Don't wanna go into it but while the fx5 is a great filter i wouldn't call it the best in its class, imo the 2260 with 100% bypass free completley silent pump, long maintenance proven design will outlast and outperform the fx5 on it's best day!
From an engineering stand point and performance (endurance, capacity and effectiveness) The FX5 must outperform the 2260 and the 2280 becasue although those two filters perform well they are by designed inline series filters for one reason and one reason only operator convenience. And while the FX5 also has 3 inline baskets, they are last in the flow of pre-cleaned water for porous media water treatment. What sets the FX5 apart from all those other is the FX5's enormous 300 square inch surface area circumference primary 1st stage filter, separated by 3 large O-rings from the inline basket section for true none bypass filtration. This 1st stage section is same circumference technology used in heavy industry, which allows the volume of water that passes through the FX5 to be maintained and sustained almost unrestricted long after the others inline canisters with 35 to 80 square inches of surface area would have clogged. furthermore inline only canisters are forced to place their primary restrictive filter element ( polishing or sponge) inside one of the in line baskets where collectively water GPH is lowered in a hydraulic series circuit design where restrictive media gets clogged much quicker.
But this is not all, the FX5 inline basket section design is far superior to the top motor lid filters mentioned became top motor lid designes must pull the water up and trough the media from the bottom which is an inharent flaw both becasue water flow direction works in the wrong direction against the media from under the basket lifting media off the bottom baskets grates allowing unfiltered water bypass to a significant degree so that over time it appears that endurance is good but actually unfiltered water is bypassing around the filter basket media up to 30% of GPH, unbeknown to the owner.
The FX5 on the other hand with its superior bottom motor was designed so that after water is filtered clean by the 1st stage 300 square-inch circumference filter, clean water after passing through the massive 300 SI sponges travel upward inside the first stage segregated passage-way to the top of the canister where it then cascades from the top into the center top inline basket section passing through all 3 basket segments with the help of gravity and pinning media against the basket bottom grates rather then lifting them up of the bottom, for true engineered 100% none bypass filtration and where the bottom submerged pump uses actual pump pressure (NOT vacuum un-submerged head pressure) to effectively and efficiently pump water out of the canister without all the hassles of hand priming or airlock loss of prime and potentially overheated motors.
So you see the engineering specification and design alone unequivocally bares out the FX5 as a two generational advanced filter system over older
"top motor inline basket bottom flow designed filters". Both by design and proven performance. Top motor inline only basket designs are simply outclassed by the FX5.
Despite Fluval saying that its a non discountable item!!!
