MAR II 900 vs the “other brand”. Is the other brand in the photo an example of a counterfeit? Per policy, of course.
I would avoid third parties (such as Amazon) for the purchasing of their product until they have explicitly clarified the Warranty to define who is in-fact an “authorized” reseller and what products are covered. This clarification should not come from a forum posting but as part the actual Warranty (and having Warranty coverage is not “free” despite the rhetoric).
Best bet is to purchase directly from their corporate web-site for any sort of assurance while keeping in-mind that they also attempt to limit their liability in the current Warranty with statements such as:
Warranty coverage is ultimately left to the discretion of Mars Hydro. We reserve the right to refuse warranty repair or replacement service to anyone.
Having access to the warranty may not matter anyhow. You’d essentially be relying on the good-will from the corporation (outside of the courts) even if purchased directly. They’ve taken the tact on a couple of occasions that company “policy” easily overrides implicit or explicit contract whether lawful or not. Going further with a claim wouldn’t be worth the time and effort beyond taking a principled stance. From my perspective, the product warranty amounts to a marketing piece (hoping you don’t read/ignore the fine print).