Sand Filter or Cartridge?? Which is better?

[waterbear]

I'm surprised no has mentioned one of the other favorites in this never-ending debate: Sand filter with zeolite filter medium. The ease of maintening a sand filter with a filtering capability that's better than a cartridge and maybe even better than DE. Can't be beat, right?
If you really believe all the manufacturer's hype then PLEASE come into the pool store where I work part time and let me sell you some dual action Pace 3" tri-chlor that will keep algae from your pool and make your life simpler along with some sodium hydrogen carbonate for adjusting your TA ...it's better for your pool than baking soda! (those comments ARE 'tounge in cheek'!)
(Patiently awaiting post describing arduous zeolite "renewal" procedure that must be performed annually but that no one who actually has this system seems to worry about.)

Zeolite is great for ammonia scavaging and will probably help to keep choramines down (if you are not using a SWG) but I don't believe it's filtering abiltiy is going to be much better than sand. Yes, it is porous like DE and the pores have a small micron size but the grains are about the same as sand; and water (and the dirt in it) is going to take the 'path of least resistance' which means it will go around the zeolite grains and not through it. DE on the other hand, has a very tiny particle size and when the slurry of DE and water coats the grid, even though the coating is not that thick it is made of of layers and layers of DE the path of least resistance will be throught the porous DE which is what makes it such an excellent filter medium. Even if the water passed around the DE grain it is so tiny that the space between grains is extremely small also.
Actually,I have read through Zeobrites regeneration instructions on their website and they are really no worse than sand cleaning or cartridge soaking (which many cartridge and sand owners don't worry about either!) and is probably only a yearly procedure also. The biggest difference between zeolite and sand its that while sand is only a mechanical filter medium, zeolite is both a mechanical AND chemical filter medium. People have been using it in fresh water aquariums for years now for these very reasons.