NP "Solid Vodka" Pellets - Is it Really Something New?

[viperfish]

It seems some people are pushing the "solid vodka" dosing pellets as being revolutionary. I am very interested in the concept and before I soak the bucks into a new reactor, pump, and media I figured I would do a little research. Aqua Medic makes a nitrate reductor that appears to use the same concept. The Deniballs are a carbon based media which fuel the bacteria needed to reduce nitrates. The setup seems to be very reasonably priced at around $300 for the reactor, media, and it even includes the pump. Here is the link http://www.aqua-medic.com/nitrate_reductor.shtml#manual. I may be missing something here and these pellets may in fact be as innovative as they are made out to be but I don't see a huge difference in the NP and Aqua Medic approach. Actually, Aqua Medic seems to put it together in a nicer package. If I am wrong someone please comment, I can go either way, I would just rather spend my money on quality instead of marketing (Microsoft proved to us that you don't need a quality product, just marketing genius, LOL).
One more thing, one of the drawbacks to dosing vodka was stopping and the after effects associated when there wasn't an abundance of carbon to support the bacteria colonies. Would this not be the same if dosing with pellets were to stop?
I really want to jump on this bandwagon but I can't help but be a little skeptical. I would love to set up a reactor and never have to worry about nitrates again, and I do realize that in this hobby, people like NP help advance the technology needed to keep these precious animals alive with the least amount of effort. I guess my dilemma is why haven't we heard anything about the Aqua Medic system? Has anyone used it with success? You know what they say "if its too good to be true, then it probably is".