i've used a lot of nutrients over many years...starting off long ago with just GH 3 part. i loved GH 3 part and had great results on it, though i did tweak it a bit over their dosage. i went on to try bcuzz, botonicare, some others i don't really remember. the first time i ever tried advanced products was actually just with some additives/supps added in with GH 3 part. i think it was b52, carbo load, voodoo, and something else. i definitely noticed a difference. i went on to try the rest of the line and did notice a lot changes. first off, i think AN has a lot less salt than most other chem's. my plants just from the start were greener and healthier looking than with anything else (though GH was a close 2nd). of course i was using the whole line this time for AN's 3 part. overall yield and resin production was good, not sure how much more it was over just some GH with a few additives. however, i've stuck with using them just because i notice that my plants love it...they just look better and since i talk to them and i'm pretty sure they're talking to me, at least in my head, they let me know they like it :D
however, for me I've always gotten AN at cost or very little over cost...so when i buy 1200 bucks or nutes i'm really buying 2500 worth of retail product, so it's definitely worth it for me. for someone paying 2500 bucks for everything i got @ 1200, i would say no it's not worth the extra money....
i always love trying new mixtures of things so i will definitely be trying other nutes i find, adding in things from other lines, etc. i also have NOT tried a full organic AN run yet. i've had a good % of my nutes be organic and i am excited to try it. just adding in things here and there to see how i like em before i just throw down on a full run of organics.
on another note though, seeing as some people like AN and one of the biggest "problems" is mainly the cost.....i wonder how many people would use them if they could buy AN for like 10% over cost or something....keep in mind, probably something most people don't know, everything, or just about everything like 99% of AN products is exactly double wholesale to retail. so if you're paying 110 retail for something it's 55 wholesale (plus shipping). i