I have always found Ricos to be acceptable beginner reeds for students in their first year or two playing. If switching from a smaller sax (alto or tenor), it would be a good idea to get comfortable on baritone with a Rico and then move to a more expensive reed. The reeds are fairly consistent, and the lower price means that breaking a reed is not too much of an expense for whomever is footing the bill for reeds (teacher, student, school, parent...). The provided plastic cases do a good job protecting the reed, as long as they are not pushed in too far. I usually move students to Rico Royal (or even Vandoran) after their first full year or two.Amazon does have excellent prices on reeds - definitely recommend buying here!