ozboy

A lot of professionals are sponsored and their horn choice is dictated by fiscal policy. I was a sponsored player for a while and you get into a funny head space where you convince yourself that the brand is 'hot' .A lot of this has to do with the fact that you have company representatives spruking the specs and features of the horn.
There is a lot of merit in the blindfold test. Take a friend for a second opinion and get the salesperson to hand you horns at random. Pick out the ones you like. Take a few notes and then go away and do some research.This site would be a good forum. If you have a couple of horns start a thread asking people who play each of the horns to give you some thoughts. They might point out strengths and weaknesses that you can keep in mind.
Don't forget that horns of the same make and specs can play very differently. A mate of mine picked out a horn and then shopped around to save money and got sent a dud. Many sellers offer trial periods which is handy.
Other people will and have given you advice about what to play when trialing a horn.