Christine Abbott, Senior editor

I'm the senior editor, so the rankings are mine to defend. A heater gets onto a list because its spec sheet, its installation manual and its owners back it up, not because it happened to be on sale the week we updated.

Most people come to tankless with one picture in mind: hot water that never runs out. The reviews tell a messier story. A unit too small for two showers at once, a gas line that had to be upsized, an electric model the panel couldn't carry. So I start with what runs at the same time in your house and how cold your water comes in, and I work back to the heater from there. Sometimes the honest answer is a good tank heater, and I'd rather write that than point you at the wrong box.

I write the guides on choosing a heater, tankless versus tank, point of use versus whole house, and how long these units last. I edit everything else. Before a guide goes live I read it the way someone holding an installer's quote would.

None of these heaters has been plumbed into our homes for the site, and I won't write as if it had. What we bring is careful reading, side-by-side comparison and rankings we reopen when prices or models change.