Choosing an 8x10 film

[Andrew O'Neill]

Just go with your first two boxes and don't worry about it.

[John Kasaian]

With 8x10 I find that I really need to have some options.
TMY is a great all around film but it is very costly and only comes 10 sheets to a box (if there were any more sheets of TMY in a box and I'd need to sign a mortgage!)
Personally I think TMY is killing TXP. I love working with 8x10 TXP but it costs nearly the same as TMY with nowhere near TMYs bells and whistles.
Ilford films are fantastic---and much more affordable than Old Yeller. I have only used the conventional emulsions (I have a stack of holders loaded with HP-5+ waiting for some nocturnal fun!) and FP-4+ has amazing tonality, IMHO. If all there was was Ilford, I'd as fine as frog's hair with it. But I'm a substitute teacher these days and money (especially fun money) is tight. I rarely avail myself to Kodak or even Ilford these days and then only when a subject requires some extra goose which I know Old Yeller or the Great White emulsion has that will save the day (like nocturnal with photography)
My 'go to' 8x10 film these days is Arista .eduUltra, which is Fomapan, which does a wonderful job on 95%+ of the subjects I enjoy shooting---excellent tones and very forgiving unless reciprocity raises it's ugly head.
The important thing is to get to know your materials.
If TXP is working well for you and you feel like you're getting the best results you can, then do experiment with TMY or Ilford or Foma or any other emulsion that you think is interesting. Experimenting is fun! The sheet film market is volitile and one emulsion might be pulled off the market or replaced by another, or production might be stymied by some unforseen events (it has happened and no one manufacturer is immune!) So IMHO it is good to take the time to "learn" an alternative emulsion or two so you can keep shooting.
My 2-cents anyway.