Works a treat, but everyone I know who used to handwater coco/perlite mix I've converted to pump/timer and min 3 feeds a light cycle, growth is over double with the timer feeds... they never go back to handwatering....
I do both, and kill it both ways.
When coco first came out, i was dripping 3-4 times(max) a light cycle. 16 plants in 1gal mesh bottom pots, per 1000w. Too many plants for our setups these days. 16 x 12+ lights = pushing it. Anyways, most of my friends and I grow anywhere from 4-9 plants per light now, usually in 5gal pots, sometimes 7gal. Watering with a water wand. We kill it.
Now, if your talking hand watering small pots compared to automated(drip)feedings of small pots, not even comparable. My experience is the same as yours.
I still do rock 16 plants per once in a while. Actually I use the Basket Drip Stakes. Not really a drip. And usually get the same yields as hand water bigger pots, with everything else being the same. And of course, the hand watered bigger pots get more veg.
But if shit becomes legal, and plant counts don't matter, i'm gonna be either drip feeding 1 gal mesh bottom pots, or go back to growing in tubes. Peace