I've only been in the hobby about 2.5 years, so my experience is limited.
I have a mixed reef, a SPS reef and a large FOWLR.
I'm using
2 Koralia 1150 - in use since 12/13 $50 each - work well
2 Koralia 1000g + WaveMaker Controller in use since 2/2014 $60 CL score - work well
2 Jebao RW-8 - in use since 1/2015 - replaced the Koralias - $75 - Awesome
1 Jebao RW-15 in use since 7/2015 - Almost too much for the 125 $80 - Love it
2 Jebao RW-20 - in use since 11/2015 - a pair provide most of the flow in a 10' 350 - $110 each - Awesome
4 SunSun El Cheapo 1300 gph in use since 12/2015 in the 350 $7.50 nice filler flow.
So, I don't have the Cadillac stuff.
The SunSuns are not controllable, but at $7.50 each, I can replace them for years. Koralias are work horses, but the are kind of middle of the road. If you are not going with Vortex, and don't want to rely on the El Cheapos, Jebaos are a good compromise IMO.