As in, i have a triple crankset with M780 / M785 on the arms. I am looking to replace the worn 22t granny ring but there seems to be an array of different types for sale. Now i really dont care if they are not Shimano branded rings but they just need to fit, and work obviously.

The reason that there are lots of rings is that there are lots of different materials, sizes, BCDs, etc in use. So in direct answer, they are not all created equal. But you can use anyone of a lot, but not all.

Granny ring is standard steel construction. Shimano ones are cheapest at about £7
Middle ring introduces all sorts of fancy materials and you can pay as much as you like. I still go for shimano steel ones.
Outer rings are just spikey bash-rings 😛

NB. did you know that granny rings are reversible? THey have no ramps. Fit your existing one backwards and get some more miles out of it.

Cheers guys, Ecky-Thump, ill give that a go 😀

So when ordering 36t and 22t chainrings as i have now gone double and bash any XT should do as long as they are the correct BCD??

Pretty much any XT, SLX or Deore will do, so long as they’re the correct BCD, if I remember correctly.
I run Deore steel rings on SLX and Hone cranksets. XT will be the same.

Nope, cheese or brie is the choice.

I gave up using aluminium rings except for the big ring years ago.

Worth noting that you need the correct type ring for HT2, older types have tabs that foul on the BB cups (though they can be ground back), and some types now have recesses, so reversing them isn’t a viable option. 🙁

Dear god, these are hollowtech 2 cranks. Why is this so complicated 🙂

So, can someone please do me a favour and point me in the right direction of where to buy some new chainrings for hollowtech 2 cranks,

My sanity is hanging in the balance 🙂