I dont really have an opinion on differences between the 2 filtersyou mentioned, but I think you should reconsider the oversized filters. One,with 500+ feet of filter area you wont have to clean the filter as often, in fact on most pools I only do this every 6 mos. Second, the cartride on the small filter usually needs to be replaced every year while the big filters need new carts. typically every 4-5 years so the cost is the same. If you dont want to spend all that money at once, buy 1 cart a month.

Thanks Mike.

Are you saying that it is a different filter material in the quad system cartridges?

I don't expect to be running more than 30 gpm through these the vast majority of the time. I figured the 150 or the 175 would be enough overkill in this scenario. You still think that it is worth the extra cost in this scenario?

Thanks.

We have the hayward quad system. This will be our 3rd season, so we havent had to replace anything yet. I can tell you that the system does a great job cleaning our pool, and we only clean it twice a year, tops. In the middle of the season, and at closing when getting ready for storage. Its what came with our pool package.

Just an FYI here. . . I called Hayward and asked them about the filter material on the regular filters vs the quads. The tech said that the material is the same. Of course, with that much more surface area on the quads, you would expect that they should last longer.