I just bought two of them to put in our 90g, to take advantage of the linking capability and be able to create more random flow patterns. I haven't installed them yet, but hope to soon. I was skeptical about spending so much money (ordered mine from Marine Depot using a 15% off promotion they had recently), but was convinced after someone else in the local reef club purchased one and installed it in his tank. The difference between the Vortech pumps and normal powerheads is pretty impressive. Whether or not it's worth the price difference will likely be an ongoing debate as long as the price remains what it is.
If you search the internet enough, you'll see info about some issues that people have had. Like most any product, they are not 100% perfect 100% of the time. But, the turn-around time on their repair service is very fast, if for some reason you need it. The guy I know that bought one had a problem with his (he picked his up slightly used from MACNA), sent it off to them on a Tuesday, and got it back from them on Friday of the same week. It was the same unit, not a replacement.
For $250, I would buy a used one, especially one that's only been used for 6 months.
