got these reeds compared to my ones from my local music shop. Great purchase, would recommend.

I thought I would give the Better Sax reeds a try as I can no longer get the Peter Ponzol reeds that I like. Got a box of 2.5's for my tenor sax. Not one could I play very well out of the box. All of them are extremely stuffy and no resonance. Won't be trying them for my alto.

First off, allow me to say that I really appreciate what Jay Metcalf has done for the saxophone world. His videos on his YouTube channel got me back to the horn back in 2020 after a 16-year break, and I have purchased quite a few of his high-quality courses (and will probably purchase more in the future).

Likewise, I love what Mr. Metcalf has done with his new BetterSax reeds. My profession is in the field of energy conservation and efficiency, and I have always tried to keep "reduce, reuse, recycle" a part of my behavior as a consumer. Like Mr. Metcalf, I find it very disappointing that reed manufacturers incorporate the "cradle to grave" mentality with respective to their packaging by incorporating so much throw-away plastic. And while most of us (I would hope) have the desire to recycle those pesky plastic reed sleeves, the fact of the matter is that many municipal recycling programs, for various reasons, do not accept them, and they end up in landfills. Thus, a saxophonist with a strong desire to tread lightly upon the earth has only several options: use fewer reeds and/or repurpose the plastic sleeves, eschew cane reeds in favor of synthetic reeds (these in turn have their own particular issues with regards to sustainability), or search out brands that commit to using less plastic, especially when it comes to the individual reed cases. To that point, there are options (the old Zonda reeds that came in a paper sleeve come to mind; also, Rigotti Queen reeds come in a slim box with all ten reeds packaged in a compartmentalized, thin plastic sleeve that is better than most; I believe several French brands such as Marca and Alexander Superial skip the individual plastic sleeves, as well, but can't swear to it since I've not purchased them in many years), but one has to really search to find them.

Enter the BetterSax reeds. Mr. Metcalf has stuck to his guns here, and for that, I applaud him: these reeds are packaged with ZERO plastic. The reeds are contained in individual cardboard sleeves, and the only thing that separates the reeds from "the world" is the tape that secures the lid to the box (which shows the reed strength), since there is no cellophane outer packaging encapsulating the box itself. As admirable as the goal of completely foregoing plastic is, I have to wonder whether this lack of exterior protection has any adverse effect on the reeds over time. After all, these boxes will be stored in many different environments with varying dew point temperatures and relative humidity levels. In any case, I give BetterSax an A+ on adhering to a more "cradle to cradle" ideal with their complete product and how it is packaged....Bravo, Mr. Metcalf and team!

As to the reeds themselves, I have only played the tenor saxophone reeds in a strength of 2.5, and it's only been for a week, but my initial reaction can be summed up as, "solid, but slightly disappointing." I play Morgan mouthpieces with smaller tip openings (7 on tenor, which is closer to a traditional 6*, and 5 on alto) and well-maintained Yamaha 62 saxophones. The BS reeds are somewhat consistent, but not as consistent as the D'Addario Organic Select Jazz 3 Soft tenor reeds that I started playing the same day. Those reeds were packaged in a fairly sustainable fashion, with the main difference being that D'Addario Organic reeds are in cardboard sleeves which are encased in a cellophane wrap (the box itself is not encapsulated, though). Regarding the strength, I will say that for me, these BS 2.5 reeds are stronger than what I was expecting. In fact, I find that they are on average stiffer than the aforementioned D'Addario Organic SJ 3S reeds. The two out of five BS reeds out of the box that I like are quite good, but compared to the DSJ's, they are just not as enjoyable. Referring to BetterSax's reed strength chart, it shows their 2.5 strength as pretty much lining up with DSJ 2 Medium (I tend to question this one), and Vandoren Java Red, Java Green, and V16 2.5, which seems about right. Again, for me, the BS 2.5 reeds are stronger than the DSJ 3S reeds. Maybe my box of BS 2.5's were on the stiffer side of the spectrum and the box of DSJ 3S reeds I got were softer than usual...?

To wrap up this lengthy review, I will say that I need to, and will, try the BetterSax reeds again (by purchasing another box of 2.5 for tenor, as well as giving the 2.0's and maybe even the 3.0's a shot; I will also try the alto reeds in strengths of both 2.5 and 3.0). I have made the choice to not give my hard-earned money to reed manufacturers that insist on using "disposable" plastic. Although I absolutely love the sustainable packaging used by BetterSax---again, great job BS team!---my initial overall opinion of the reeds is, unfortunately, "meh." As of right now, and for me, the D'Addario Organics are a better fit and are more fun to play.

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I have been playing saxophone for 57 years and like most people I have had to always battle reeds.
I tried using Better Sax reeds on my tenor sax a few months ago and I got really excited. Every one of them plays great and I really like the tone they give me. I just put them on my mouthpiece and blow!! I love them. They JUST work every time. They have saved me so much time. I also really like simple, "green" packaging. I only wish I had been playing them for the last 50 years. Nice job, Jay!!!