Yes, people who work on, install and know heaters unanimously prefer Raypak heaters.
The Raypak has much fewer moving parts and is very reliable. It is also quieter and has less friction loss for the plumbing.
Do some searches around here and you'll see it is the unanimous pick for homeowners add service techs.
What is your budget for this build?
I REALLLY like this design but I think it might be out of my price range for now.
-Geoff
Is it bad that I can name the people working in the pictures?