Water Heaters - AO Smith power vent vs. State power vent

Hi,
I'm planning to replace a 50 gallon State direct vent gas water heater early next year with a 50 gallon high recovery 60,000 - 65,000 btu power vent gas water heater.
After some web surfing and reviewing various brands it seems many features are similar regardless the brand, i.e. glass lined tanks, 2" thick foam insulation, heavy duty plastic dip tubes, heavy duty anodes etc.

I'm leaning towards the A.O. Smith brand power vent 50 gallon 65,000 btu or a State brand power vent 50 gallon 62,500 btu. They both appear very similar and I understand A.O. Smith owns State.

I noticed the A.O. Smith model has dual anode rods and the State brand has a single anode.
Any advantage to using dual anodes vs. single anode or is this an excessive marketing feature to distinguish one brand from another?
Are these heaters manufactured using the same components in the same facility?
Any experience or pros and cons for either brand of power vent?

Thanks for your help

Welcome brew1 to the Do-It-Yourself Web Site and the Water Heaters topic.

Brand does not really matter as much as the warranty. (IMO) Most brands are manufactured by only a few manufacturers whom than label the tanks for another company. All tanks must meet the minimum federal guidelines for energy efficiency. Read the labels.

More important than the brand name, is the warranty....IMO.

There is no better or worse brand. Warranty and local service persons are or should be the considering factors for all long term appliance purchases, IMO.

Dual anodes is a method of double protection against electrolysis, which causes a more rapid deterioration from rust and corrosions. Helps to extend the warranty. Has little if anything to do with whom makes the tank.

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Sharp Advice,

Thanks for your advice.
I was looking at the warranties, seems 6 year on tank & parts and 1 year on labor is fairly common for the AO Smith and State power vent models.

However, I did come across the Maytag brand of Power Vent manufactured by AO Smith that had identical features but a 12 year warranty on tank & parts, 5 year on blower motor and 1 year labor. Only problem with Maytag is finding someone in my area that carries them.