Hybrid pond pumps use far less energy then their heavier powerful direct drive counterparts. If you are in an area where electrical consumption is an issue, these are the pond pumps to use. They deliver a powerful water flow while using far less about half of the watts of a direct drive power pumps.
The area where these pond pumps are also less in is head pressure. That is, a hybrid pump can not push the water vertically higher then its equal gallon per hour direct drive pond pump. If you plan on building a real tall waterfall with multiple exit points, perhaps a real long winding stream, or you just need more water pressure at lower heights you may want to consider using direct drive power pumps.
If what you are looking for is to move water, to really move water, the direct drive waterfall pump is what you need. The pond pumps ability to move water is unmatched by any other type of pump of equal gallons per hour. Direct drive pond pumps are also heavy duty, steal construction that can handle solid material a lot easier then the hybrid pumps. Often times this pump is used for streams or waterfalls that are built up tall or on a hill side. Of course with more power means more energy consumption. The amount of power used to run these pond pumps are nearly twice as much. If you plan on installing the pond kit as the default hardware with no streams or tall waterfalls to add on to, and you also want a steady strong flow with the default configuration the hybrid pumps is all you will need.