Bradford White: There is no need to ever drain or flush these 40-gallon gas water heaters. There is a link below where you can get more information on the technology behind it, but Bradford White provides patented technology in their Defender Safety System series that drastically reduces carbon monoxide emissions and the chance of fire. This is a very important safety feature in any water heater. The online reviews for Bradford White are overwhelmingly positive. One popular consumer research website polled 300 contractors, which resulted in this brand being voted "Best Water Heater". However, there is a catch - You can't buy a Bradford White water heater at Lowes or Home Depot; they can only be purchased through licensed contractors, which is probably a big reason for their devotion to the brand.

Kenmore: A very affordable water heater from a trusted brand, the Kenmore Power Miser also has an important safety feature (CSA-certified energy cut-off). The First Hour Rating (FHR) is one of the most important features you should consider when buying a hot water heater, and the Kenmore scored the worst in this department among these three brands. The warranty is longer than the Bradford White units, but is limited. On paper, the Kenmore may seem like a great water heater for the money, but we read many reviews and customer complaints on several websites, and found that - overall - these consumers were not satisfied with the water heater. For instance, one customer says "I purchased the Power Miser 9 40 gal. unit to replace a PowerMizer 8 40 gal. unit that lasted 12 years without any issues. On the first day, I found the water went cold because the pilot light went out. I relit and water heated up. Later that day water was cold again, found same issue - pilot out. This cycle continued until I had a service person come out... I would recommend sticking with the open ignition area type if the unit if it is to be in a small confined space." Another consumer complained that his water would not be hot enough unless the thermostat was turned up all the way.

Whirlpool: The 40-Gallon Flame Lock natural gas water heater from Whirlpool would be a steal at this price if it weren't for all of the complaints and the class action lawsuit. It (was) a trusted brand. Many people look at only the R-value to gauge energy efficiency. While the Whirlpool Flame Lock 40g hot water heater has a competitive R-Value for this price range, the real value comes from the First Hour Rate, which indicates that this unit heats up ten more gallons of water in the same time frame than the Kenmore. We would have given this brand the Editor's choice (if we didn't know any better) because they are much easier to buy than the Bradford Whites, and are very energy efficient and well-priced. However, the thermocouple complaints have us a little concerned. All-in-all, we would not say that the consumer reviews for the Whirlpool hot water heaters were very possitive. You should probably stay away from any company involved in a lawsuit over its product.

The Reliance 6-40-HORT4 sold at Ace Hardware looks like a decent hot water heater for the price, but the quality and features don't stand up next to some of the others in this comparison. The only user review we could find on the Ace Hardware site was one start out of five, and we quote: "I have had a terrible time with this product. It will not stay lit and even though it is under warranty, the company has not helped. I have had two plumbers tell me they cannot see any reason why it will not work..."

Bottom Line:
At this price range you can't expect a top-of-the-line water heater. If you are going to go with a contractor to install it, ask about the Bradford White line. We would say consider the Whirlpool Flame Lock gas water heaters, but there was recently a major lawsuit against them because the thermocouples are allegedly prone to premature activation.