another shameless advertisement brought to you from the guys at advanced nutrients.
your gear is all hype. the only people online talking about how good it is, is you, and maybe a few of the uninformed.
I'm running their Sensi Grow/Bloom line at regular dosage in both NFT and coco and I've noticed slightly better growth rates than I did when I used GH micro/bloom. The ones in Veg in coco are noticeably greener than when I used 6/9 or when I used Floranova Grow. If you think I work for Advanced, you're kidding yourself.
As far as the additives debate goes, I think there is much wisdom in the notion that simple base nutrients can provide all essential nutrition to your plants. However, I think this KISS principle is taken too far sometimes.
Yes, it is unwise for anyone with little to no experience with a line of nutrients to buy both the bases, and all the additives right out of the gate. However, to suggest that no additive is worth its price is completely misguided.
I'd be willing to pay double in nutrients to have slightly more yield/flavor/bag appeal. Nutrients are inexpensive when compared to electricity.
Just take it slow, do your research on what additives are worthwhile, and experiment. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, but if you aren't happy with your growth rates, or you feel like your strain needs a little something extra (ie, floppy stems -> silica) then go for it.