I'm with CarlD on this - I love my sand filter. That said, there are fans of Carts and DE here as well. The most important thing is to size the filter to the pump - the next size bigger filter and the next size smaller pump than commonly suggested is a good start.

One thing to add to CarlD's post is a rinse between backwash and returning to filter will prevent a plume of dirty water returning to the pool.