I'm about to buy an RO/DI and have a couple questions.

[ntime60]

After reading numerous posts on a few forums, I realize this is somewhat of a testy topic.

I know many people have their favorite ro/di system. But as a relative newcomer I am a bit confused as to why there are so many opinions on it. I'm sort of an on/off type, to me, a thing either works or it doesn't. So with that in mind here is the question.

Does it really matter what ro/di system you use in a practical sense? I mean as long as you get to 0 or 1 TDS, that is really all that matters, right?

I currently looking at MAXCAP RO/DI SYSTEM because all that I've read tells me this is the best bang for the buck and that is before I even know what my water pressure is. But my problem is, I've read so many posts of people running MaxWater, Water General, AquaFX, SpectraPure, BRS and the list goes on. This is what has led to my confusion.

Years ago when I ran a reef tank we didn't have ro/di, I was on well water then, and everything seemed good. Now I live in a city with poor water 350-400tds and they use chloramine most of the time and I won't even get into all the other bad stuff pr seasonal stuff that's in our water.

So for you vets, does the ro/di brand really make a difference? I can say, I'm not hoofing 20gallons of water from Kroger or wallyworld every couple weeks. So would a unit that cost 1/3 to 1/2 of the cost of the above unit perform good enough?

[MizTanks]

My RO/DI was a gift from a fellow reefer. Given to me over a year ago. I hook it up to my tap, making 5-6gs at a time. Get my filters/resin from BRS for $50 a year and I've always gotten 0 TDS. That's good enough for me and my tank.
Like with everything in the hobby you'll get tons of opinions. Some more adamant then others. Some experts even!
Get what your comfortable with using, what you can afford. All according to how much water your going to be using.

[bluwc]

I ordered one off of amazon, a Coral Life Pure something for $150 and free shipping. It's a four stage 50gpd along with a handheld TDS meter. That little meter is pretty cool and I like the fact that it is portable. My TDS prior to going into the rodi was 176 and afterwards it's 0. I'm happy with it. As you said, there are many vendors out there and all are comparable and do the same thing. I would just recommend at least a 50gpd (you won't be happy with anything else) and at least a 4 stage. The cheapest I found was the $150 Coral Life one off Amazon.

[AZDesertRat]

$125
SpectraPure Water Purification Products

90 GPD specially treated and batch tested high rejection rate RO membrane, 1 micron absolute rated sediment filter, 1 micron 12,000 gallon carbon block, custom blended ree fspecific DI resin that lasts up to 3x longer than normal mixed bed resins, a capillary tube flow restrictor you yourself adjust according to your own water conditions and an inline pressure gauge. They don't come any better or for any less money and backed by a company in the RO business since 1985 in Tempe AZ. No ebay overseas vendors and a real live person you can talk to with your questions. There really is a difference.