i ran many test using nutrients alone and nutes pluss additives,,side by side testing so results wer true.. many ,most additives are NOT needed, a waste of money.. a few helped plants to ripen a few days sooner, or increased bud size but not enough to cover the cost..i used the an ph perfect,,had to try it after i seen the video against gh.. i liked it better than advanced reg 3 part but still had better end results with general hydroponics maxi or nova series..also if i use the gh at the wright dosage my ph is always perfect anyways,, but if i was given the advanced ph perfect nutes for free,,, id never run anything else,, its all about your yield covering the costs and of course having kick ass hydro..
at some point im sure youl have to buy your nutes,, at that point you may consider switching to gh maxi,, its a cheap powder 1 part grow 1 part bloom but its really a high quality nute at a low price..yields are better than w/ advanced and a much lower price..
grow well and good will