hahahahaha!! If you really are my long lost twin, then yup. Aero is for you - its the least boring way to grow that I have tried so far. Of course, that also means its the most trouble! 
Actually, I think trouble is the wrong word. It is the most technical way to grow would be a better way to say it. Potentially, its also the highest yielding and fastest way to grow - or so I heard on that webnet thingy somewhere 
I havent proved that yet with my growing, but I havent actually let any of my plants live long enough to tell
@SuperiorBuds has said that he is getting much higher yields. Cant remember what he said about grow times for sure, but I dont think he saw a huge reduction in time? Dont remember for sure.
Low Pressure Aero is the easiest and least expensive as far as parts and setup. The only real downside is you will have to recirculate the rez - with all that implies about balancing PH, EC etc.
HPA is next up the scale. Here is where you can start to see those fuzzy roots, and where you’re supposed to start seeing noticeable improvements in yield and time. If you can get an HPA system dialed in. so you have low enough flow rates, you can do drain to waste and still save money. That also simplifies rez maintenance, and time required for maintenance.
That all assumes you can get the system dialed in, and THAT assumes you have nozzles that produce the correct size droplets with a decent hang time. Nozzles are the heart of the system. Without nozzles that produce a quality mist, with droplets in the correct size range, you’re just going to end up with LPA roots. Not that LPA roots are bad, but they are a step down from the fuzzy kind.
Thats my main beef with Atomizer. He refuses to share ANY nozzle info. He’s good about general theory, and he will jump in and tell you where you screwed up - after you have spent money and time on the wrong stuff, and its too late. He is really good at that.
The top of the aero scale is AA, or Air Atomized aero. AA can give you the most uniform mist quality, and it is the most tuneable or adjustable system. You have almost total control over flow rates, droplet size, throw distance etc. You can dial in an AA system much better than any other type of aero. You also have the potential to have the lowest flow rates, which will save $$ and allow you to do drain to waste easier and cheaper.
The problem with AA is that no one - especially Atomizer, who is the king of AA - will give you any clues as to which air atomizing nozzles to buy. There was a long thread on RIU a few years back where they were doing some of the earliest development, and refinement of HPA, and AA. Atomizer, and two or three others all decided NOT to share their HPA or AA nozzle information with the rest of us lowlifes. I can only assume they did that so they alone would stay at the top of the heap and remain the unchallenged “kings” of aero.
Once again, the nozzles are the heart of the system. If you have crap nozzles, nothing else matters. Decent AA nozzles start at well over $100 EACH, so its not the kind of thing most folks can just take a wild guess at, and risk throwing away several hundred dollars at a time if you guess wrong. I certainly cant afford that kind of risk.
IF you knew which nozzles to buy, setting up an AA system would actually not cost that much more than the cost of a good HPA system, and potentially much simpler as far as parts count, and plumbing.
As far as the theory, the goal is to provide the roots with a constant, unchanging supply of nutrient droplets that are just the right size. You dont want a wet cycle followed by a dry cycle. You want it just right all the time, so the roots are never starved or drowned. If you get it just right, they will have the perfect (according to NASA) supply of nutes and O2 at all times.
You can get close to that with HPA with some work. AA would be a good bit easier to produce that perfect environment, but there is the whole $$ nozzle thing.
I’ve always been impressed with how well some of those events are staged, in particular, I’ve wondered how these things are planned from a safety perspective. Though, I’m certain you probably have some good, behind the scenes, stories to tell.
