I've got several of these, in both 20 gallon and 60 gallon size, some made in USA, and newer ones from China. The newer, China made 60 gallon models did make a mechanical sound that the older USA model did not. Close examination showed that the impeller on the ones made in China had a small piece of white plastic (next to the magnet) that wasn't trimmed very well, and which rubbed on the inner wall of the recess where the impeller spins. I trimmed this plastic with a knife out of the kitchen drawer, and the filter immediately became as quiet as the older USA made model, which is to say, almost completely inaudible, and deserving of the Whisper name. Both of my 20 gallon models, one USA made and the other made in China, are perfectly silent, and appear to be made exactly to the same high quality standard. Except for the minor issue with the impeller, the same applies to my 60 gallon models, there simply is no difference in the quality of construction or materials. As mentioned in the video, I also have had the rubber O-ring start to leak on a couple of these when it gets old. The fix is easy, just remove the filter from the aquarium, then remove the motor housing from the bottom of the filter. Wrap a few turns of teflon tape over the O-ring, and reinstall the motor housing. These do need to be filled with water before plugging them in, but mine have been very good about starting reliably if this is done, and restarting after power outages (they don't lose their prime like some filters). The filter pads are very economical to buy, about 60 cents each if you buy them in a 12 pack from Amazon, and you can rinse them and reuse them several times before you have to replace them. The last feature I will mention is the flow control located at the top of the suction tube. This works really well and is easy to operate. It's much better than the flow control on any other hang-on-back filter that I've used, and lets you easily turn the flow down to a trickle for feeding. Taken on a cost/benefit basis, the Whisper is very impressive.
I've got several of these, in both 20 gallon and 60 gallon size, some made in USA, and newer ones from China. The newer, China made 60 gallon models did make a mechanical sound that the older USA model did not. Close examination showed that the impeller on the ones made in China had a small piece of white plastic (next to the magnet) that wasn't trimmed very well, and which rubbed on the inner wall of the recess where the impeller spins. I trimmed this plastic with a knife out of the kitchen drawer, and the filter immediately became as quiet as the older USA made model, which is to say, almost completely inaudible, and deserving of the Whisper name. Both of my 20 gallon models, one USA made and the other made in China, are perfectly silent, and appear to be made exactly to the same high quality standard. Except for the minor issue with the impeller, the same applies to my 60 gallon models, there simply is no difference in the quality of construction or materials. As mentioned in the video, I also have had the rubber O-ring start to leak on a couple of these when it gets old. The fix is easy, just remove the filter from the aquarium, then remove the motor housing from the bottom of the filter. Wrap a few turns of teflon tape over the O-ring, and reinstall the motor housing. These do need to be filled with water before plugging them in, but mine have been very good about starting reliably if this is done, and restarting after power outages (they don't lose their prime like some filters). The filter pads are very economical to buy, about 60 cents each if you buy them in a 12 pack from Amazon, and you can rinse them and reuse them several times before you have to replace them. The last feature I will mention is the flow control located at the top of the suction tube. This works really well and is easy to operate. It's much better than the flow control on any other hang-on-back filter that I've used, and lets you easily turn the flow down to a trickle for feeding. Taken on a cost/benefit basis, the Whisper is very impressive.
Great filters........I have three one of which is the cleat version which is over 25 years old and still working fine.