IMO, there is no cut and dry answer. I love my xp3. It's easy to service and has great capacity. I believe eheim will ne the same. They're classic, timeless filters which makes them great. I really think its going to be a matter of bells and whistles here. XP3 has a single lever which shuts off water and removal (plus multiple options for output of water-spraybar or stream) vs eheim has separate disconnects I believe. It's gonna be a matter of what u think u might like better.