Our Speeco, 25ton, 9.0hp B/S I/C, has been unstoppable so far, going into the fourth winter with it, 50 cords or more so far, and another 30 waiting for it.
It has a solid foot plate, something to watch for. Some footplates are dished-out to save material, and can bend.
I'm looking to upgrade to a production splitter, 4way and 6way, log lift, table, and longer tongue, but that's due to demand.
If you are only going to be splitting for your own needs, just about any 22ton or better will be fine. A Honda GX engine seems to sip the least fuel, and is quieter, so that part would be nice.
Good luck, there's been lots of threads with guys experiences, do a search for log splitters in this forum and you'll find some worthwhile reading.
Another thing, if you haven't run one yet, rent one to get a baseline of experience, and ask about the specifics of the rental unit, then you can compare more easily.