Sorry Steve, you read wrong. One thing they are not, is labour intensive. If anything its less than a skimmer. I, as a user of both, can compare servicing them.
Believe me, I would not change from my skimmer, if the scrubber was more work. Yes, it does take up room, but ok in my situation. Actually they are designed to sit on your tank, behind your light hood. Very nice looking acrylic work. Part of the reason for their cost. Of course if they come smashed to crap in the mail, like mine did, then its ugly with its glass body.
My beckett needs cleaning every few days also. Its easier to remove the scrubber screen and scrape it, than take the screws from the beckett and clean the various parts. Plus one does not need a large pump and plumbing everywhere, that worries me when some local is looking after my tank.
As good as becketts are, one thing that pees me, is the constant changing in foam production and levels, just because I look at it the wrong way.
Ok, everytime I feed or touch the water. I feed mysis or brine a minimum of a couple times/day. Takes half a day for the skimmer to run again.
Also the benefit of turf algae and scrubbers, over calerpa type in refugiums, is it wont transfer to the tank. Also one reason for good lighting over the screen, {two 55w power compacts}, is to out compete the tank. Plus RDP lighting.
Anyways, you should know I for one am not anti-skimming. Just like to talk about it on this thread Doug started. My large beckett will not be far away and I just finished the plumbing for a sump as a back up, just in case.
I also wonder how it would work on an all sps tank. Its does fine on tanks with corals more condusive to that type of system.