alt Hacker NewsAges ago you could download binaries for Buffalo routers (g300nh / g300nh2) and flash it through the web ui. If you tried to build those images yourself, though, it would fail at the final step because the signing tools / keys were only in the possession of BrainSlayer / Sebastian. Other platforms relied on binary blobs for wlan drivers, and things like that.
Out of the two of them DD-WRT is more "hacky" and duct-taped together, while OpenWrt is more "pure". This can mean that DD-WRT feels more feature complete at times.
Buffalo shipped the WZR series routers with DD-WRT. But they stopped making them when the FCC restricted router firmware about a decade ago.
I bought a pair of them at the time. Kept one (N600) until I needed a 'mesh' and sold it on eBay about four years ago. Replaced it with an Orbi system that doesn't need to phone home (not sure such things are still available in the consumer market).