It's all preference , but I went from kent products to brightwell aquatics And still have consistent good results , most companies differ in concentrations so it's something To keep in mind
I am dosing alot to keep my #'s at 430 cal 9 dkh and 1440 mag i got tired of spending all that money so i got the brs stuff comes in a packet that makes a gallon and its 2.50 per packet so i get a gallon of alk and a gallon of cal for 5 bucks
The red sea is very expensive. The best way is like gary mentions, one day i will get pumps and switch to BRS. If you want to help keep the cost down try using kalk in your top off, it seems to keep the cost down for me.
It is my understanding that the BRS calcium and alk are just pure calcium and alk. Two parts like ESV also contain trace elements. No problem with that just letting you know you may need to dose trace with BRS
Liquid additives are usually a waste of money since it's the same as the dry versions from that brand but you're paying for water and heavier ship weights, with ESV being the only one I would recommend. After that it's somewhat preference with type of calcium you want and purity but most of it is the same. You will save money with BRS but it seems to me (after using a few of them) like the quality of their chemicals might not be as high as some of the other brands.
I use Bulk Reef Supply pharmaceutical-grade calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium supplements. It's based on Randy Holmes-Farley two-part formula, and it is relatively inexpensive. It comes dry and you mix it in gallon jugs with RODI water.