When buying replacements stick with quality over price, the sole purpose of the prefilter and carbon block are to protect that RO membrane and prolong its useful life, don't skimp on quality.
As Russ at Buckeye pointed out, this is one area where sticking with the name brand pays off. Name brands are ANSI/NSF and UPC approved meaning they have been through rigorous testing and quality control checks, you really do get what you pay for.