Well, maybe not revolutionary, but possibly more convenient. I stole the idea from another thread that I can no longer find. I picked up a shop-vac from Lowe's that has a built in water pump. When the canister fills up to a certain level, the water will automatically be pumped out of a garden hose connection. I used it with the hose and gravel tube from an Aqueon water changer, their version of the Python. I like that I can vacuum as much as I want without worrying about wasting water with the python. It drains faster than a python, so it is good for bulk water removal as well as vacuuming. It sucks much harder than the python, so much that I have to modulate the suction with the valve on the gravel tube to avoid picking up the finer particles of gravel. There is a strainer inside the vacuum on the end of the water suction tube to prevent the gravel from getting in the pump should any get sucked in, but I found I was able to dial in the suction to an appropriate level with the valve. I didn't try it with sand, but I imagine it wouldn't be hard to adjust it for that too. In addition to its aquarium applications, it's a pretty good vacuum for all your regular cleaning needs as well. Overall, I think it's a pretty decent deal for $120
