Howdy,
Let me chime in.
First of all: One more personal attack, and I will lock this thread. This is the last warning, DanDanUK warned you before. If you have personal differences, discuss these somewhere else. If you have different opinions on the topic, discuss them like adults. If you have to be rude to make a point, then you are probably wrong.
As a matter of fact, I have an itchy trigger finger when it comes to prejudices regarding nationality or origin. If this happens again, I will have to discuss it with the other moderators and administrators, and I will suggest measures to be taken against those members. Consider this a serious warning. This is an international community of monster fish keepers.
Now shake hands and move on!
Back to the topic:
I inherited an Eheim from my dad, must have been one of the first Eheims made and sold in Germany (1970s). It was decommissioned when I upgraded my tank, must have had more than 10 years of operation under its belt. I also have an Eheim 2211, and it has been running on my 15 gal non-stop for the past 17 years. Since then, I had an Eheim 2228 on my 80 gal (sold the entire set-up) and I am currently operating an Eheim 2080 on my 220 gal. Yes, I am an Eheim guy. Not a blind Eheim loyalist, as Ducati puts it, but a die-hard Eheim loyalist nevertheless.
I had a Fluval back in 1997. It was noisy, had poor filtration, the material was cheap and the quality low. I only used it for about half a year before I switched back to Eheim. I have no clue if the Fluval quality improved or if I had a lemon back in the 90s. All I know is that Eheim works for me, and there is no reason for me to be quiet about it. If someone asks me what filter I recommend, there is only one answer.
You do not have to own a product to be knowledgable about it. Consumer reports and hear-say from close friends with own experience are powerful ways to find out about the quality of a product.
When price is a decision-making factor, not only the initial costs should be considered. The longevity of a product is IMO the biggest factor. Best example is my 2211: It cost me $ 0.25 /month ($50/17yrs/12mo). That's hard to beat.
vanilla__gorilla__: The choice is yours, but I also suggest looking into Eheim. I have no information on the Hagen Fluval FX5
Peace out,
HarleyK