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Brass tends to get plated with the minerals in the water and stick. The seal in a conventional ballcock compresses more and more over time and changes the level. The mechanism usually has more of a gradual open and close action rather than a snap on and off so that causes a lot more wear on the seal and seat and tends to make leaks go unnoticed because it just silently refills it. They are a lot harder to adjust. Most are not adjustable to bring the vacuum breaker above the overflow but below the tank, they have to be bought in the right size. The fluidmaster just requires a lot less attention(and i'd imaging the korky knockoff that is changed just enough to avoid the patents).

EDIT: I thought the korky was the one that was a fluidmaster just slightly different, that I guess was another one, maybe a kohler.

This weeks video discusses how to know if the boiler is short cycling and if it is, the possible causes. Have a great weekend.

Someone messed up the water supply rough, but hey..it looks neat...nice Chrome Plated nipples ($$$) and it could double as a grab bar in an emergency. Mad Dog

They are pretty bullet proof. Motors and pumps usually last a long time.

I would say in this order:

Nozzles

pump strainer

electrodes

transformer

pump coupling

Motor

pump

Flame retention head

And a large selection of nozzles.

Nothing really sticks out. You should have all the parts on your truck.