German engineering every time
A patient and unrepentant lurker can snipe an Eheim 2026 (with media - at $10/liter just for generic lava, not having media included adds about $50 to the total price) for around $100 on Ebay, a little more for the larger 2028.
I've also got two 2027s (both acquired off Craig's for less than $50-75), Eheim's just way too cool wet/dry with its intermittent flow system (siphons water in until the canister is full before expelling it thus allowing more 'reaction' time for bacteria to serve their metabolic function).
Eheims are silent, absolutely solid and with sponge pre-filters about as low-maintenance as it gets. They also have an aesthetically superior design in pleasing shades of green but if you'd rather have filters that look like toxic waste canisters (or small trash cans/shop vacs as is the case with FX5s), Fluval is the ticket.
Alright, was that sufficiently elitist to alienate all the Fluval owners? Sure they're more than adequate, they seem to command the center of the market for canister filters, can't imagine that's purely accidental.
