Look away from brand. The quality of the installation will be the deciding factor in how well your unit runs.
Please remove pricing, that’s not allowed here.
Is this something your planning on buying and installing yourself?

 

Both should be “okay “ if installed, sized properly, and commissioned following manufacturers specifications as closely as possible. Static pressure, temperature rise across HX etc. etc. are all within manufacturers specifications.

The Duane is under the Lennox umbrella while the Goodman is under the Daikin umbrella. Chances are at 96% the Goodman comes with a 10 year whole furnace replacement if HX ever fails in the 1st 10 years to the original registered owner. Why comparing apples to oranges and not apple to apple models?

Does the Ducane have the ECM or PSC blower motor, as manufacturers stopped production of furnaces with PSC motors ( 3 July 2019 ) to concentrate on the more energy efficient ECM motors. Nothing wrong with the PSC motor thou, IMO.

Should be getting a one year labor warranty from Installing Contractor no?

 

I plan on buying the unit, and letting a professional install it. I’ve done some research and found a few technicians that have a lot of good reviews. I’m just a little spooked about some of the reviews of the Goodman units. But as I dug deeper...it seems the problem related to the people installing it...rather than the unit. But I don’t know. It’s certainly a better value than the Ducane...if it’s reliable.

 

That would be a very unwise decision to make. Here’s some things to think about-

>Internet sourced equipment often has no warranty. If it does have one, your the one holding responsibly for it. So when the tech has to come fix something, they bill you, not the manufacturer. Even if it’s a week old.

>Hiring random people to install equipment they may or may not be familiar with has an extremely poor success rate. Why should they care if they do a good job? They don’t hold any warranty with the equipment. If it fails they just bill you some more to come fix it.

>You need an accurate load calculation and duct review to properly size the new equipment. Since your providing the equipment this responsibility falls on you. Are you capable of doing this?

>When your inducer fails on a Friday night when it’s 10* outside, will you suddenly find out then that there’s no supply houses in your area for that brand of equipment? And you have to wait for your internet supply company to ship one out in a week.

Goodman has such a bad rep mainly because of people buying internet equipment that’s then scabbed in fast and cheap. It’s done so much it’s literally affected the reviews on the brand as your seeing now. Will you be one of those consumers that get a bad install and have poorly performing, loud equipment? It’s really easy to do a crap install, it’s done more often than not.
You have to remember this isn’t a TV, refrigerator or car. This is a system selected and designed for your home. You don’t read who’s the best brand and then price shop local vendors. You select the best installer and then put in whatever brand they carry.

 

So your going to hire a Technician, may want to ask them for their license(s) and that they carry liability insurance. Parts warranty can gets problematic ( if you even get one ) when homeowners purchase equipment.

If this is a replacement for a existing one, are you going to do a load calculation to see what you really need or just replace like for like. If this is a new unit where there never was one how did you determine BTU needed?

 

Here's a story. Guy buys a Rheem 95% and A/C system off the net. Friend who apparently is in the biz installs it. Unit isn't cooling after a couple years. Calls us, we're a Rheem dealer. His buddy says TXV bad. Horsehockey. Loonie ways coil leaking like about every Rheem coil of that vintage did. Local supplier says sorry Charlie even though we'd be doing the work. So he had to have his buddy remove the coil, box it up, pay for shipping back, pay for return shipping, sit without air for who knows how long, then have his buddy reinstall the new coil.

We have installed quite a few Concord & Air Ease (sisters to Ducane) units with good luck. But 90+ tend to be quieter than 80s if not oversized or under ducted. Like rider said, Goodman has a bad rep mainly from selling to unqualifieds. Still going on around here but they've lost a ton of market share because of it. Ironically the supplier who had Goodman from the beginning dropped it and took on Ducane and no longer sells to anyone with a buck & a truck.

Personally I'd look for a respected Rheem/Ruud dealer. The R98 is a modulating top of the line 98% efficient furnace which is incredibly quiet especially when firing 40-50% capacity. Or even the R95 single stage is a nicely built reliable basic unit. Check utility rebates, with us 95% and 98% get some nice money from the gas company.

 

Think of the cost of that “System” over 15 years.

Do not shop by price.

The contractor is the most important thing.