hm, you guys are even more in cocos then me.
i do use it since ages also, most grows had been done in it, used it the first time in early 2000s.
but you guys prob have used more cocos brands then me, i took some pauses in between growing wise.
would say its hard to compare by a forum post.
overall, my observation.
cocos bricks contains a lot fine particles, quite dense, can be overwatered.
cocos chips are way more airy.
i do love perlite, its complete neutral, airy, cheap, i only dont like the dust of it working with it dry.
would give cocos chips a try as substitute for perlite, if one is after some airy enviroment for the roots.
root development is fantastic in pure cocos chips btw, ive tested myself (while roots arent all...).