I never really thought about any quality differeneces. The only thing I check for is whether they are going to spray or trickle. The flat ones tend to spray into the air, wider coverage but wet leaves, the round ones tend to trickle more- more localized no wet leaves. Hope that helps.

I have both a fast-rate system (fat weeping hoses which are linked together and wound through the garden), and a slow-rate system, with a carrier hose in which you make holes and attach smaller, slow rate weepers and drippers, etc.

Both systems are from Lee Valley, and both systems have sprung leaks because of freezing and thawing and breakage of plastic/rubber parts.

The slow rate system is initially more tedious with more grunt work (lots of hole punching, and pushing and twisting to get one component to link into the other, because they work on a system of compression - once the parts attach they are almost impossible to disattach, so you have to cut them out of the system, and use more tubing and new parts and chuck out the broken ones. However, most of the individual parts are not expensive).

But it is easier to replace the parts of this slow-rate system that spring a leak than it is to replace a whole fast-rate hose, while trying not to do too much damage to your plants (unless you do it in late winter before bulbs come up, but at that point you don't even know if it's sprung a leak through the winter).

The slow-rate system is also more flexible and adaptable, because you can decide exactly where you want more water or less water, and you can attach parts to all of your pots, etc.

Installing soaker systems, though, has really made a huge difference to my life because I don't have to spend time watering during the summer.

One thing I didn't know when I installed them was that in late fall you're supposed to bring indoors all of the parts that hook up to the faucet (pressure flow valve; backflow preventer etc), and you should take the end cap off and attach a vaccuum cleaner and blow air through the system to get out all the water.

Hope this info is helpful.