i did a lot of reading before i decided what canister i wanted. Alot of reviews i saw that were negative on products were the seals breaking and comming home to a now flooded pad. I suppose this happens here and there when the seals get old and should be replaced every year to two years.
I settled on an eheim 2217 after debating to get the ecco series. The ecco series eheims have an easy hand pump to prime the filter. Personally, not to big a deal, to prime the 2217 i got i just sucked on the output hose until water rushed into the canister and came out the other end, not too hard. The classic series is known for being a workhorse, simple to use, reliable, indestructable.
Fluval and rena are both supposed to be excellent brands and i suppose i just chose german engineering in the end. I can honestly say that so far, i am very impressed witht eh quality of the 2217 its practically dead silent, i mean the fan on my light is like 10 times louder. Overfiltration isnt always bad, u need to keep in mind that decor will slow the current in the tank, impeller will get clogged over time and needs cleaning, in the intrum itll still work well, head height, how fast it can pump it back out. Many of us overfilter our tanks.
Side note:
I paid 150 or so for my canister at fosters and smith. I also bought all my stuff from them, light fixture, filter, bulbs, eco-complete and some air pump stuff that i almost wish i hadnt bought.