It doesn't matter how much research a company does on their nutrients regimen, all they can do is establish a base general standard of the conditions they think most people will be growing in and improve their product according to that standard. A nutrient program that grows the best herb in the world for one grower might grow shit for his neighbor. The majority, or even all, of a particular nutritional need of a plant may be satisfied by your water source ALONE. Because of the effect of nutrient antagonism (basically, an excess of one causes a deficiency of another), unless you know exactly what is in your water to begin with before adding any nutes, or are using an RO system, you can never be sure how a nutrient program will work in your growing environment. I have seen the AN line produce impressive results and I have seen it produce complete shit. Basically, unless you are using a reverse osmosis system and an inert substrate (or you have had an analysis done on your water and your medium and know exactly what's in them) you might as well go with what you feel is your best bet, what you feel comfortable using, or what has the right price tag and the prettiest artwork. If you don't get the results you want, try something else.
Personally, I used to be a huge AN fanboy, telling everyone I know about the "nutrient challenge" and all their amazing scientific feats and the amazing results I've seen from them. And then I educated myself (have to give mad credit to uncle ben, fatman and some others on this site for
linking me to great educational sources of info) on how nutrients really work and the importance of the water source, as well as concepts like nutrient antagonism, and I began to realise just how much of AN's marketing is just that: MARKETING. A lot of the claims they make now just seem downright silly to me, and I personally find their over the top style a little bit condescending, not to mention their price. They are certainly catering to the MJ grower niche and pretty much no one else.
Statements like the following, that I have ignored in the past, in my opinion now seem to insult the intelligence of the very niche they are trying to sell to: "Hey it's BigMike, and I want to give you the Big Fat BadAss Buds Blueprint a first in a short series of big bud getting special reports, video's and interviews with world class growers I've set up for you." To me this is the equivelent of saying: "Hey, this is Big Dick Darrel! I want to show YOU how you can add 3 inches to your PENIS is ONE WEEK! No more pumps! No more pills! No more gimmicks!"
"Big Fat BadAss Buds Blueprint"? Seriously? Do you think we're all thirteen years old? How can any reasonably intelligent person read that and go "OMG REALLY BIG MIKE?"
In conclusion, I don't think AN is the worst company on the planet or their nutes are the worst or anything like that. Over hyped? Certainly. Over priced and over the top?
Definitely! All I'm saying is you can search the world over for growers who will tell you AN, or FF or Canna or whatever are the best nutes you can buy, but that won't make it true for YOUR SETUP. Don't be a fanboy, never assume you know everything, don't be afraid to admit you are/were wrong, do your research and you will not fail to grow some seriously chronic ganja.
PEACE