Bradford White or Rheem

I am looking to replace my 12 yr old AO Smith 40 gallon gas water heater which is installed in the attic. I have different plumbers offering different brands. I now have to decide between Bradford White MI40 3S6FBN and Rheem 22V40F1. Iam a layman in this field and was wondering if someone with more experience can help me decide between the two. Both the plumbers are charging $900, that includes the expansion tank. Any helpful input is appreciated.
Talked to the plumbers about federal tax rebate eligible energy efficient water heaters, they were of the opinion that it is not worth the money spent.

Opinions are fairly well split between BW and GE/Rheem, so I guess it's a coin toss. I've had good luck with Rheem, but that is not to dis BW. Not much help here, but either one you pick should serve you well. No opinion on the rebate.

BW is not supposed to be sold to homeowners directly, but some places will. Their sales agreement is to only sell it to pros.

quote; Their sales agreement is to only sell it to pros.

As long as they sell it at "retail", and not at my price, I have no problem with DTU sales. As far as brands are concerned, it probably makes little difference, because every brand has about the same failure rate.

Be aware that gas water heaters can malfunction in a very hot attic. Make sure you ventilate the attic. It is very important. In hot attic their is not as much oxygen in the air. As the heat goes up the oxygen molecules spread farther apart and that mean there is less oxygen in the same space.

Install some powervents and make sure you have fresh air from the eves entering the attic.