They are too new to have any kind of real track record.

agree with LWO about the tankless "problems" , they work fine and as intended.

I would disagree that all tankless problems are because of improper expectations. However, I would agree that there would be less disappointment if people had proper expectations.

But this logic is a little backwards and I see it a lot. What it really means is that if people lower their expectations then they won't be disappointed. I would like a tankless heater that performs as well as, or preferably better, than a tank water heater. Yes, I can change my expectations in order to avoid disappointment but what's the point in that?

These hybrid tankless heaters really sound like they have potential to be the best of both worlds. But like a lot of things, it's quite possible they won't live up to the lofty expectations generated by the industry.

The only "expectation" that I needed to give up was being able to have multiple applications in use at the same time. It honestly is not a big deal to start that loaf of clothes after taking a shower rather than at the same time.

There has been no other down side at all. With 20 years of saving water and money.

There is no longer wait with tankless than there is with a conventional tanked heater. There is no NEED for an energy eating circulation pump. All of these "modifications" to a very simple system that works quite well as is are all unnecessary.

If you properly size a tankless, you will not notice any performance differences from a traditional tank water heater, other than the fact that you will never run out of hot water. The wait for hot water to any given faucet will be exactly the same. Larger units are more than capable of supplying multiple fixtures. The only difference is price - tankless heat exchangers must be more robust and are therefore more costly.

My experience has been that disappointment is almost always because of poor design of the delivery system , and or gas supply.

You could have had a "hybrid" system five years ago, or ten, or.......it's just a tank attached to regular on demand heater. Something a plumber could easily add for much less than what the hybrid sellers are charging. A better solution would be to add another tankless if you really need the capacity.

This presents a dilemma especially for retrofits as most gas systems aren't sized to handle those kinds of loads . That means a substantial infrastructure overhaul which means $$$ for things folks can't really see or show their friends, which leads to workarounds in a box that a consumer can "grasp".

I recently installed a tankless water heater to get rid of a tank heater that was near its end of life and had issues with placement. The tankless water heater hangs on a wall and is easily accessible. I had some unique requirements. I wanted to be able to run as many things at one time as possible. I live in a ranch style home and with the tank heater, I never had hot water in my master bathroom sink. I did not expect a tankless water heater to change that. I had tried a recirculation system and it did not work because of the layout of my pipes. About 3yrs ago, I purchased point of use heaters for the bathroom sinks so I could have hot water.

I had concerns about the tankless but really did not have anywhere to put a tanked system in my home. I bought a Rinnai RUR98i. It is rated at over 9gpm and has a built in recirculation unit. I have never thought I would love a water heater. I set the timer for the recirculation and always have hot water in my master bathroom sink. It takes about 5secs for the shower to get hot. I have been using the tankless water heater for about 1month now. I have not received my gas bill yet so don't really know how much I am saving. My home has three bathrooms and we have run two showers simultaneously with the dishwasher and washer running at the same time. I have not experienced a cold water sandwich as often referred to.

I live in cold weather so I will have to see how the unit behaves once the incoming water temperature drops. I already have water saving appliances. My grohe and hangrohe shower heads are 2.5gpm max. My washer heats its own water as needed. I plan to replace my dishwasher soon and will connect the new one to cold water only. My current dishwasher is connected to hot water and does not really need it.

The post is long winded but I wanted to let you know that Tankless heaters have come a long way since I started researching them five years ago. Noritz makes some units that go above 10gpm.

Good luck with your search.

We've been using a Rinnai since 2005 and never noticed any sort of lag. The unit is on the opposite side of the house and sits where the old tanks (former owner had 2x40 gal tanks) sat. We like the fact that if something goes wrong we can replace the part and we can adjust the max temp with the flip of a switch. It handles our hard water without any problems. It also saves us a small fortune on propane. Not familiar with the new hybrid, but not sure why someone would be disappointed with a properly sized and installed tankless. We routinely used to run 2 showers (5 of us for a while) without a problem. Good luck finding a system that fits you . You are very smart to research. They are a bit expensive so you might as well find one that suits you. (Note: In Europe they have tankless heaters built right into the bathroom. Not sure how legal they are here, but they deliver hot water instantly since they are a few feet away and are very efficient.)