I make a reed, try it, it’s not great, but maybe … I put it in a box, on a shelf in a corner and let it sit a few years. Then one day, mildly unsatisfied with my current reed, I go sifting through the boxes on the shelf, and bingo, one of them just sings.
My B chanter reed has been off lately. Octaves not balanced, etc. So I got to stack of boxes, find one which is just a joy to play. Balanced tuning, medium pressure, nice hard D and E, almost perfect. Just the back D is a little sharp but nothing a little tape can’t solve.
I’d been discouraged by the B chanter recently and was playing it less and less. Since popping in the new reed, I’ve played it almost 2 hours. 
Great to hear, PJ. Really, though, you should try North Coast Cedar.