Hayward CX500RE Replacement Cartridge Element

So pleased w product! Sturdy top notch quality! Absolutely worth every penny & I will NEVER waste money on generic less quality brands ever again! Cleans pool in half the time of cheaper competitors.

I agree with others who have said that it's not worth buying "compatible", or even so-called "OEM replacement" filter cartridges. They may cost half as much, but they are cheap and don't last, nor do they clean as well.I have had bad experiences, even here on Amazon, buying what is supposed to be an authentic -- and more expensive -- Hayward OEM cartridge that doesn't turn out to be authentic. I couple of years ago I bought one that even came in a Hayward box, had Hayward wrapping and the labeling on the filter itself also all said "Hayward". However, when I unwrapped it and looked at it closely I noticed that some of the finishing details were "off". Such as small pieces of plastic that weren't completely trimmed off the end caps. Also, some of the filter pleats were wrapped unevenly. Also the inside rings that provide strength looked different than what I had seen before. I used that filter and sure enough, after a few months it stopped cleaning as well.Talking about this one from this vendor: It truly looks like a genuine Hayward filter. And for the price I expect it to last as long as on OEM filter. Every detail on it is perfect. The pleats are well-spaced and uniform. There are no extraneous pieces of plastic that haven't been properly trimmed. Etc. Maybe some of those people who say it's not genuine somehow ended up with a bootleg version for some reason -- intentional or not, no way to tell -- but at least in my case I seem to have received a genuine filter that should last. And so far it's working fine.

Best product, last longer than other ones

A bit expensive, but worth the money. The generic version of these filters is garbage.

I purchased this cartridge on Amazon, via partner Pool Supply Warehouse. It is an OEM filter with "Genuine Hayward" labels on it. It was shipped within a few days and cost only 100 bucks. I am very pleased.I recently bought a house with a pool but I have never maintained a pool before and don't know anything about them. I've been applying the BBB method as described on troublefreepools.com with great success, but I was having problems with the existing filter system. I couldn't get the pool clean even through vacuuming, and it seemed like the debris I picked up was being blown right back out the returns. The existing cartridge was not Hayward and didn't seem to get a good seal on the contact points in the filter housing. I usually prefer to buy cheaper alternatives to brand name products but in this case I decided to go with Hayward to see what correct fit and finish looks like so I can properly evaluate the knock-offs in the future.The Hayward filter fit perfectly, it snapped right into the lower filter housing and I could tell right away it sealed properly. The upper housing aligned properly whereas with the old cartridge it seemed to be misaligned. When I turned on the filter it sealed so well it immediately exposed a problem with the filter o-ring and water came shooting out the side. A little pool lube and couple extra twists of the lock nut and this was corrected.The new cartridge works beautifully. The pool is clear and vacuuming eliminates all the dirt wonderfully. I can't wait for summer!

UPDATE: After posting the below review, and and giving only 2 stars initially, a representative from Hayward contacted me. They were very helpful and replaced my damaged/defective cartridge free of charge. No hassles at all. Hopefully, my defective cartridge was just a fluke. However, the customer service at Hayward is exceptional. This alone will keep me as a customer for years to come. Very impressed.PREVIOUS REVIEWI did a lot of research and determined that I should replace my current Hayward filter with another one by Hayward and not a cheap knock off. My last one held up quite a long time and I was actually quite impressed. In fact, it lasted well over the regular shelf life that my local pool store guy told me that it would. So, I purchased another one on Amazon on March 8, 2016 (cheaper than my pool store guy was going to sell it to me for). I think I installed it about 1 week later. The filter looked the same as the old one and fit perfectly. I had no issues until today. When I went to clean it on my normal schedule, I noticed that two of the bands that are wrapped around it have come apart! The bands on my last filter didn't even come apart until right before I decided to replace it. Now, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that these bands serve a purpose or they wouldn't be there in the first place. Hopefully, it will still work for the next year or so because I'm not spending another hundred-plus bucks on another one this season. Needless to say, it's very frustrating. Worst part about it is I'm past my return date since I bought it on Amazon and now I'm stuck with it.

Hayward filters are the best!! They outlast all others.