Some things I want to add to the video:
-I no longer dunk my reeds in a glass of water directly to wet anymore unless I'm really desperate and time is of the essence. The reason for this is because the humidiying process is too fast for the reed and the reed gets too much moisture. This alone is one issue but when this dries open air, it gets the moisture out of the reed (more than that went in when you dunked it in the water) which makes the reed totally warped and squiggly at the tip, eventually.
-I keep reeds of various feel/ strenghts and tendencies around because each day the weather is different and reeds react differently. I would suggest to all of my students and allies and enemies to please keep an arsenal of no fewer than 3 reeds with your instrument at all times. But for me, I honestly can't remember the time I kept fewer than 20 reeds with me at all times. But I also can't remember the last time I had very bad performances because of a reed. Give yourself a fighting chance, do not rely on one reed and pray for a good performance. Rely on 10 reeds or more and pray.
-For me, some reeds do last longer than others. I find the blue box Vandoren reeds last the longest out of all the reeds I have tried. I find the D'Addario/ Rico reeds die fairly quickly, basically during my break-in period. Sorry?
I know reeds cost a lot of money so that's more the reason to make sure you keep good care of your reeds. However, I cannot recommend enough to serious students/ players to keep at least 20 reeds around with you, and at least 8 that you know will work for you that day. If you play a lot throughout the day, you can't rely on one reed that is the fast way to kill the reed.
-When the reed is nearing the end of its life, you will know because the feel and the sound are not the same, and you have difficulty controlling the high notes and you are noticeably playing flatter than a few days ago. Don't get too attached to a reed. It's not a pet or a friend. Does it still spark joy? Or does it just smell funny now? Be brave, onto the next reed. Life is too short to play badly because of reeds. I learned that the hard way.
Happy Practicing!!
Tony
Vandoren reed case:
amzn.to/3K9bLzI