Ive heard lots of people use it. Sand is definitely easier to keep and some fish almost have to have it (corys). I have switched almost all my tanks over to sand exclusively (except for my sons guppy stream biotope which has sand, gravel and some small rocks) as its more natural for most fish, cleans easier and I think it looks better.
I have pool filter sand in my tanks. I bought a 50# bag of it from my local hardware store for about $5.00. You just need to rinse it really well before you put it in your tank.