I've stumbled into 3rd jhana and 7th jhana a few times by accident, and my mastery of 1st jhana is quite sketchy. If by best you mean pleasantness, there is more bliss in 3rd than 1st. There is nothing in 7th. In terms of utility for awakening, I can only speak theoretically, but I understand that mastering the whole sequence is valuable from that perspective.
I'm pretty sure I could hit 3rd again if I meditated 7 or 8 hours a day, like I was the times I was hitting it before. But I don't spend 7 or 8 hours a day chasing sex, either.