What are the differences between Rico alto sax reeds and Vandoren alto sax reeds?

There are so many styles of Vandoren and Rico reeds that it’s hard to answer your question with a simple answer.

The short answer is that most styles of Vandoren reeds have a little more wood in the heart of the reed making them a little meatier sounding but also slightly more resistant too.

I love them on soprano saxophone because I like a fat sound and more classical style sound warm and rich rather than thin and bright. But on the alto, tenor and bari saxes, I prefer the Rico Jazz Select for playing jazz because I like a reed that is very resonant and easy to bend and play in a soulful way. That can be done with a reed with more wood in the heart but just with a little more effort.

Vandoren reeds tend to be just slightly harder than Ricos in terms of their number system, so for instance, if I use a 2 1/2 Rico for my tenor sax, the comparable reed would be a 2 in Vandoren (or a 2 1/4 if they made them)

But my best advise for you is to either go to a store to A-B the two brands and the variety of styles within those brands or buy their sampler pack. Vandoren traditional reeds are a completely different cut than the javas and are designed for different purposes. There’s way too many variables when selecting reeds so you just have to try them for yourself, match them to your mouthpiece and also to your sense of what you think a good sound is. That’s the honest answer.