It isnt snake oil, it really is a nice lig. I no longer use one, but I used it with amazing results when I was playing large amounts of classical repertoire

The Optimum has been my ligature of choice on Alto and Tenor for 5 years now and I love it. I often throw on my Francois Louis to compare and always end up going back to my Optimum. I have one for Soprano too but it doesn't fit my HR Link very well so I can't use it. It really seals the reed on the mouthpiece and gets a very complex tone as compared to others. The Francois Louis is a more free-blowing lig but doesn't give me the depth of tone that Optimum does. And, as for buying the plates . . . they fit into the ligature in a way that wouldn't allow you to use it with another brand. That would not be a very successful venture I'm afraid. Also, my wife, who is a professional clarinetist uses the optimum on Bb, A, and Bass. We both love them! And, one last suggestion - make sure to try all 3 plates to find the one right for you. The different contact points really do make a difference. I use the one with to horizontal contacts for jazz and the one with vertical ridges for classical.