RELIABILITY, cheaper is not always best. In a lot of other forums I find that there are a lot more issues with NON Eheim filters. In the end it is your choice, but after 30years plus, EHEIM the way to go. cheers jk :thumbup:
Hi, i don't usually post outside links to this forum, but this one might help answers some questions about eheim 2080 and fx5, this is a full review for both filters...personally i prefer eheim for there reliability.
I've got a pair of 20+ year old Eheim filters which they don't make anymore but I can still get every part for the filter. Like others have said, Fluval changes filter designs every few years making replacement parts hard to come by. BTW, i've got a pile of obsolete fluval filters as well.
Flow is a minor consideration when choosing a filter. For instance I can get a water pump that flows 900gph but that doesn't make it a good filter. In fact I don't necessarily like a canister with a high flow rate when compared to volume as that simply means more debris is sucked into the filter & the more often I need to clean the fitler. I prefer to rely on a high-flow internal or HOb to remove debris as they are much easier to clean.
I don't contest Eheim's reliability (although I'm only 3 and a bit years in to them) and their build quality. I do think the 2080 is a flawed model and probably doesn't live up to the Eheim standard. The FX5 definitely isn't perfect either, but at half the price, I can't say the 2080 is twice as good.