To a noob or a brand fanatic the H&G line is "have to have" in it's entirety. However, I have been using H&G for years in coco (after switching from outdoor compost/worm organics and experimenting indoor side-by-side with GH and Canna) and have distilled it down to what is actually needed. I use their Cocos A&B, Roots Excelurator, Amino Treatment for veg. I also use drip clean to deal with salt build-up throughout the whole run and keep a bottle of magic green on hand for when the girls in veg need a little extra love. I also innoculate with endomycorrhizae when I transplant rooted clones (4.5"pots), when I transplant to 3gal pots, and once more when I flip to 12/12. This may be overkill for myco innoculations but all the mycorrhizae companies direct growers to innoculate with every feeding which is insane (but excellent marketing). For flower I use Cocos A&B, Amino Treatment (only first 2 weeks of flower or until upward growth slows), Multi Zen, Bud XL, Top Booster (only for 2 feedings), and Shooting Powder at the end before a short flush(Just a side note: I used to be one of those 10-14 day flushers before harvest but after a buddy put a bug in my ear about a 3 or 4 day flush I decided to give it a try. The results were incredible. My yield increased by 20-30% and the flavor and burn were still perfect after proper curing. I can't speak for other nutrient lines, but H&G are such high-quality salts that a flush longer than 5 days max is just pointless and wasted electricty). So I use most of their line but I cut out Magic Green, Roots Excelurator, and Amino Treatment for flower. This makes a $800 nute purchase really last (it's the additives that are costly, but you can use very little per gal). What it comes down to is being an informed grower. Sure, if you just follow the feeding chart, you end up spending way too much on H&G (and most other companies for that matter), but if you do your homework, keep a tight eye on your girls, and adjust nutes accordingly, you will be a success and see your profit margins soar. Know the science behind your art and you will be a more cost-efficient grower and produce larger crops of better buds no matter what line you're using. It's more important to know about why the plant needs different nutrients and what product contains what than to just latch on to a brand because it works. I use H&G because I've figured out how to get the best buds/yield at the best price with it. I'd imagine you can do the same with just about any of H&G's competitors. Although Canna is way too overpriced for it's concentration for me to even want to spend the time, money and effort.