I just purchased an ehiem 2028 canister a couple of months ago and I love it, best canister I have ever used simple to clean and maintain.
The HOB overflows can be run without worries as long as you are aware of all of the things that can go wrong and they are set up correctly. I think the number one problem with them is when people try to run them with a pump that is too small. After that it is mainly just a maintenance issue like keeping your return pump intake free of debris and cleaning any algae growth out of the u-tube on a regular basis. Mine has been running for about 3 years and I have only had two incidents both of which were caused by a combination of lack of maintenance and me messing with the system so I was present both times.
