My advise is to not make rash judgements. It takes time to adjust to playing on the Legere reeds. I would also advise going with a softer reed on first try. Once the adjustments are made I found the French cut especially suited for my classical Alto setup. I can not imagine wanting to go back to cane reeds. I can get good results on cane reeds but it is a lot of effort that could be better spent on making music.

I love the synthetic reed. Because I can trust it always

Good

This reed acts so much like a wooden reed it is insane! Plus the fact it lasts longer and is ultimately a better investment than traditional reeds, I would highly recommend this brand. The style of the french cut reed performs exactly how it is described before purchasing, so if you are hesitating, don’t!

I’m an intermediate alto player. Practice time is the best part of my day after work, so time is precious. Like you, I want practice to be meaningful and I was becoming more frustrated with warming up the wood reed. I started to become a “caneologist”. A friend I play with was in the Marine Corps and played in the President’s Own band. She said out of 12 reeds they’ll be 4 or so worth keeping. So I decided that for at least practice I’ll use the synthetic reed. It provides consistency. I don’t question if errors are me or the reed. Maybe when I get better I’ll swap out - if/when I hear the difference. The $40 per year is an easy decision for me. And less cost overall. Slap it on a play away. It might not be pure but it’s fast and reliable.