Coconut husk chips anyone?

[Pananep]

I was wondering if anyone had experience using a mix consisting mainly of fine/medium coconut husk chips? I read it is an alternative to orchid bark and has a life expectancy of 3 - 5 years. It is also a bit cheaper. I am planning to change my current mix to a mixture of coconut husk chips and sphagnum moss, 1:1 or 2:1 for the few intermediates/highlanders I have. Maybe some perlite or charcoal added, but not sure about that yet. For lowlanders I plant to use the same with some sphagnum peat moss thrown in. I am afraid that my current mix is retaining too much water plus I want more air to reach the roots. Any opinions?