Rarely is one going to be considering five tent models from the same brand/manufacturer. When I am looking for a new tent, I do research on all brands. Reputations and quality change over time so a brand thought of as poor 10 years ago may be better. More commonly I find that companies sometimes ride on their reputation without keeping up the quality or innovation. My "short list" is developed from eliminating tents based on 1) weight, 2) price, 3) weather-worthiness, 4) features. Reality is that price matters for me. There are some really good tents out there but I am not going to pay $500. And my upper weight limit for a 3-season solo tent is 3 pounds. Only weather -worthy tents get picked. Most features are optional. I prefer side door, but would get a front door if it was considerably lighter, cheaper and more weather worthy. PS weight HAS to include all set up gear - stakes, tent strings, etc. I tend to use my trekking poles when I have the tent set up, so am willing to carry weight of poles.

I would never buy a tent without setting it up, getting inside, taking it down. I am lucky in that it is an hour drive from my house to Henry Shires house so I could actually go up to his place and try out several of his models before buying.

Be wary of "reviews". I swear some bad reviews are put in there by competitors. No review is worth anything to me unless the person has really used the tent in all kinds of bad weather conditions. I really liked one review that stated his tent lasted through a hurricane!