Admittedly, it was a long time ago that I got to try seconal, amytal, etc. I would rank the barbs in this order.
Seconal > Nembutal > Vinylbital > Amytal > Butisol > Phenobarbital
The vast majority are much like each other. They are much the same except some have nasty side effect profiles (eg. vinylbital) but that makes them perfect for death with dignity IMHO because they are clearly more toxic, hence the toxic side effects come up. It's a shame I no longer have access to them, otherwise I'd already be dead.
If I was to compare vinylbital with something, it would have to be Tuinal...that's the only barbiturate (or should I say dual barbiturate, since Tuinal is actually two drugs) that would come closest to it.
With barbs it's not so much what they don't take away that makes them good, it's more what they don't add that makes them good. Some add nasty side effects, some don't, hence they are silky smooth eg. Seconal and Nembutal being the most gentle of the lot. Vinylbital and Amytal are nasty in that they hit very hard and are damned potent. Too potent to be really enjoyable. And don't get me started on phenobarbital, that stuff isn't great at all, it hangs around, it feels like a dirty benzo haze and I'd never bother with it. Probably not great with an O/D either since it would need dialysis to get rid of it from the system whereas most barbs would pass the kidneys very quickly.
