Needle wheel VS mesh impeller?

[viperfish]

I have used both. The concept of mesh is great but when it comes to actual performance go with a high end pump and you will get the efficiency you're looking for regardless of pin, needle, or mesh styles. The same thing goes for air draw and sound, the more reputable companies out there tend to use stricter tolerances and venturi designs that work the way they should. Those knock off companies make a product that looks like a skimmer and skimmer pump but IMO there's not a whole bunch of science behind it. The result is people modding the crap out of it just to get it working properly, that's how the mesh wheel was born.