ok so i didn't read through the whole thread... i imagine it has a lot of people saying good and bad shit about advance and other brands. personally, advanced was my first nutrient selection, i used sensi a+b and i added Cal-Mag plus from botanicare to make up for calcium deficiency. there are some good things about these nutrients, but i will say i feel like they put a lot of money into advertising, and significantly less on manufacturing. i'll give you my list of pros and cons from my experience with these products
THE GOOD:
it is true when they tell you that ph doesn't matter with these nutrients. just as an experiment, i did have one plant that i let get up to around 9 for a week, and the plant didn't show any signs of poor health. in addition after a week of 9 ph, the solution dropped from ~750 ppm to ~550 ppm, showing absorption of the nutrients. THIS DOESN'T MEAN OPTIMAL ABSORPTION AT THIS LEVEL, but at least you know your plants have lower odds of dying from nutrient lock-out.
the Sensi Line is pretty user-friendly. unlike some brands, the equal ratio of part a to part b is a nice advantage, because at least you know if you a a tsp. of A, you also need a tsp. of B
they know they're market, and they're not afraid to say it. it's no secret that people use nutrients to grow pot, but Advance cornered the Newbie market with their advertising of "Bigger, Better-tasting Buds"
finally, most importantly, these nutrients will do fine for most people, especially if you're new to growing. they should carry your crop to harvest, which is the goal of any grow op. obviously.
THE BAD:
ok so they may be able to be absorbed at most ph ranges, but it's a good thing because from what i've seen the ph is incredibly unstable, and hard to adjust. when i begun using Sensi grow, my tap water came out at ~130-150 ppm. after adding cal-mag plus was at about 250-300 ppm, with very little change in ph. after adding the Sensi parts a and b at one tsp. per gallon each, my ppm reached 600-650 most days. when i tried to adjust my ph, typically it would be at around 6.5 after adding all nutrients, but before adding any ph adjusters. so i started by adding 0.5ml ph down per gallon of solution. and after letting it stabilize for about 5 min, the ph is right around 6.2. so, i add a little more ph down, this time at a rate of 0.25ml per gallon. after 5 minutes the ph is around 6.0. this is when it would always go weird on me. i would add another 0.25 per gallon to adjust ph, and it starts bouncing around like crazy. i watched my meter read as low as 5.0 and as high as 8.0 in only a few seconds. this will drive you mad, which is ultimately why i stopped checking ph daily.
for some reason, which may or may not be nutrient related, i had a couple plants which experienced root rot while using these nutrients. i believe it is the nutrients, perhaps they lower the ability for the solution to hold oxygen or something, because in otherwise identical conditions, my botanicare plants have never experienced it.
FLAVOR- this is a biggy. i use a 2 week flush for my plants, and even with this they still had a chemical aftertaste. not particularly strong, but unpleasant all the same.
finally, they make some outrageous claims. i remember the ad that made me want to use them... "we've had reports of some people's plants growing 2 inches in a day!" maybe some people experience this in the stretch week, but after my results with them i'd be fairly surprised with this.
we all have different tastes and preferences, so advanced may work very well for you. personally, i prefer botanicare. they're easy to use, they don't leave flavor in the buds as long as you flush properly, and ph is easy to adjust. anymore i only check my ph after i add all my nutrients and 1ml ph down... it's more like reassurance cuz it's always right between 5.7 and 5.8. whatever you decide to stick with, the best thing you can do is LOVE your plant. remember, TLC breed THC. good luck!
Luv ya Bro!! We'll b out that way nxt week Bro so clean up!! 
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so I check and everything was cool dude. I took pics but I feel like I'd be posting pics of a fuckin murder dude!! The smaller of the 2 on which i only used the Base Nutes and Bud Candy is surviving, not necessarily flowering but surviving. but the big one pfffft I can't even talk about it!!
, but using the process of elimination here and both plants are alive or something like that. the one that didn't receive Big Bud and a high concentration is "alright" but the other may have me locked away for plant murder!!