ive been playing oboe for 2 1/2 years and am ABRSM grade 5-6 standard. Ive always played on medium-soft reeds but am finding they seem too soft for me at the moment, i prefer them once they have hardened up a bit.
Im think about changing to medium reeds, but my teacher says there is a big difference between them. (I buy handmade reeds, cant remember the name of the top of my head)

What do you think?

It seems like a good idea to me. If they are too hard for you then you can just play them little by little until you can play them without trouble. But you shouldn`t play on reeds that are too soft for you.

i went from a medium to a medium soft b/c my teacher said so and now i can`t play on my medium reed... ¬_¬`

oh well. 2 1/2 years, i say go for it. and if you find it difficult, like the previous poster said, gradually play on the reed more and more till you can play it comfortably.

I just started playing the oboe a few days ago, and as the store had no medium-softs or softs left, I had to just get some medium reeds. They`re working fine for me, I don`t have to blow until my face turns purple to get a sound. So I don`t really know the difference between medium-softs and mediums, but the mediums are great for me.